Local state parks advocate Leonie Blackwell has called on state Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos to reject the State Government's proposal to convert state forests into national parks.
Ms Blackwell recently presented her submission to the minister, backed by a 40,000-strong petition and a groundswell of regional support.As a local advocate and committee manager of Victorians Against the Great Forest National Park, Ms Blackwell said her submission proposed practical alternatives to the controversial plan to convert state forests into national parks.
"This wasn't just a document, it was a voice for the people who live with, love, and look after the bush every single day," Ms Blackwell said. "It's the culmination of community forums we've held across Gippsland and the Central Highlands over the past 12 months."
The submission was delivered just days after the release of the Great Outdoors Taskforce report.
Copies of the submission also have been shared with upper house members, shadow ministers including the National Party's Melina Bath, and local government chief executive officers and councillors.
Ms Bath received her copy the same night she debated a record-breaking petition of 40,000 signatures against the national park proposal—making it the largest petition ever tabled in the Victorian Parliament at the time.
During debate, Ms Bath took Labor to task for its poor management of public land and shoddy response to the petition.
"Creating new national parks and restricting participation in traditional bush pursuits does not guarantee improved conservation outcomes," Ms Bath said.
Ms Blackwell said the submission explored a wide range of bushland concerns, from fire mitigation and weed control to wildlife protection, climate patterns, public access, and tourism.
She said it addressed issues often overlooked in metropolitan debates, such as gem fossicking, gold prospecting, and the unique needs of regular versus inexperienced bush users.
"Victoria's state forests are more than pretty places—they're living, breathing landscapes that support mental health, family connection, regional economies, and cultural identity," Ms Blackwell said. "They're where we camp, fossick, hike, hunt, heal, and connect."
The submission argues that the existing dual model, where state forests and national parks operate side by side, is already delivering a healthy balance of conservation and community access.
"We absolutely support environmental protection. But we reject the idea that turning everything into a national park is the only way to achieve it. State forests allow for cultural practices, fire access, volunteer conservation, and so many community activities that would otherwise be shut down."
"This submission speaks for those who walk the tracks, fight the fires, remove the weeds, and steward the forests - not from afar, but as part of daily life."
With the future of Victoria's public land hanging in the balance, Ms Blackwell and the committee hope this submission brings much-needed nuance and realism to a complex policy debate—one that affects not only landscapes, but lives.