By NOEL MURPHY
DYNAMITE and dinosaurs don’t go together and the Great Ocean Road, its coast and hinterland need World Heritage status to be better protected, according to MP Darren Cheeseman.
Labor’s Member for Corangamite, holding his seat by the most slender margin in Australia, is pitching hard, with the backing of Surf Coast and Colac-Otway mayors, for green votes as the federal election looms large.
Mr Cheeseman has called for World Heritage of the Great Ocean Road, with its Twelve Apostles, Dinosaur Cove, Bells Beach, indigenous sites and national park.
But Liberal challenger Sarah Henderson has slammed him for failing to pursue cash for an “urgently required” $50 million upgrade of the road.
“Put your money where your mouth is and help fund this road,” Ms Henderson said.
Mr Cheeseman rejected the attack, saying the road’s maintenance was a state responsibility.
He accused the Liberals of wanting to dynamite the coast to reshape hills against rockslides, to widen the road and to open the area for private development.
“Yes, there is some inconvenience from time to time but that’s the beauty of the Great Ocean Road,” Mr Cheeseman told the Independent.
“I don’t support road-widening or reshaping of hills by dynamite to prevent rockslides.”
Mr Cheeseman declined to discuss the political timing of his World Heritage push and its likely impact on Labor votes or Green preferences.
“Time will tell about all that sort stuff, I guess.”
Australia has 19 World Heritage sites, including Kakadu, the Great Barrier Reef, the Tasmanian wilderness, Blue Mountains, Melbourne’s Exhibition Building and Fraser Island.
Mr Cheeseman said convincing Federal Government and heritage staff of the road’s importance before the case could be submitted to UNESCO would take considerable work.
Meanwhile, Victorian Tourism Minister Louise Asher has called for private development in the Otways to encourage Asian tourists to spend more time and money outside Melbourne.
Ms Asher’s call followed a report showing only three per cent of Chinese tourists spent a night outside Melbourne.
