A group of high country cattlemen are cautiously accepting a land agreement brokered between the Victorian government and the Taungurung people.
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The Mountain Cattlemen's Association of Victoria accept "in principal" the Land Use Activity Agreement done on August 11 with the Taungurung Land and Waters Council Aboriginal Corporation, but are seeking further clarification about how it will impact its members.
President Bruce McCormack said cattlemen have always worked alongside Indigenous Australians.
"In principal, we have no problem with this agreement," he said.
"We have always paid fees to have our cattle in the high country, and expect this to be ongoing.
"We have never had a problem with the Taungurung people - we have just finalised a submission on biodiversity decline in Victoria and in that we proudly detail our on-going association with Australia's First People, and our adoption of their cool burning techniques."
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The agreement details how some Victorians engaging in activities on crown land will be required to pay rent to the Taungurung people.
Mr McCormack said it is expected this will potentially impact not only cattlemen with state forest leases but also farmers, loggers, miners and even recreational activities.
The agreement covers 800,000 hectares of parks and state forest, stretching from Rochester to Bright and down to Warburton and includes sections of the Goulburn, King and Ovens Rivers.
When contacted, Mr McCormack said he was still wading through the document but did say he was hopeful there would be few changes for those within the MCAV.
"At this stage we have no problem with the agreement assuming the fees will be passed on out of the current lease fees our members pay to the government, and provided negotiations are between the government and the corporation," he said.
"I just hope this agreement does not result in more paperwork for country Victorians."
