The Nationals candidate for the federal seat of Indi, Marty Corboy, and federal Liberal candidate Sophie Mirabella have called on the Victorian Labor Government to resume an abandoned scientific trial of high country cattle grazing. This was reported by The Weekly Times. If you think this is a bad idea, there is an online poll attached to the Weekly Times news story.

Grazing in the alpine park is a matter for the state government (although any resumption of grazing would also require approval by the federal environment minister).

At present the ALP are in power in Victoria. The next election is not until 2018. If at that point the Coalition controlled both houses of Parliament they could overturn the legislation which currently bans a resumption of grazing.

Given this is three years away, it seems that Mr Corboy and Ms Mirabella are just indulging in some good old fashioned populist politics which are not really connected to outcomes in the real world.

After the embarrassing loss to the independent candidate Cathy McGowan, the Coalition is desperate to reclaim the seat. Ms McGowan does not support the reintroduction of cattle to the high country.

The negative impacts of cattle grazing on the alpine environment are well documented.