A truck inspection blitz across the region has been poorly handled by Victoria Police, the state’s peak farmer body says.
Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh said the state government was unfairly targeting farmers and harvest contractors in a “blatant” revenue raising exercise.
Since the start of harvest, local farmers and contractors have been targeted by Operation Big Wheels, a police blitz on trucks in regional areas.
Trucks in the Wimmera have been taken off the road and the owners slapped with seven-day notices to fix repairs.
Victoria Police spokesman Tom O’Byrne said a representative from the heavy vehicle unit and the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) attended a meeting in Melbourne earlier this year at which truck inspections were raised.
“It was indicated that police would be heading to the Wimmera/Mallee for the harvest,” he said.
“We were also in Mildura and Swan Hill in September where we presented to growers around what we would be targeting during harvest.”
The Guardian has sought clarification from Victoria Police if the operation will head to the Swan Hill region in the new year.
To read more about this story, grab a copy of Friday’s Guardian (December 16).
