Gippsland identified as a national agri-tourism 'hot spot' with untapped potential for growth

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/regions/content/201102/3139068.htm?site=gippsland

Report suggests agri-tourism is bringing city and country together

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201102/s3139185.htm

Plan for Gippsland overlooks ag

A plan for the future of the Gippsland region was set out last week with the launch of the Gippsland Regional Plan. It's a document that spells out priorities for the region in attracting funding for local projects.

Alex Arbuthnot, chairman of Gippsland Agribusiness, has welcomed the plan saying that Gippsland needs a long-term vision, but he has a problem with the key priorities set out in the final document, with agriculture not included among the region's key priorities.

"Agriculture returns about $2 billion to Gippsland, agri-business would return about $6 to $7 billion per year. For many of our shires agriculture is its biggest employer and biggest income earner, so I just can't understand that agriculture was not included in those top ten priorities and the only conclusion I can draw is, as we often feel, it's taken for granted."