LCC North-eastern Victoria-Ovens Softwood Plantation Zone Special Investigation (1981)

Progress

Overview

In March 1981, the LCC was directed to undertake an investigation of an area of public land in north-eastern Victoria, and to make recommendations on the best use of this land including the extent to which it might be used to fulfil the government’s softwood establishment objectives.

Districts 3 and 5 The investigation area A factual report describing the resources and forms of land use in the Ovens Softwood Plantation Zone was published in April 1981.  The Council received 371 written submissions from the general public and interested bodies on the future use of the public land in the study area. The Council considered these submissions and published proposed recommendations in July 1981.The Council received a further 1,946 submissions on these proposals. The final recommendations were published in November 1981.

Conservation organisations brought an injunction against the Council for failing to carry out a proper investigation when the descriptive report appeared just a month after the government directed the LCC to carry out the special investigation.  Although they lost the case, the final recommendations were, in any case, shelved when the Labor government came to power in 1982 with a policy of halting clearing of public native forests for softwood plantations.

The descriptive report, proposed recommendations and final recommendations are available from this page.

As none of the recommendations were approved by Government, the ongoing framework for use of public land in this area is provided by the Districts 3 and 5 final recommendations in the LCC's original North Eastern Study Area Districts 3, 4 and 5 (1973-1977).