VEAC Assessment of Victoria's Coastal Reserves
The Final Report was submitted to the Minister on 6 March 2020 and publicly released in mid March 2020. The Government response to the recommendations in the final report was tabled in Parliament on 5 August 2021.
Progress
Overview
VEAC was requested by the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, the Hon Lily D'Ambrosio MP to carry out an assessment of Victoria's coastal reserves.
The Government response to the recommendations in the final report was tabled in Parliament on 5 August 2021. The response is available under Reports and Resources.
The purpose of the assessment was to:
a) review the number and types (reservation status) of coastal reserves in Victoria;
b) identify reserves with high environmental, cultural heritage, social and economic values and identify values at risk from the impacts of climate change;
c) identify current and emerging uses of the coastal reserves; and
d) compile an inventory, including spatial distribution, of values and uses of the coastal reserves.
A fact sheet providing an overview of the investigation and timelines is available under Additional Resources.
As a first step, the Council is required to publish a definition of coastal reserves to be used in the assessment, including a diagrammatic representation and map of Victoria's coastal reserves. As part of its assessment, VEAC will produce a draft report and seek public comment on it. The Council must report on the completed assessment by 6 December 2019.
The assessment and associated inventory will assist the Victorian Government's future planning and decision-making for Victoria's coasts.
Victoria's coastal reserves do not include any Crown land described as a park or marine sanctuary in schedules to the National Parks Act 1975, or the unreserved Crown land that makes up the seabed of Victoria's coastal waters.
Reports and resources
Submissions
There was one submission period for the Assessment of Victoria’s Coastal Reserves. The submission period on the draft report commenced on 9 October 2019 and closed on 11 November 2019.
VEAC received 11 submissions with eight received from organisations and three from individuals.