News
Bill Borthwick Student Scholarships 2025 - announced
VEAC received an outstanding range of applications for the Bill Borthwick Student Scholarships for 2025 and eligible fields of study encompassed natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, economics, law, and politics. Bill Borthwick scholarships were introduced in March 2011 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the inaugural meeting of the Land Conservation Council (LCC) and to pay tribute to the vision of the Hon Bill Borthwick who played a key role in establishing the LCC to provide recommendations to the government regarding the utilisation of public land in Victoria. Click here for information on the five awarded scholarships
Bill Borthwick Student Scholarships 2025 - Call for applications
Applications for the 2025 round of Bill Borthwick Student Scholarships are now open. The Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) provides annual scholarships for tertiary students to support research on the values and management of public land in Victoria. The scholarships were established in 2011 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first meeting of VEAC’s predecessor, the Land Conservation Council (LCC). They honour the vision of the Hon. Bill Borthwick, Victoria’s first Minister for Conservation who led the establishment of the LCC in 1970 to advise governments on the use of Victoria’s public land. Applications close at 5:00 pm on Tuesday 11 March 2025. Click here for further information and application form
VEAC has published its interim assessment of the state forests in the Central Highlands
VEAC has published its interim assessment of the state forests in the Central Highlands. The interim report assessing the values of the Central Highlands IPAs is now available. The report will inform community engagement to be carried out by the Eminent Panel for Community Engagement. The final report including an economic assessment will be submitted to the Minister by 31 July 2024.
Read the story of VEAC and its predecessors in this 50 year timeline
Take a look at the timeline we prepared for our 50th anniversary in 2021 showing some of the major events that have influenced and contributed to public land use planning in Victoria, beginning with the Little Desert campaign. Milestones and key recommendations over the 50 year work program of the LCC, ECC and VEAC are highlighted.
VEAC has published two reports providing advice on aspects of public land use information
Two reports providing advice on aspects of public land use information are now available. This technical advice was requested by the previous Minister and submitted to the Minster for Environment Ingrid Stitt MP on 28 April 2023. The reports include an assessment of the available data on recreational activities on Victoria’s public land as well as advice on improvements to the VEACRecs25 dataset on agreed public land use decisions. View the reports here
Bill Borthwick Student Scholarships 2023 announced
VEAC received an outstanding range of applications this year. The recipients of the 2023 scholarships can be viewed here.
Bill Borthwick Student Scholarships 2023 - Call for applications
The scholarships were announced in March 2011 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first meeting of the Land Conservation Council (LCC). They honour the vision of the Hon. Bill Borthwick, Victoria's first Minister for Conservation from 1973-1979 and Deputy Premier from 1979 to 1982. VEAC has established the annual scholarships for tertiary students to assist in the costs of research relating to public land in Victoria, including terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. Find out more here.
Reports released for Strathbogie Ranges and Mirboo North Immediate Protection Areas
The recommendations for the future use of the Strathbogie Ranges and the Mirboo North Immediate Protection Area can be found in the report of the Eminent Panel for Community Engagement released on 8 August 2022. VEAC’s completed assessment is also available updating the reports published in March to inform the panel’s community engagement. VEAC’s report also contains an assessment of the economic implications of the Panel’s proposed land use changes.
Bill Borthwick Student Scholarships 2022 announced
VEAC received an outstanding range of applications. The successful projects involve topics ranging from an Aboriginal stone quarry to identifying biodiversity refuges and protecting them from extreme disturbance events. The recipients of the 2022 scholarships can be viewed here.
VEAC has published two reports on the values of the Mirboo North and Strathbogie Ranges Immediate Protection Areas
The reports assessing the values of the Strathbogies and Mirboo North IPAs are now available. The full report including an economic assessment will be submitted to the Minister by 31 May 2022.
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