Aidan KNIGHT
Aidan KNIGHT
THE state government aims to boost regional tourism in Gippsland with an investment of $30 million that will expand recreational use in 1.8 million hectares of state forest.
The Premier, Jacinta Allan, announced the investment during a visit to the Latrobe Valley. She was accompanied by the Minister for the Environment, Steve Dimopoulos and the Member for Eastern Victoria, Tom McIntosh.
The investment will take place in both Gippsland and North East Victoria. The expanded use of state forest is designed to replace the native forest industry, which was closed by the government, resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs.
“Our forests remain open to every single Victorian and visitor alike – to enjoy hunting, fishing, camping, bushwalking and all the benefits of the bush,” the Premier said.
Also announced was a further investment into amenities for outdoor recreation totaling to $14.2 million, in key spots that include Chenes Bridge in Heyfield.
“Victorians love the bush. We love the bush. It’s part of who we are. We love to get out with families, to go camping, dropping a line in a river somewhere, taking a quiet moment to go fishing,” Allan continued, but the bigger focus of the press conference was of the staffing this would bring.
“We’re putting more boots on the ground”, was the wording used to announce a further $7.2 million was being put towards employing and training park rangers .
Minister Dimopoulos told the Gippsland Farmer he was looking forward to DEECA getting more staff to “get on the tools, so to speak”, as these are parks not managed by Parks Victoria.
On the numbers and location of rangers, the Minister said: “It’s roughly around 16 additional rangers, and it will be around predominantly the Gippsland area, the great outdoors Task Force area.
“We’ll have more information to say about where they’re stationed, how they travel around, and can I just say that’s just on top of the base we already have. Not to assume we don’t have any resources out there.
“We have a bunch of resources out through Gippsland, but this is an uplift, and it will include Walhalla”, he went on to say, ensuring to mention one of the local forested areas that suffered more severely from illegal dumping and other undesirable behaviour last holiday season, which can be prevented with the onboarding of more park rangers.
A new Illegal Dumping Taskforce has also been established to protect the environment and preserve the amenity of natural areas. McIntosh joined the conversation to detail the actual management of the land being opened up for outdoor adventurers, with the simple phrase of “It’s really hard to appreciate what you can’t enjoy.”
“Conversations I’ve had, whether it’s local pubs, whether it’s supermarkets, they really want to get people in, I think a significant part of this is the pest and weed management. We’re not talking to land care groups, whether it’s farmers, whether it’s locals, they just want to they really appreciate this support”.
Another key initiative under the same umbrella is the $4 million Healthy Forests Pilot Program, which will initially focus on timber towns like Orbost and Noojee. The program aims to reimagine forest management by incorporating multiple community values, including tourism, recreation, and environmental conservation.
The Minister for Environment said Victoria’s new forest management trial will take a more holistic approach, recognising the many different ways people value state forests beyond their ecological importance. The pilot program will incorporate a range of community priorities, including tourism, recreation, economic use, and Traditional Owner values, into a single management framework. This approach aims to ensure local communities see themselves reflected in how Victoria’s public forests are managed in the future.
The government plans to introduce a new Public Land Act to sit alongside and complement the National Parks Act. The new Public Land Act will provide a contemporary framework for the management of public land, including state forests, while not changing any existing activities or restrict community access. This includes legislating management purposes for the 3.2 million hectares of state forests to ensure they are managed for multiple outcomes, including community recreation, and providing a modern planning framework to support the development of Healthy Forest Plans
The initiative forms part of a broader push by the state government to encourage outdoor recreation and tourism across regional Victoria. Over the past month, the government has made a series of related announcements, including new hunting opportunities, additional mountain bike trails in the Alpine region, and a multi-year agreement with Four Wheel Drive Victoria to help maintain off-road tracks.
The plan comes after community consultation, with over 20,000 Victorians providing input through recent inquiries and task forces.
Mr McIntosh emphasized the economic potential, noting that improved outdoor facilities could significantly boost regional tourism and local businesses. The government expects the plan will create new jobs, encourage outdoor recreation, and provide economic stimulus to Gippsland’s communities.
The Gippsland Farmer prepared a multitude of questions for the Premier on a range of other topics important to the Latrobe Valley, such as the machete amnesty program and the ESVF levy, but were not permitted time to raise these issues after both pressers were complete and the Premier departed.
Also while in town, Allan made stops at Mirboo North Secondary College for a school visit, and Erica for the Healthy Forest Plans Pilot alongside Baw Baw Shire Council members. Local media were not informed.
