The Act amends the National Parks Act 1975 in relation to the Greater Bendigo National Park and provides for the addition of approximately 245 hectares to the park. The Act also amends the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council Act 2001 to broaden the advisory role of the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) and allow for the government to amend a response of the government to VEAC recommendations.
This Act will assist in allowing Aboriginal title over the Greater Bendigo National Park to be granted to the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, on behalf of the Dja Dja Wurrung traditional owner settlement group. The settlement agreement commenced in 2013 and this Act is necessary to give effect to this aspect of the agreement. The Act will address ambiguity in the park boundary, as well as provide for the addition of two parcels of land with high conservation value.
The amendments to the VEAC Act aim to broaden the advisory role of VEAC. The Act recognises that VEAC (the former Land Conservation Council and the former Environment Conservation Council) is not well suited to provide advice or carry out technical assessments on small scale areas of land, and seeks to address this by establishing an alternative, more flexible process allowing VEAC to provide advice or assess an area that might not require an investigation under the current provisions. The current consultation and transparency processes will remain. The advice and assessments of VEAC are influential in how particular areas of public land are used.
For further information please see the Explanatory Memorandum or the Second Reading Speech from the Legislative Council.