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Otways- Regional News - June 2005

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GREAT OTWAY NATIONAL PARK SOON TO BE A REALITY - Media release Friday June 10 2005

Media release - FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PREMIER, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

DATE: Friday, June 10, 2005

GREAT OTWAY NATIONAL PARK SOON TO BE A REALITY

The Premier, Steve Bracks, today announced the State Government would legislate to create a new 100,000 ha National Park for the Otways, stretching from Anglesea to Cape Otway.

Mr Bracks said the National Parks (Otways and Other Amendments) Bill, to be introduced to State Parliament next week, would establish the new Great Otway National Park and phase out logging by 2008.

The new National Park will become the largest on Victoria's coast – linking the existing Otway National Park and the Angahook-Lorne, Carlisle and Melba Gully State Parks with tracts of former state forest.

Mr Bracks said $13 million would be spent over the next four years on its establishment, including employing 17 people to manage the Park.

"The Great Otway National Park will increase Victoria's park areas by more than 60,000 ha and will be nine times the size of the existing National Park," Mr Bracks said.

"This initiative fulfils a key election commitment from the Government, protects old growth forest and threatened flora and fauna and creates one of the world's great National Parks along the Great Ocean Rd.

"The Great Ocean Road is a cornerstone of Victoria's $10.6 billion tourist industry – attracting 2.5 million visitors a year. By protecting this magnificent environment, we are safeguarding the future of one of our greatest tourist destinations."

Minister for the Environment, John Thwaites, said the Government had accepted the majority of recommendations from a Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) investigation and would table a response in Parliament.

He said VEAC and the community had helped shape the recommendations, with more than 1800 submissions received during the two-year investigation.

"Despite some different views on exactly how we will preserve this amazing environment, Victorians generally want the tall forests, rainforests, coastal heathlands, surf beaches and world-class tourism facilities that we enjoy today to be enjoyed in the future," he said.

Mr Thwaites said around 40,000 ha of public land in the Otways would also be set aside as Forest Park – a new category of public land.

"The Otway Forest Park will allow for a wide range of recreational activities and will have a strong emphasis on community access," Mr Thwaites said.

"The development of a new category of public land is in response to community desires to have a diverse range of recreation activities available in the Otways, not usually allowed in National Parks.

"The Otway Forest Park will be available for horse riding, dog-walking and four wheel driving, as well as nature conservation and minor resource use like firewood collection."

Mr Thwaites thanked Barwon Water and South West Water, who assisted by transferring land to the Crown for addition to the National Park. He said the main purpose for adding forested water catchments to the park was to supply high quality water to regional communities.

"This is another important Park in Victoria's world class system of National and Marine Parks, providing economic benefits for our regions, recreational opportunities for Victorians and visitors and protecting our unique environment," Mr Thwaites said.

Mr Bracks said the $121 million funding boost for Victoria's parks system announced in the State Budget would mean better weed and pest control in parks, including in the new Great Otway National Park.

The establishment of the Park follows a range of other important State Government initiatives in the region including:
· The launch of A New Future for the Otways, a tourism initiative to stimulate and coordinate development and marketing of tourism on public land in the Otways hinterland;

· The Great Ocean Road Regional Strategy and
· The establishment of significant Marine National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries to provide high levels of protection for representative marine ecosystems in the area.