Allan Government guts Parks Victoria of staff and funding

Parks Victoria is in chaos with cuts to its staff and funding, just as the Allan government rolls out its national parks expansion.

Parks Victoria is in chaos as the Allan Government creates more parks for it to manage, including large parts of the Wombat-Lerderderg forest (pictured).

Parks Victoria is being gutted of staff and funding as Premier Jacinta Allan charges ahead with plans to convert an additional 440,000ha of state forest into new national parks across central Victoria and the highlands.

Ms Allan revealed legislation will be introduced to create 50,000ha of the Pyrenees and Wombat – Lerderderg National Parks next month, with another 390,000ha of Central Highlands state forest under consideration.

Yet the Community and Public Sector Union is reporting Parks Victoria is in turmoil, undergoing a major restructure and battling to find $12m to cover 20 years of fire allowance underpayments to staff.

PV staff have also told the CPSU they have lost $7 million in revenue following Ms Allan’s announcement of free camping in national parks from December 1 to June 30 next year.

The government rejected this claim, saying it has offset PV’s camping revenue loss with $9m in extra funding.

PV is also struggling to find the money to rebuild accommodation, tracks and campgrounds destroyed by the 2019-20 black summer fires in East Gippsland, as well as manage 4.12 million hectares of parks with just 526 field staff.

The CPSU reported its PV members were “concerned that the organisation is unable to operate at the levels required to deliver for Victoria”.

“There is a lack of funding from government and what appears to be an inability of PV leadership to advocate to Spring St to secure ongoing and improved funding.”

Poor management is also creating headaches for farmers as deer, feral pigs, wild dogs and weeds spill out of national parks onto their land.

Parks Victoria’s own performance measures published in this year’s and previous state budgets show the “area treated to minimise the impact of pest plants, pest animals and overabundant native animals in parks” has steadily declined from 2400ha in 2021-22 to a target of 1600ha for 2024-25.

Parks Victoria staff say they have lost $7 million in revenue following the free camping announcement.

Victorians Nationals MP Melina Bath said the government was cutting Parks Victoria staff and resources, which was not only affecting people’s access “but weeds, pests and environmental threats”.

“It’s clear Parks Victoria doesn’t have the resources to adequately manage the current national parks under its control,” Ms Bath said.

Meanwhile 22,612 Victorians have signed a petition calling on parliament to “not create any new nationals parks and keep state forests open to public access and traditional activities”.

Anglers, hunters, rock climbers, prospectors and other outdoor recreation groups have joined forces with the powerful Electrical Trades Union and Australian Manufacturing Workers Unions to protect their access to the state’s forests.

In August Premier Allan responded to those concerns by telling the Bush Summit that “as a proud country Victorian I won’t be putting a padlock on our public forest”.

When asked again in parliament last week Ms Allan said “outdoor recreation activities will still happen in these new parks”.

But in its original response to the Victorian Environment and Assessment Council report on creating the Wombat and other central Victorian parks, the government stated four-wheel driving, and horse, trail and mountain bike riding would only be allowed on designated trails and that overnight camping with horses would come to an end.

"See? We love our National Parks" - Rule toon

The right to freely camp and light cooking fires in state forests would also end, with Victorians corralled into designated sites with the new national parks.

Under current rules Victorians can camp for free anywhere in a state forest for up to 28 nights, as long as they are at least 20 metres from waterways.

Firewood collection is also due to be phased out by June 2029 in most of the proposed new regional parks in the Wombat–Macedon block and in the Bendigo Regional Park (additions) in the Wellsford block. Prospecting and hound hunting of deer are also set to end.

Victorians Against the Great Forest National Park founder Carly Murphy said she saw no reason to create more parks, given the government had achieved its objective of ending native forest harvesting.

“There’s enough national parks already, without this massive land mass being included,” Ms Murphy said.

Fellow Victorians Against the Great Forest National Park member David Barton said it appeared Ms Allan’s free camping announcement was designed to placate voters, as she prepared to expand the parks network next month.

“It’s a gimmick to try and win brownie points,” Dr Barton said.

“Free camping will not be allowed in these national parks, nor prospecting and firewood collection.”