Coastal and Marine Management Plan 2020-25

Project background

The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC) is responsible for managing 37 kilometres of coastal Crown land between Point Impossible east of Torquay and Cumberland River south of Lorne in Victoria, Australia.

Our role is to manage marine and coastal Crown land assets on behalf of the State for the use and enjoyment of the community.

As the delegated manager of coastal Crown land, the Marine and Coastal Act 2018 requires us to prepare a Coastal and Marine Management Plan (CMMP).

The CMMP establishes an integrated and coordinated approach to protecting and managing coastal Crown land and the adjacent marine environment over the next five years. It ensures high level policy and direction in the Marine and Coastal Act 2018 is embedded into our everyday business and on-ground actions.

It has been developed in consultation with, and is a direct response to, conversations with our Traditional Owners, key stakeholders and the community.

A new authority, the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCPA), is due to commence in 2020, replacing GORCC and other land managers along the Great Ocean Road. The CMMP lays the foundations for the next five years to allow critical business-as-usual operations and strategic actions to continue during a state of transition.

How has the draft been developed?

We started consultation on the CMMP during the summer of 2017-2018, obtaining feedback on the 2013-18 plan and identifying issues of concern to the community. In early 2018, consultants were engaged to undertake a review of the GORCC CMP 2013-2018, identify new policy and legislation requirements, and support us to undertake a structured process to develop the new CMMP.

The process to develop the new CMMP included updating the vision and objectives and formulating the Implementation Plan. Implementation planning involved identifying and prioritising assets, values and the threats to them, identifying strategic management responses and managing the coastal reserve activities, developing draft outcomes and prioritising actions.

Nine community consultation sessions were held across Lorne, Aireys Inlet, Anglesea and Torquay throughout January and February 2019 to gain feedback on the initial Implementation Plan, in addition to community and stakeholder reference group meetings.

The community asked for a simple plan with achievable actions, clear timeframes and outcomes addressing the following priorities: protect the natural environment, increase education and awareness of Aboriginal, cultural and environmental values of the coast, address climate change, support sustainable visitation and maintain and improve infrastructure.

This feedback has helped inform the development and design of the draft CMMP 2020-25.

Priorities, challenges and strategic responses

The CMMP outlines our priorities and challenges, including climate change, increased use and visitation, built infrastructure and assets, sustainable funding, the natural environment, and Traditional Owners and Aboriginal cultural heritage, and identifies our strategic responses to each of these.

CMMP Framework

The CMMP is split into themes – Natural Environment, Community and Partnerships, Education and Awareness, Planning and Adaptation, Facilities and Infrastructure, Sustainable Funding, and Governance and Organisation – each having associated five-year outcomes.

Each theme is aligned with the vision, guiding principles and objectives of both the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee and the Marine and Coastal Act 2018.

Our strategic and everyday actions correspond with these themes, with every strategic action having a timeframe and partner assigned to it.

Have your say

Feedback was open on the draft CMMP from Friday 17 January until Sunday 23 February 2020.

The following consultation sessions were held during this time:

Torquay

• Friday 24 January, 10am-12noon: Torquay Front Beach – opposite Growlers between Anderson and Price Streets
• Saturday 15 February, 2-4pm: Torquay Angling Club, Fishermans Beach

Anglesea

• Friday 14 February, 10am-12noon: Anglesea Motor Yacht Club, Point Roadknight

Lorne

• Saturday 8 February, 2-4pm: Lorne Community House

Next steps

Feedback received during the consultation period will help inform the development and design of the final CMMP.

Following consultation in January – March 2020, the key next steps are:

• Compile community and stakeholder feedback
• Develop the final CMMP
• Submit to the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning for Ministerial approval
• Release final approved CMMP.

Project documentation

• Draft CMMP