NEWS 21 February 2018 |
We all enjoy a day at the beach and dip in the sea this time of year. After relaxing over the holidays, spare a thought to how our bountiful seas and beautiful coasts are managed.
The new Marine and Coastal Bill 2017, was debated in the lower house of the Victorian parliament yesterday. VNPA has been calling for new marine and coastal law reform for some time, but the new legislation is a missed opportunity to create proper marine planning.
The new Bill falls well short of what is needed if we are to achieve genuinely integrated marine and coastal planning and management that is inclusive of the community, accountable and transparent.
Having said that, there are some worthy elements to the Bill: new state of the marine and coastal environment report and an increased marine focus. You can read the debate on pages 39-64 of Hansard.
The Bill will now be debated in the upper house in the coming weeks.
More information
> VNPA submission on Marine and Coastal Act discussion paper
> Previous News 13 December 2018
> Background information on the Marine and Coastal Act
