NEWS 16 December 2025 |

Key nature institutions are being gutted or hollowed out. These cuts will seriously diminish the Victoria’s capacity to do robust strategic planning for nature, which is under increasing threat. 

 We’re alarmed that, in the government response to Independent Review of the Victorian Public Service (the Silver Review): 

  • Over 300 staff, many from the biodiversity section of the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, are being cut.  
  • The Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC), a long-standing environmental institution that provides expert advice, investigation and recommendations on the use of public land, will largely be abolished.  
  • The standalone Victorian Marine and Coastal Council, which provides advice on marine and coastal issues and produce the Marine and Coastal Strategy, will be cut.   
  • Important advisory committees such as the National Parks Advisory Committee, Scientific Advisory Committee for Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act and many others are being reviewed and their future is uncertain.  

The government has said some of the function of VEAC and Marine and Coastal Council will be picked up or consolidated into the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability. But it’s likely independent expert advisory boards will be removed.  

Cutting VEAC before they have finished assessing public land across Victoria is a short-sighted and misguided attempt to find small budget gains, at the cost of much-needed nature protection. VEAC has played a key role in assessing, designing and making recommendations for millions of hectares of our much– loved national parks. But there are still many gaps in our protected area network to fill so Victoria can reach national and international benchmarks. 

Fisheries officers, our marine protectors, have already been gutted. Victoria’s marine expertise is already under pressure, after recent staff cuts. Now, the Victorian Government is abolishing the Marine and Coastal Council, a critical voice that advises the Environment Minister on safeguarding our oceans and marine life. 

The government is also consolidating environmental regulators by merging the Fisheries Authority and Game Management Authority. But it’s unclear if this will lead to greater enforcement capacity, which has already been seriously depleted with dramatic cuts to fisheries officers.  

They’re also proposing to give the Office of the Conservation Regulator control of enforcement in national parks. We’re concerned this could undermine the capacity of Parks Victoria to manage our most important protected areas. 

It’s clear the Allan Government have been putting nature at the bottom of the priority list for some time. And they’re taking it a step further by gutting key, long standing institutions. 

Our natural areas and national parks are the foundation for Victoria’s culture, wellbeing and lifestyle and are being put at risk by these decisions. 

The latest government State of the Environment Report 2024 for Victoria continued to show continued deterioration of Victoria’s natural places and native plants and animals. The report concluded that it is clear that Victoria’s biodiversity is in decline. 

The latest Victorian State of the Environment Report 2024 reported continued deterioration of Victoria’s habitats and wildlife. One quarter to one third of Victoria’s terrestrial plants, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, along with many invertebrates and ecological communities, are considered threatened with extinction. Of the 40 biodiversity indicators, over 80 per cent were assessed as poor or unknown. 

In the scheme of our state budget, these institutions are a drop in the ocean. But their benefit to nature is immeasurable. We need independent advice from experts and robust planning for nature conservation to properly look after nature in Victoria.

Take action – let your elected reps know nature can’t afford these cuts. 

Email your local MP – tell them to stop cuts to nature protection