Colac Otway Shire Council welcomes Great Ocean Road Action Plan

Published on 12 October 2018

Colac Otway Shire Council welcomes Great Ocean Road Action Plan

Colac Otway Shire Council chief executive officer Peter Brown says a new Great Ocean Road Action Plan is a great step forward in managing and protecting the iconic tourist route, the environment and its communities.

Colac Otway Shire councillor Chris Potter, together with Mr Brown, joined Minister for Environment Lily D’Ambrosio, Minister for Tourism John Eren, Chair of Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation Jason Mifsud and Wadawurrung Geelong Office Manager Corrina Eccles in Lorne today at the launch the Great Ocean Road Action Plan.

The plan includes reforms to preserve and enrich the iconic region along Victoria’s south-west coast, including the establishment of a Great Ocean Road authority with an independent board to replace the multitude of agencies that currently manage public assets.

Mr Brown said yesterday that while Council hadn’t had an opportunity to read the detailed plan, he was pleased that the State Government’s Great Ocean Road Taskforce had addressed issues raised by Council over recent years.

“I believe the authority, which will report directly to a Minister, is a significant step forward and it has general bipartisan support which will benefit its future implementation,” he said.

“The Great Ocean Road Standing Advisory Committee, which will also be created, will consider strategic planning issues but it will not take any planning roles away from Council.

“It’s a great step forward that seems to broadly respond to the advocacy from Colac Otway Shire.

“It will take some time to implement recommendations because it will require legislation to establish the authority and creating legislation takes time.

“But Colac Otway Shire will be advocating that interim work is done without waiting for the legislation to come into force.”

(image credit of the 12 Apostles, Sal Ahmed)