FROM THE OFFICE OF VRFISH – VICTORIA’S RECREATIONAL FISHING PEAK BODY

Parks Victoria ignores 550,000 Victorians during
consultation process

VRFish, the peak recreational fishing body representing all recreational fishers in
Victoria, is extremely disappointed in not being consulted during development of the
Maribyrnong & Yarra Rivers Draft water and land access plan.

The VRFish Chairman, Geoff Cramer, said “that recreational fishing is a key activity in
the Maribyrnong and Yarra Rivers and it is extremely disappointing that we have been
excluded from the consultation process. This is a major failure on behalf of Parks
Victoria, that the peak body was not consulted!”

The Two Rivers Plan has made reference to the economic contributions made by the
commercial boating industry $10.1 million and the port activities $2 billion over 30 years,
however the Two Rivers Plan failed to recognise the contributions made by the 550,000
Victorian recreational fishers who contribute more than $400 million annually and
recreational boating activities which contribute more than $1.4 billion annually. It seems
a poor choice to focus on the commercial sectors when recreational fishing and boating
are far more significant users of the waters in question!

If VRFish were included as a participant in the process during the consultation process
that developed the Two Rivers Plan, we would have sought an inclusion along the lines
of, “It is a strategic objective of the access plan that both land and water based access for
the purposes of recreational fishing and boating be maintained, preserved and enhanced
throughout the two rivers area”.

We consider that in the context of our constituents’ equity, participation and economic
contribution that such a high level objective should be part of the access plan.

Chairman, Geoff Cramer concluded “that Parks Victoria needs to re-evaluate its
consultation process, so that errors of this nature will not occur again. This is not the first
time that VRFish and other stakeholders have been ‘overlooked’ by Parks Victoria during
the consultation process.”

VRFish – Victoria’s Recreational Fishing Peak Body
Marine House, Ground Floor, 24 York Street South Melbourne Vic 3205
Telephone: 9686 7077 Facsimile: 9682 1066 Web: www.vrfish.com.au