In this edition of Voluntary Committees of Management News (Vol CoM News)
- New Comittee of Management Guidelines published on the DELWP website
- Grants information, including recreational fishing
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The end of another difficult year for manyIt's been another difficult year for many individuals, families, communities, businesses and organisations, including Crown land reserve committees of management.
As we look towards 2022, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) would like to say another big thanks to you and everybody involved in committeess of management. DELWP greatly values your skills, experience, knowledge and the time you devote to being a committee member.
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Annual Return 2020-21 thanksThanks to all of you that have ensured your committee has completed and submitted the 2020-21 Annual Return to DELWP.
In addition to the financial accountability information, it was pleasing this year to see so many committees use the Annual Return to provide a summary of highlights and/or raise issues of concern for DELWP to consider.
The 1,000+ committees across the state are very diverse and include public halls, recreation reserves, rail trails, coastal reserves, caravan and camping parks and nature/conservation reserves.
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Overdue 2020-21 Annual ReturnsIf your committee still hasn't submitted the 2020-21 Annual Return, you may have received a phone call or other follow-up recently. The Annual Return is a legislated requirement for all committees to complete on an annual basis.
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Stories of Crown land reserves in actionThanks to all the committees that have submitted stories for publication. It is great to read positive stories of Crown land reserves in action from all over Victoria. For space reasons, we haven't included any stories in this edition. Look out for these in future editions and in the 'Celebrating volunteers and reserves' area of the DELWP committees of management website.
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Committees of management information on DELWP website A reminder that the DELWP website includes a section for committees of management. There's a range of information on the site including copies of the Committee of Managment Guidelines, fact sheets and model policies for committees, insurance information and more!
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The new 64 page Committee of Management Guidelines are designed to assist you and your committee to quickly find information on key topics.
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New Committee of Management Guidelines
A new version of the Committee of Management Guidelines (December 2021) has recently been published on the committees of management section of the DELWP website.
The CoM Guidelines provide detailed guidance for voluntary committees of management of Crown land reserves on topics including:
- Committee responsibilities
- Aboriginal cultural heritage and Traditional Owner rights
- Standards of conduct and required policies
- Financial management
- Developing the reserve
- Leases and licences
- Insurance
- Other governance and land management matters
It is expected that all committee of management members are familiar with the Guidelines. All new committee of management members should read the guidelines as part of their induction. Long-term committee members should read the December 2021 updated guidelines as they include important new material compared to the previous version.
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Grants informationIt is assumed that your committee of management has good links with your local government, including being well positioned to apply for any grants available from your Shire/Council.
Eligibility for other types of grants (for example, see below for the Recreational Fishing Grants Program) will vary according to the type of reserve and other circumstances.
Please ensure you read the eligibility criteria closely. These are general grants pages and the particular grants and programs may not apply to Crown land reserve committees of management.
In future, through this e-news bulletin and the committees of managment website, we'll endeavour to highlight any grants of particular relevance to committees.
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Recreational Fishing Grants
Amongst other strategic priorities, the Victorian Recreational Fishing Strategy seeks to expand infrastructure support to promote access to recreational fishing for tourism and community use.
This includes basic items such as way-finding signs, boat ramps, fish cleaning tables and platforms.
- Small Grants: Land managers, including committees of management, can apply for projects up to $5,000. Potential projects could include the installation of fence stiles to improve angler access, bbq facilities, solar lighting or hosting community ‘come and try’ fishing days.
- Intermediate Grants: Fishing clubs and other community groups can apply for funding for projects up to $50,000. Land managers could partner with local fishing or community groups on a range of projects, for example, upgrading an existing recreational fishing platform with additional seating, a fish cleaning table, additional rod holders, solar lighting and/or additional car parking.
- Large Grants (current round closes 28 February): Land managers can apply for 'Large Grant' funding to fund large projects up to $100,000 per annum for a maximum of three years. Potential projects could include the installation of a new recreational fishing platform, car parking, improved angler access tracks/boardwalks.
For further information or to discuss a proposed application, contact: Richard Rogala, VFA Senior Project Officer on 0417 038 775 or richard.rogala@vfa.vic.gov.au.
- Note: As part of the grant application process, your committee should check DELWP's 'developing the reserve' consent requirements. For more information, see the 'Developing the reserve' chapter of the Committee of Management Guidelines (link in article above).This will ensure that any grant application you make to the VFA is in-line with DELWP's expectations, including that any development is consistent with the purpose for which the land is reserved and mindful of any impacts on existing activities undertaken at the reserve.
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Contacting DELWPFor information about this newsletter or the committees of management section of the DELWP website, including any contribtions of stories and news about your reserve(s), contact DELWP staff member Michael Gourlay on voluntary.committees@delwp.vic.gov.au
Avenues to contact DELWP for further information are:
- Log a query in the Crown Land Kiosk for response by DELWP.
- Contact the DELWP Land and Built Environment (LBE) team responsible for supporting committees of management in your part of the state. Relevant offices for committees of management include Geelong, Hamilton, Traralgon, Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Horsham, Seymour, Wodonga, Bendigo, Mildura, Knoxfield (for all of Melbourne metro). The communities and regions section of the DELWP website includes contact details for these regional DELWP offices.
- Phone the DELWP Customer Contact Centre on 136 186 (and ask to be put through to the Land and Built Environment (LBE) Team in your part of the State) or email: customer.service@delwp.vic.gov.au (and your enquiry will be forwarded to the public land email in your region).
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