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New Bills Introduced into Victorian Parliament Last WeekThree new bills introduced into Parliament this week. By Portal Admin - 8th December 2019 - Back to News Last week in Parliament saw three new Bills introduced by the State Government. Please note an overview of the proposed legislation on these three Bills is set out below as provided by the relevant Ministers.
Parks and Crown Land Legislation Amendment Bill 2019
Excerpts from the second-reading speech;
The Bill will implement several election and other commitments related to parks, reserves and other Crown land, including by creating a new marine and coastal park along the Bass Coast and also removing the current prohibition on camping on licensed river frontages. The Bill also alters the boundaries of several existing parks and reserves and makes a number of other miscellaneous amendments.
Of particular note, it implements two of the government’s election commitments relating to Crown land by:
- creating the Yallock-Bulluk Marine and Coastal Park on the Bass Coast and enabling camping on licensed river frontages
- Creates a Yellingbo Landscape Conservation Area and the Don Valley Education Reserve
- Adds high conservation value areas to Errinundra and Great Otway national parks, and alters or corrects the boundaries of several other existing parks and reserves
- Re-reserves land in the vicinity of the expanded Bendigo Airport for aerodrome purposes to support its ongoing operation
- Improves the efficiency of certain administrative processes relating to Parks Victoria
- Commences the process of modernising the Crown land legislation by repealing many redundant or spent provisions
Forests Legislation Amendment (Compliance and Enforcement) Bill 2019
Excerpts from the second-reading speech;
This Bill will improve the regulation of timber harvesting and firewood collection, two key uses of Victoria’s State forests, to ensure that Victoria’s forests can be maintained and improved into the future. The amendments made by the Bill will improve the regulation of timber harvesting and firewood, to ensure the regulatory framework becomes progressively more contemporary and holds people to account for illegal activities.
Local Government Bill 2019
Excerpts from the second-reading speech;
This Bill creates a new Local Government Act that sets a clear standard for how Victoria’s 79 councils’ function and serve their communities. The current Local Government Act has become outdated, incoherent and enmeshed in prescriptive detail. It came into operation in 1989, at a time when Victoria had 210 relatively small councils and more than 2000 councillors, compared with the more than 600 councillors, in 79 councils, we have today. The Act has since undergone hundreds of individual amendments and expanded to four times its original size. It is time for an overhaul.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: support@gippsland.com
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