ANNUAL REPORT 2019–2020 Acknowledgement of Country Victoria’s network of parks and reserves form the core of Aboriginal cultural landscapes, which have been modified over many thousands of years of occupation. They are reflections of how Aboriginal people engaged with their world and experienced their surroundings and are the product of thousands of generations of economic activity, material culture and settlement patterns. The landscapes we see today are influenced by the skills, knowledge and activities of Aboriginal land managers. Parks Victoria acknowledges the Traditional Owners of these cultural landscapes, recognising their continuing connection to Victoria’s parks and reserves and their ongoing role in caring for Country. Copyright © State of Victoria, Parks Victoria 2020 Level 10, 535 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 ISSN 1448 – 9082 ISSN 1448 – 9090 (online) Published on www.parks.vic.gov.au This publication may be of assistance to you but Parks Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. This report was printed on 100% recycled paper Approved by Parks Victoria Board 6 October 2020 Front cover image: Fern regrowth following bushfire Inside front cover image: Djandak Wii – cultural use of fire (Wii) to heal Dja Dja Wurrung Country (Dhelkunya Djandak), Lake Boort Inside back cover image: Cape Schanck Lighthouse Reserve, Mornington Peninsula National Park Contents Chair’s Overview 1 Chief Executive Officer’s Overview 2 Our Achievements 3 About Parks Victoria 5 2019-20 Victorian Bushfires 9 Conserving Victoria’s Special Places 12 Connecting People and Parks 18 Providing Benefits Beyond Park Boundaries 24 Enhancing Organisational Excellence 30 Compliance and Disclosures 38 Governance and Organisational Structure 40 Workforce Data 47 Other Disclosures 49 Financial Report for the year ended 30 June 2020 63 Parks Victoria Annual Report 2019–2020 Chair’s Overview In accordance with the Financial Management • Building the iconic Grampians Peak Trail. Act 1994, I am pleased to present Parks Victoria’s • Implementing environmental Annual Report for the 2019–20 financial year. sustainability initiatives. For Victoria this was a very challenging period; • Managing the financial impacts of these particularly in managing the summer bushfires tragic events. and the impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. I recognise and applaud the incredible I sincerely thank the members of the Parks Victoria efforts made by our people and our volunteers. Board, and our CEO Matthew Jackson and his team for their remarkable efforts through a challenging Throughout the fire season our people battled 2019–20. raging bushfires, managed incident control centres and rescued key species from the brink of extinction. In 2020–21, we will work to repair and reopen The bushfires burned significant areas of parkland, our parks and promote visitation to regional particularly in the east of the state. Very sadly, we locations, as soon as it is safe to do so. Victorians lost a highly valued staff member Bill Slade during have never needed a high-quality park network the firefighting operations and celebrated his life as much as now. at his funeral on 22 January 2020. Following the fires, Parks Victoria commenced large-scale conservation and asset repair programs that are still continuing. From March 2020, many parks and other recreation facilities were access restricted or closed as part of the State Government’s response plan to COVID-19. Parks Victoria also continued to deliver services and support for park operators and businesses. This again Jeff Floyd required a major effort on behalf of our people that Chair is ongoing. A large number of operational plans were implemented to protect the Victorian public, while many of our people had to work from home. Every effort was also made to deliver our other priorities, including: • Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our people. • Furthering joint management with Traditional Owners. • Extensive feral animal control and conservation works. • Aboriginal cultural heritage protection. 1 Chief Executive Officer’s Overview The past year has been a period that we will never I am so proud of our people, who rose to these forget. We began the year with the World Heritage challenges and continued to provide ongoing services listing of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape in south- to the Victorian community. west Victoria. This was a fitting recognition of the area’s outstanding universal value and heralded I must also acknowledge the loss of Bill Slade, who in a series of successes in managing Country in was tragically killed fighting fires on 11 January 2020. partnership with Traditional Owners. Bill was a much-loved colleague, friend and member of the Wonthaggi community. He is deeply missed by During the summer, widespread bushfires devastated his team and Parks Victoria colleagues. Bill worked communities and parks, followed closely by COVID-19. for Parks Victoria for over 40 years, firefighting and The challenges that faced Victorians were immense. caring for Parks Victoria’s estate in South Gippsland. For our people at Parks Victoria, our experience of this period was incredibly difficult, but also very rewarding. I look forward to continuing to lead our people into 2020–21. We are proud to be able to help Victorians Key achievements included: and their communities recover following the bushfires and continue to support their health and wellbeing • Improved safety performance with a significant through connections with nature. reduction in our injury frequency rate. • 779 staff deployed across 18,361 shifts to fight bushfires. • 2.2 million hectares treated for pest plants and animals to improve biodiversity across the state. • $45.3 million invested in capital projects to improve access and experiences in parks, and contribute to the Victorian economy. • 22,000 volunteers proudly contributing to Matthew Jackson the health and vibrancy of our parks. Chief Executive Officer • Swift and effective response to implement a range of measures to support the State Government’s management of COVID-19. • A rapid and effective transition to new ways of working as office-based staff moved to working from home. Parks Victoria Annual Report 2019–2020 2 Our Achievements CONSERVING VICTORIA’S CONNECTING PEOPLE SPECIAL PLACES AND PARKS Increase the resilience of natural and cultural assets Improve the health and wellbeing of Victorians in parks and maintain ecosystem services in the face through the management of a parks estate that of climate change and other stressors is valued by the community Page 12 Page 18 Strategic directions Strategic directions 1. Improve our approach using 1. Strive to keep parks safe, open, contemporary science to manage clean and maintained priority natural and cultural assets in parks 2. Provide and maintain quality infrastructure 2. Conserve and restore ecological processes to support visitation in priority locations 3. Attract and connect with visitors 3. Develop and foster partnerships with Traditional in meaningful ways Owners to effectively implement Traditional Owner Settlement outcomes, including joint management 4. Provide modern and engaging ways to enhance individuals experience while in parks 4. Promote enjoyment and understanding of our natural and cultural heritage, and conserve and manage important sites with the community 2019–20 highlights 2019–20 highlights • Celebrated the Budj Bim cultural landscape being inscribed • Supported 22,000 volunteers who recorded 204,950 on the UNESCO World Heritage list. volunteering hours across 250 parks and reserves despite bushfire and COVID-19 impacts. • Delivered 2.2 million hectares of pest plant and pest animal treatment across the state, significantly higher than the 1.5 • Launched ‘Nature First Supporters’, a 12-month pilot million hectares delivered in 2018–19. membership program to connect interested community members with Victoria’s parks, waterways and native • Supported the Department of Environment, Land, Water and wildlife. Planning (DELWP) to embed biodiversity and environmental considerations into Incident Management Teams to inform • Parks Victoria admitted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ for Victoria’s decision-making relating to bushfire control. Tourism Awards for Inclusive and Accessible Tourism. • Implemented emergency extractions of threatened species • Increased park visitation in June 2020 (when compared both ahead of, and following, the bushfires. with June 2019) at various locations following the COVID-19 restrictions being lifted. Visits to sites at • Adjusted the targeted invasive weeds and pest animal Kinglake and Wilsons Promontory national parks control programs in East Gippsland and in North East increased by 180 per cent and 69 per cent respectively. following the 2019–20 bushfires to better protect biodiversity in affected parks. • Developed a trail classification system to identify and grade park trails suitable for all-terrain ‘TrailRider’ • Recorded suitable habitat for Plains Wanderer birds in wheelchair users. 58 per cent of monitored plots, an increase of 38 per cent from two years ago. • Provided disability awareness and engagement training online to 1,491 staff and 277 volunteers. • Supported the Yorta Yorta Traditional Owner Land Management Board’s development