Victoria's Great Outdoors Community Engagement Findings Report October 2020 Yallock-Bulluk Marine and Coastal Park Contents Introduction ................................. 3 Appendix B- 20 June Workshop run sheet .................................... 23 Consultation approach ............... 4 Objective ................................................ 23 Objectives ................................................ 4 Technology and format ........................ 23 Previous engagement ............................ 5 Agenda ................................................... 23 Promotion ................................................ 6 Engagement activities ............................ 6 Adapting to coronavirus (COVID-19) .... 6 Participation ................................ 7 Demographics ......................................... 7 Young people .......................................... 8 Activities on the Bass Coast ................. 8 Where are participants from? ................ 8 Summary of findings ................ 10 Overarching findings ............................ 10 Trail features ......................................... 11 Facilities along the trail ........................ 14 Information sharing .............................. 16 Sharing the trail .................................... 17 Workshop findings- mapping .............. 18 Submissions ............................. 18 Victoria’s Great Outdoors and participation objectives ............ 19 Next steps .................................. 20 Appendix A- Engage Victoria Survey ........................................ 21 Acknowledgment Victoria’s network of parks and reserves, of which Yallock-Bulluk is one, form the core of Aboriginal cultural landscapes, which have been modified over many thousands of years of occupation. Yallock-Bulluk Marine and Coastal Park lies on the traditional lands of the Bunurong People. Parks Victoria and DELWP acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land that this report relates to, the Bunurong People, and recognises their continuing connection to this park and ongoing role in caring for Country. 2 Victoria's Great Outdoors Introduction As part of the $105.6 million commitment to online workshop. This feedback related to: facilities ‘Victoria’s Great Outdoors’ initiative, the Victorian along the trail and features of it, sharing information, Government is creating the Yallock-Bulluk Marine and sharing the trail. and Coastal Park. It will combine existing parks and reserves along 40kms of coast from San Remo to Inverloch. This will include extending and upgrading the George Bass Coastal Walk. Yallock-Bulluk Marine and Coastal Park is on the land of the Bunurong People. The name of the park honours one of five clan groups of the Bunurong Traditional Owners, the Yallock-Bulluk clan, who occupied the broader Bass Coast Region and continue to care for Country. The Victorian Government is drafting an Access and Infrastructure Plan for a trail inside the park that links San Remo to Inverloch. The plan is being developed in partnership between Parks Victoria, Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, Bass Coast Shire Council, and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). The Access and Infrastructure Plan will be informed by stakeholder and community engagement, alongside a range of technical studies. The first phase of community consultation was held in between 8 May and 28 June 2020. Participants contributed through: – Survey responses to the Engage Victoria platform (8 May- 28 June) – Online Community Information Sessions (20 May, 28 May and 4 June) – An online workshop (20 June). Additional feedback was sought through a targeted survey for young people between 10-31 July 2020. 98 people responded to this survey, and 6 students from Korumburra Secondary College participated in a workshop on 19 August 2020. The consultation was promoted through social media, media releases, emails to stakeholders and posters in shop windows in the townships near the new park. Participants could also contact the engagement team through email or telephone to have a say. Several organisations and some individuals made submissions to inform the Access and Infrastructure Plan. Altogether, almost 800 people participated through surveys, Community Information Sessions and the Victoria's Great Outdoors 3 This report Consultation approach The purpose of this report is to summarise the findings from community consultation undertaken A consultation strategy was developed by Parks between 8 May and 28 June 2020. Victoria and DELWP that outlines the purpose and ways the local and Victorian community, and key The report was prepared by Parks Victoria, and stakeholders can input into the Yallock-Bulluk reviewed by the Yallock-Bulluk project working Marine and Coastal Park Access and Infrastructure group. Plan. To report on qualitative survey responses, each Objectives comment was given a code (or several codes) based on the themes the participant discussed. In The objectives of the first stage of the consultation to the summary of findings section of this report, inform the Draft Access and Infrastructure Plan were findings are grouped according to these themes. to: They are ordered according to the frequency with • Inform stakeholders and community about which they were raised. planning and design process for a trail linking San Remo and Inverloch The graphs and figures in this report are only based • Consult partners and key stakeholders on values on numerical data (and are never based on in the park and how they can be maximised and qualitative, coded data). At times they equal more protected through planning and design than 100%. This is because participants were able to select more than one choice. The total number of • Provide consistent messages to all audiences with respondents for each figure or graph is included in regards to the project, its objectives, opportunities the caption using the shorthand ‘n=’. and potential for influence • Understand community preferences for trail The findings in this report reflect the views of the features, engagement methods and deepen participants involved in the consultation process and understanding of previous feedback given do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of Parks Victoria or the partners. Where needed, • Reach a wide range of community members quotations have been amended for spelling and including locals and visitors, various age ranges grammar but are otherwise unchanged. and interests • Provide community engagement using different mediums (such as online, posters, and telephone) to comply with coronavirus (COVID-19) directions. Figure 1: Timeline of consultation and planning of Yallock-Bulluk Marine and Coastal Park 4 Victoria's Great Outdoors Previous engagement This engagement was informed by feedback that was previously provided during engagement in 2019. The 2019 engagement focused on the creation of the park and sought high-level feedback. The engagement was conducted in June and July of 2019 and included: • A roundtable event • Five Open House sessions • Meetings with partners and stakeholders. The themes that emerged from the 2019 engagement included: • Strong importance to protect environmental and cultural values • Need to provide greater visitor access • An appetite for good community engagement, and • A strong interest in the proposed extension of the George Bass Coastal Walk. The findings from the 2019 engagement were used to plan this consultation, in particular the feedback given about extending the George Bass Coastal Walk. This engagement is the first stage of engagement on the Access and Infrastructure plan (Figure 1). Victoria's Great Outdoors 5 Promotion Activity Details Participation The engagement was promoted through a range of Online Workshop Saturday 30 channels including: 20 June 2020 participants 10am-1pm • social media Parks Victoria posted on LinkedIn and Twitter Youth survey 10 July-10 August 98 2020 participants • emails to stakeholders 120 recipients at project launch Youth workshop 19 August 2020 6 448 recipients on 18 June 2020 to promote online participants workshop • local media Adapting to coronavirus Parks Victoria ran a Media Release on 8 May The engagement activities were planned to reach 2020. There were two articles in the Sentinel the diversity of the community. While initially Times regarding the engagement, and one article activities were planned to be conducted in-person, in the Phillip Island and San Remo Advitiser. they were adapted to an online format to help slow • posters the spread of coronavirus. Participants without over 50 A4 and A3 posters were put up in access to the internet were able to participate by shopfronts and at entrances and exits to the phoning the Parks Victoria Information Line (13 19 existing parts of the park 63). Briefing packs with social media content, newsletter Participants were also asked through the Engage content, frequently asked questions (FAQs) and Victoria survey ‘Do you have any ideas for how we postcards were provided to key stakeholders to can best engage with you and your community share with their networks. during the current health situation?’. Responses to this question commonly included suggestions to: Engagement with young people was promoted after the closure of formal engagement due to the • post on social media (Facebook, Instagram and underrepresentation of people under 25 in broader WhatsApp) engagement. This further engagement was • host online webinars, workshops or events