Great Ocean Road taskforce members named

THE names of the members of the longawaited Great Ocean Road Taskforce have been revealed.

Last week, the state government announced the taskforce would be co-chaired by former Victorian transport ministers Terry Mulder and Peter Batchelor, with the primary goal will be to encourage more tourism and investment in the region.

Other members of the taskforce include G21 chief executive officer Elaine Carbines, former chair of the Victorian Coastal Council Diane James, Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism chair Wayne Kayler-Thomson and the chief executive officers from five nearby councils.

The taskforce will identify ways to improve tourism and investment and projects that will boost the local economy. It will report back to the state government before the end of the year, and then again with a final report in 2018.

The state government is providing $1.3 million to establish the taskforce, including $80,000 for local councils to speed up planning applications.

“The Great Ocean Road is one of Victoria’s most prized tourist destinations and we’ll do everything we can to protect it and to make it even better. This is about jobs and attracting visitors from right around the world,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.

The state opposition, which had been calling for the establishment of the taskforce for some time, criticised the announcement, with Shadow Minister for Roads and Infrastructure Ryan Smith saying “Victorians do not want or need another report to add to an ever-growing pile that could be used to pave the road from Torquay to the 12 Apostles”.

“One of the biggest factors in ensuring that visitors to the region have a safe, comfortable and enjoyable visit is ensuring that the Great Ocean Road and the surrounding roads are maintained to an adequate standard.

“It is clear that, for too long, these roads have been neglected.”