Road’s governance woes outlined in issues paper

THE Great Ocean Road Taskforce has called for feedback on how the road is governed to ensure the international tourist attraction is not “loved to death”.

Earlier this month, the taskforce released the Governance of the Great Ocean Road Issues Paper, which identifies proposals for better co-ordination between the key agencies responsible for the road.

The issues paper highlights several reasons why the existing arrangements should be overhauled.

One is the multitude of responsible public entities for the road – there are 14 entities with some accountability towards the Great Ocean Road along its length, which has led to too much duplication of effort and inefficiency in the allocation of resources.

“Currently, the Road is managed as though it were a local residential and tourist road,” the issues paper states.

“In short, it is not in the long-term interests of the Great Ocean Road, the local communities or the people of Victoria as a whole for the current confusion of responsibilities to continue.”

The issues paper also notes the nature of the partnerships with Traditional Owners is not clearly defined, and there is little or no holistic planning for the visitor experience.

The new management model would create a formal policy position for the road to direct changes to the governance model, along the lines of “the Great Ocean Road and its landscapes is an iconic touring route with cultural landscapes of state, national and international significance and is to be treated as the one integrated and living entity for the purposes of protection and investment”.

The state government established the taskforce last year, and appointed former Victorian Ministers for Public Transport Peter Batchelor and Terry Mulder as its co-chairs.

“A century on, Victorians still love the Great Ocean Road,” Planning Minister Richard Wynne said.

“We need to act to ensure we don’t love it to death.

“The Great Ocean Road is the jewel in Victoria’s crown, but we have to get the planning right to protect it for generations to come.”

Mr Mulder said the right balance needed to be found between accessibility and sustainability, amenity and liveability, and the economy and the community.

A series of community forums will be held along the road next month, starting in Anglesea on April 1.

To read the issues paper, head to engage.vic.gov.au/great-ocean-road.