A performance audit into the Office of the Conservation Regulator’s (OCR) effectively regulated timber operations in Victoria’s native forests has found weaknesses in its systems, its processes and its reporting.
In his report Regulating Victoria’s Native Forests, Auditor-General Andrew Greaves said OCR’s Forest Protection Survey Program was aimed to detect conservation values (such as animals and plants and their habitats) that were either threatened or of high conservation value in areas of State forest that was scheduled for harvest.
Mr Greaves said OCR had made progress in improving timber harvesting regulation but it had not sufficiently developed or integrated its timber harvesting compliance systems to support the decision-making.
“OCR’s Timber Harvesting Compliance Unit (THCU) does not always have access to necessary and sufficient data to determine whether noncompliance has occurred in its assessment of complaints,” Mr Greaves said.
“How consistently OCR collects and categorises important data when conducting proactive surveys is unclear,” he said.
“This has resulted in cases where allegations that VicForests logged identified endangered trees could not be substantiated.”
Mr Greaves said that while it was VicForests’, not OCR’s, responsibility to collect relevant pre-harvest data, the way OCR recorded Forest Protection Survey Program (FPSP) information limited its ability to assess noncompliance.
He said the Office’s key intelligence systems were still under development and did not link to THCU’s case management system.
He said that while THCU’s case management system did track enforcement actions, the information was not used for intelligence-based decisions.
“OCR makes extensive use of satellite images to assess and inspect coupes,” the Auditor-General said.
“However, because of budget constraints it is unable to access higher resolution and more detailed imagery.
“This would provide OCR up-to-date imagery for more detailed assessments of allegations of noncompliance.”
Mr Greaves made 10 recommendations aimed at improving OCR’s assessment and investigations policy and processes, reporting of its achievement of outcomes, and system updates.
The Auditor-General’s 48-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
