The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) is calling on farmers, fishers, campers and outdoor enthusiasts to share their opinions on proposed regulations to govern recreational activity on Crown Land.
Minister for Fishing and Boating, Melissa Horne said the government was committed to guaranteeing access to fishing and camping on Crown Land that had grazing licences and water frontage to help friends and families spend more time together outdoors.
“To enable the implementation of this commitment, Parliament recently passed amendments to the Land Act 1958 to remove the prohibition of camping on licensed river frontages,” Ms Horne said.
“To support the changes, the Victorian Government will create consistent regulations for these licensed areas,” she said.
“The public is already able to lawfully access licensed river frontages for recreation such as fishing, hiking and picnicking.”
Ms Horne said the consistent regulations would help recreational users understand what could and couldn’t occur when accessing the areas.
The Minister said DEWLP had drafted proposed regulations to govern the recreational use of Crown Land that had grazing licences and water frontage.
“These changes will allow for camping in appropriate areas from 1 September 2021, allowing time for extensive consultation with stakeholders, including an online public consultation period opening today for six weeks,” she said.
Ms Horne said regulations governing the use of Crown Land for camping would be enforced to ensure the best interests of licensees, livestock, the environment, and recreational users.
DELWP’s 43-page Proposed Regulated Watercourse Land Regulations, including information on how to have a say, can be accessed at this PS News link.
