Councils are not adequately managing native vegetation clearing on private land and cannot take effective action against unauthorised clearing.
DELWP, which is responsible for setting the native vegetation management policy and regulations, is aware of key reasons for councils' failure to implement regulations but has been slow to act to address issues to support councils' effective implementation of the regulation.
The government is not achieving its no-net-loss biodiversity objective for native vegetation on private land. DELWP acknowledges that this is in part due to substantial unauthorised clearing occurring across the state, which evades offset requirements. This means that the state continues to lose critical native vegetation cover that supports our threatened species.
Native vegetation is a fundamental feature of our natural heritage. Its removal is the primary cause of biodiversity loss.
DELWP estimates 54 per cent of Victoria's original native vegetation has been cleared since European settlement. On private land, only 21 per cent of the state’s original native vegetation cover remains. Proportionally, this makes Victoria the Australian state with the most native vegetation cleared.
| Who we audited | What the audit cost |
|---|---|
| DELWP, DET, DHHS (DFFH and DH), DJCS, DJPR, DoT, DPC, DTF and Cenitex | The cost of this audit was $800 000. |
This audit used the following lines of inquiry and criteria:
Figure D1 outlines our assessment of departments’ BIAs prior to COVID-19.
FIGURE D1: Our assessment of departments’ BIAs prior to COVID-19
| Acronyms | |
|---|---|
| BCM | business continuity management |
| BCP | business continuity plan |
| BIA | business impact analysis |
| DEDJTR | Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources |
| DELWP |
Click the link below to download a PDF copy of Appendix A. Submissions and comments.
Departments responded quickly and flexibly to COVID-19 and continue to do so. Departments’ BCM processes, structures and strategies have helped them quickly set up teams, make decisions and communicate to staff.
However, departments were not sufficiently prepared for a complex disruption. This meant they had to invest resources into developing documents, streamlining processes, upgrading technology and transitioning to remote working during the early stages of the pandemic.
The VPS was not adequately prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic.
The VPS had limited central oversight and leadership on business continuity. This meant that it was not able to harness lessons learnt across all departments, and departments did not have a clear understanding of whole of government business continuity priorities in a large-scale disruption.
The Victorian Government delivers a wide range of services that are important to Victorians’ economic, financial and social wellbeing—from managing state finances to child protection, transport and criminal justice.
Disruptions to these services can have a significant negative impact on communities, businesses and industries. Effective business continuity strategies ensure that departments can respond quickly to disruptions and continue to deliver prioritised services to the community.