Summary of audit & other reports (biodiversity & nat. resource management) 1995 to 2011
March 2011 Auditor General
Environmental Management of Marine Protected Areas http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports__publications/reports_by_year/2010-11/20110302_marine_parks.aspx |
Parks
Victoria
could not demonstrate that it is effectively managing MPAs or that it is being
effective or efficient in protecting marine biodiversity within MPAs.
This is largely because dedicated funding for managing MPAs has been used for other activities. This has contributed to a lack of dedicated marine staffing and expertise, and a consequent lack of demonstrable activity to achieve management plan objectives. While dedicated funding for marine-related activities has not been used as intended, management and reporting systems within Parks Victoria are such that it is not possible to determine where these funds were applied There are also gaps in marine pest biosecurity across the state, particularly regarding specific roles and responsibilities to support preparedness, detection and responsiveness, as well as resourcing each of these phases. Consequently, DSE’s ability to coordinate a rapid and effective response to a marine pest biosecurity incident is significantly impaired. |
May 2010 Auditor General
“Control of Invasive Plants and Animals in Victoria's Parks” http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports__publications/reports_by_year/2009-10/20102605_invasive_plants.aspx |
Governance arrangements for the control
of invasive species across the state are complicated and not well coordinated.
There is no single point of focus for oversight or for the responsibility of
success or failure.
How well Parks Victoria manages the invasive plant and animal threat in national and state parks is generally unclear. Its planning is not robust, its data is inadequate and increasingly out of date, and its park management plans are also outdated and lack sufficient detail. In addition, monitoring and evaluation of invasive species management activities is inconsistent. Given the scale of the problem, if these organisational issues and resource constraints are not addressed, invasive species will continue to pose a major and likely growingthreat to Victorian parks. |
April 2009 Auditor General
Administration of the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports__publications/reports_by_year/2009/20090401_flora_fauna.aspx |
The full range of
‘management processes’ and ‘conservation and control measures’ available in the Act
has not been used.
Action statements are the primary tools in the Act being used to protect and conserve threatened flora and fauna. However, the effort directed to listing threatened species and processes has not been matched by effort to develop action statements, to monitor the implementation of actions, or assess their effectiveness. The gap between listed items and items with action statements continues to widen. The lack of baseline data and outcome or output performance measures means it is not possible to conclude whether the Act has achieved its primary objectives. Theavailable data, which is patchy, indicates that it has not. |
December 08
Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability State of the Environment Report http://www.ces.vic.gov.au/CES/wcmn301.nsf/childdocs/-FCB9B8E076BEBA07CA257 4F100040358?open |
A repeating theme amongst the findings, and hence the
recommendations, is lack of suitable data to enable sufficient reporting.
Problems with access to suitable data encountered during development of this
report included:
“Vic gets F in environmental report card” – Age December 4, 2008 http://news.theage.com.au/national/vic-gets-f-in-environmental-report-card-20081204-6rd5.html |
May 2004 Auditor General
Report on Public Sector Agencies - Results of special reviews - 2.10 Were parks charges properly raised and spent? http://download.audit.vic.gov.au/files /psa_may1204_report.pdf |
The agreement only broadly indicated how the parties would work
together to manage parks, reserves and waterways, and provide other services. However, there was no specific
requirement for Parks Victoria
to report project outcomes (relating to the Parks and Reserves Trust Account
funding) to DSE.
The Parks and Reserves Trust Account is the largest trust account managed by DSE. DSE does not report specifically or regularly to parliament about the trust account’s operations, which are incorporated into DSE’s financial statements. Recommendation 20. That the Department of Sustainability and Environment:
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1995 Auditor General
Special Report No. 34 - Managing Parks for Life: The National Parks Service http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports__publications/reports_by_year/reports_by_year_-_1995.aspx |
Several
factors, all essentially related to shortcomings in the NPS's strategic management
processes, have contributed to this position, including:
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