By Tanya Steele
After a lengthy discussion, the Yarra Ranges Council endorsed the establishment of a new Visitor Economy Partnership (VEP) at Tuesday’s, 8 April, council meeting.
Not unanimous in its decision, councillors questioned the VEP to be known as Tourism East and the discussion lasted nearly an hour on the night.
David Pratt, former president and current senior advisor of the caravan and residential park industry association, co-owner of Warburton Holiday Park, and Vice President of the Advancement League, spoke at the meeting concerned the VEP proposal was both rushed and lacked adequate communication.
Yarra Ranges Mayor Jim Child heard Mr Pratt’s concerns and said the council is in a very difficult position with the State Government having ceased funding for Yarra Ranges Tourism, with an end date of June this year.
The report was presented to councillors and asked them to endorse the creation of a new regional VEP Tourism East, pending approval from both Cardinia and Nillumbik Shire Councils.
VEPs are state-driven and have been in the works since April 2021 as part of visitor economy recovery and reform plans that aim to transition regional tourism boards like Yarra Ranges Tourism into VEPs across Victoria.
Details included transferring Yarra Ranges Council’s tourism agreement to the new Tourism East partnership until June 2028 and plans will commit $300,000 annually and one full-time staff member to the partnership for three years.
VEP framework details that entities with three or more regional councils will be eligible for $350,000 of funding per year from the Victorian Government – an increase on the current funding of $271,500 per annum.
“In my assessment, based on this report, it is being rushed, reliant on untested assumptions, lacking structural clarity, including even a defined constitution at this point for the entity in question, and the structure of the report with missing data,” Mr Pratt said to councillors.
“The report acknowledges that the Yarra Ranges visitor economy is four times that of Nillumbik and nearly twice that of Cardinia’s. Yet under this plan, Yarra Ranges Shire may be subsidising both,” he said.
“If this proposal proceeds without broader consultation, without fiscal rigour and without adequate governance structures in already in place, then I’d suggest our local democracy is more precarious than I fear.”
Mayor Child asked the executives to comment on Mr Pratt’s concerns, the consultation process and the removal of the state government funding.
Manager for Tourism, Economy and Culture Anne Blakeway said the team had performed an industry engagement on 24 March.
“Leigh Harry, the Yarra Ranges Tourism Chair and I met, with representatives from Yarra Valley Wine Growers, Tourism Network Yarra Valley, Warburton Valley Cedar and Dandenong Ranges Tourism,” she said.
Addressing the breakdown of some of the financials Ms Blakeway said the figures came about as a result of the visitation numbers.
“Yarra Ranges has significantly more visitation than Cardinia and Nillumbik Shire,” she said.
The funding numbers and the rushed feel of the report were attributed to timing and the need to hold onto State Government funds.
“We don’t really have much opportunity and while we can go out on our own, we won’t have access to State Government funding, and we won’t have a voice at the table if we do go out on our own so and hence, the reason for the relative rush is that State Government funding for YRT ends on 30th of June, and subject to being a partner in the VEP, the state funding will go up in amount,” Ms Blakeway said.
After some discussion and a recess, a seventh point was added to the report before councillors voted.
It requested that the Chief Executive Officer protect the interests of the Yarra Ranges community representation within the new constitution, which has yet to be presented, and ensure ‘greater industry engagement’ moving forward, including a breakdown of costs across industry cost allocations at future forum meetings.
The motion was then passed with councillors Mitch Mazzarella and Gareth Ward voting against the endorsement.
