Victorian Fisheries Authority Election Commitments

The Victorian Government continues to invest heavily in fishing in Victoria. At the last election, the Government committed $96 million for fishing-related activities. Many of these initiatives have been completed, and many are underway. These include:

  • Completed: Free Recreational Fishing License for Victorian Veterans Card holders
  • Completed: Establish a Little Anglers Program. Grow participation of primary school-aged children in fishing. Project delivered 95,000 Little Angler kits.
  • Grants to support local fishing clubs to attract new members (Stronger Fishing Club Grants) Grants of up to $10,000 for a range of different projects to assist angling clubs and associations in retaining and attracting new membership, encouraging more families to take up fishing. Funding of up to $300K is available for each of four years.
  • Promote and grow Victoria’s aquaculture sector – Increase the profile of the aquaculture sector, secure new industry investment and grow local jobs
  • Establish Gunaikurnai Oyster Aquaculture in the Gippsland Lakes
  • Grant for Corinella Boating and Angling Club – The grant will contribute to building new facilities for the Corinella Boating and Angling Club
  • Support Fishcare Victoria to promote sustainable fishing practices – Enable Fishcare Victoria to continue its community education program to promote sustainable fishing practices
  • Established a $2.5 million Habitat Improvement Fund – Provision of grants to eligible organisations to preserve and improve marine, estuarine and freshwater fisheries
  • $15 million investment to increase fish production at Arcadia and Snobs Creek.
  • Expand the Northern Native Fish Hatchery at Arcadia to triple the size of the native fish hatchery at Arcadia from 30 to 100 ponds and increase production capacity from 1.6 million to 6 million fish per annum.
  • Snobs Creek will see the construction of a Macquarie perch captive breeding centre and an increase in trout cod facilities and production to grow up to 500,000 each of these threatened species annually.

Boating election commitments

The Victorian Government is a strong supporter of boating, creating opportunities to get people outside and enjoying Victoria’s waterways. In the past three years, the Victorian Government has introduced free boat ramp parking, established the Better Boating Fund (ensuring every cent of boating registrations and fees is funnelled into improving the boating experience) and commissioned the state’s first ever recreational boating strategy.

The government wants more people to get out into nature and enjoy being on the water, but it also recognises that the growing popularity of boating brings challenges. Competition for boat ramps and car parking continues to intensify, which is why the government continues to invest into recreational boating infrastructure, with 16 priority projects identified from the strategy and committed to at the 2022 state election.

Thus far, the VFA has worked with stakeholders and fully delivered three of the Victorian Government’s 16 boating election commitments – Cowes jetty extension, Avalon jetty extension & Lake Boga all abilities access pontoon. A further seven election commitments are in the final planning stages, with construction expected to be completed in 2024 in time for summer, at Lang Lang, St Leonards, French Island (Tankerton), Inverloch, Laanecoorie, Mildura and Torquay.

Another five projects are in the planning stages for construction to occur in 2025 – Tooradin, Mornington, Werribee, Howqua Inlet and Limeburners, with the final election commitment at Tarago Reservoir planned to be constructed in 2026.