Victorian East Gippsland Regional Forest Agreement
The East Gippsland Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) is one of five RFAs in Victoria. The Australian and Victorian governments originally signed the East Gippsland RFA on 3 February 1997, establishing the framework for the sustainable management of the forests in the East Gippsland RFA region.
The East Gippsland RFA was varied on 30 March 2020 with an extension until 30 June 2030 (see Media Release), as it has proven to be a strong and effective framework for the sustainable management of the East Gippsland RFA region’s forests. The extension was formalised following assessment, public consultation and independent review.
The extensions to the Victorian RFAs deliver the right balance of economic, social and environmental outcomes, paving the way for the continued sustainable management of the state’s public and private native forests and plantation estates.
The East Gippsland RFA variation includes two Annexures: Annexure 1 is the RFA marked up with the changes that have been made; Annexure 2 is a ‘clean’ version of the RFA as varied without the mark up.
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Document | Pages | File size |
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2020 East Gippsland RFA variation PDF ![]() |
141 | 1.5 MB |
This report may not meet Australian Government accessibility guidelines.
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The updated East Gippsland Land Tenure and Zoning Map (December 2019), identifies the extent of the comprehensive adequate and representative reserve system in the East Gippsland RFA region.
A report has been prepared to summarise the key changes that have been made to the Victorian RFAs as part of the modernisation and extension process.
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Document | Pages | File size |
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Modernised Victorian RFAs – what’s changed ![]() |
2 | 32 |
Major Event Review
The RFAs provide a framework for the continued sustainable management of Victoria’s forests and forest-based wildlife.
The 2019-20 bushfires have had significant impacts on forests, biodiversity, forestry industries and regional communities. The Australian and Victorian governments have agreed that, as a consequence of the 2019-20 bushfires in Victoria, a Major Event Review (MER) of the Victorian RFAs will be undertaken.
The MER will be undertaken by an independent panel and informed by current information including scientific data and research, community perspectives, and Traditional Owner insights relating to the impacts of the bushfires on the RFA regions.
As part of the MER process, there will be an opportunity for public consultation. More information on consultation will be provided shortly.
Scoping Agreement
The MER commences on signing of the Scoping Agreement, which outlines agreed arrangements for undertaking the review. The signed Scoping Agreement can be found here:
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Document | Pages | File size |
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Major Event Review Scoping Agreement PDF ![]() |
12 | 4.4 MB |
Major Event Review Scoping Agreement DOCX ![]() |
12 | 64 KB |
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The 1997 East Gippsland RFA
The Australian and Victorian governments signed the original East Gippsland RFA on 3 February 1997. The agreement was for a duration of 20 years and an interim extension was signed to align expiry of the East Gippsland RFA with that of other Victorian RFAs on 31 March 2020.
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Document | Pages | File size |
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East Gippsland RFA PDF ![]() |
25 | 92 KB |
East Gippsland RFA DOC ![]() |
25 | 215 KB |
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The East Gippsland Land Tenure and Zoning Map (January 1997) PDF [72 KB, 1 page] identified the extent of the comprehensive adequate and representative reserve system in the East Gippsland RFA region at the time of signing.
Assessment of RFA matters
To inform the extension of the Victorian RFAs, the Australian and Victorian governments undertook a further assessment of forest-related environmental, social and economic values in the Victorian RFA regions.
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Document | Pages | File size |
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Assessment of matters pertaining to the extension of the Victorian RFAs PDF ![]() |
415 | 10.13 MB |
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Joint Victorian and Australian Government Consultation
The Australian and Victorian Governments jointly undertook extensive public consultation from 3 May to 7 July 2019 to inform the negotiation of extensions to Victoria’s 5 RFAs, including holding over 45 face to face events between 3 June and 7 July.
In total, 135 written submissions and 733 online survey responses were received, and over 330 participants took part in the face to face engagement sessions.
An independent report on the consultation outcomes across all 5 of Victoria’s RFA regions was released in December 2019.
Download
Document | Pages | File size |
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Independent Report on Joint Consultation on Modernisation of the Victorian Regional Forest Agreements PDF ![]() |
95 | 1.9 MB |
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A more detailed summary report of input and discussion at the engagement events was also independently prepared for each RFA region. The East Gippsland regional report is published below.
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Document | Pages | File size |
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Consultation Summary Report – East Gippsland RFA PDF ![]() |
31 | 1.1 MB |
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A report has been prepared to summarise how changes to modernise the Victorian RFAs have addressed the feedback received throughout the consultation process.
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Document | Pages | File size |
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How modernised Victorian RFAs address consultation feedback DOCX ![]() |
10 | 56 KB |
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Memorandum of Understanding for extension of the Victorian RFAs
On 5 May 2018, the Victorian and Australian governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding to ensure that long term extensions and updates to the Victorian RFA framework could be agreed by 31 March 2020.
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Document | Pages | File size |
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MoU for the extension of the Victorian RFAs PDF ![]() |
8 | 1.17 MB |
MoU for the extension of the Victorian RFAs DOCX ![]() |
8 | 72 KB |
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Extension of the East Gippsland, Central Highlands and North East RFAs
On 26 March 2018, the Australian and Victorian governments extended the timeframe of three Victorian RFAs - the East Gippsland, Central Highlands and North East - to 31 March 2020.
This lined up the expiry dates for all five Victorian RFAs and allowed the governments to adequately consider the independent reviewer’s report on the third five yearly review of the Victorian RFAs, undertake public consultation, prepare further detailed assessments of RFA matters and negotiate modernised, extended agreements for all five RFAs.
The Amendment documents for the East Gippsland RFA can be accessed below. The amendments for the Central Highlands and North East RFAs can be accessed from their respective pages at the following:
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Document | Pages | File size |
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Amendment to the East Gippsland RFA (March 2018) PDF ![]() |
4 | 266 KB |
Amendment to the East Gippsland RFA (March 2018) DOCX![]() |
4 | 36 KB |
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Short term extension of the East Gippsland RFA
The Australian and Victorian governments executed an amendment to the East Gippsland RFA on 20 January 2017, extending its expiry from 3 February 2017 to 27 March 2018.
This extension of the agreement lined up its expiry with the Central Highlands RFA. It allowed the governments to consider the outcomes from the third five-yearly review of Victoria’s RFAs. Furthermore, it allowed the Victorian Government to consider the advice from the Forest Industry Taskforce on the future management of forests in eastern Victoria.
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Document | Pages | File size |
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Amendment to the East Gippsland RFA (February 2017) PDF ![]() |
3 | 496 KB |
Amendment to the East Gippsland RFA (February 2017) DOC ![]() |
3 | 28 KB |
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Victorian RFAs five-yearly reviews
It is a requirement of the Victorian East Gippsland RFA that its performance is reviewed every five years. The details of the Victorian East Gippsland RFA review process is outlined in the agreement.
The Victorian Government has reported on its five RFAs collectively:
- Victorian RFAs: five and ten yearly review (combined) (from the RFAs respective signing dates to 30 June 2009)
- Victorian RFAs: third five-yearly review (1 July 2009 to 30 June 2014)
Historical Publications
Many historical publications informed the development of the East Gippsland RFA and continue to underpin the management of forests covered by the agreement.
[expand all]
Comprehensive Regional Assessment:
Document | Pages | File size |
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Overview of Assessments – East Gippsland (July 1996) PDF ![]() |
38 | 361 KB |
Overview of Assessments – East Gippsland (July 1996) DOC ![]() |
38 | 353 KB |
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Directions or Options Report:
Document | Pages | File size |
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Towards the Regional Forest Agreement – A paper to assist public consultation (October 1996) PDF ![]() |
48 | 120 KB |
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Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management Report:
Document | Pages | File size |
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Victorian Statewide Assessment of Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management (July 1997) PDF ![]() |
90 | 581 KB |
Victorian Statewide Assessment of Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management (July 1997) DOC ![]() |
90 | 1.8 MB |
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Environment Reports:
Document | Pages | File size |
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Environment and Heritage Report (no date) [Part 1] PDF ![]() |
155 | 1.5 MB |
Environment and Heritage Report (no date) [Part 1] DOC ![]() |
155 | 2.3 MB |
Appendix PDF ![]() |
289 | 4.1 MB |
Appendix DOC ![]() |
289 | 5.1 MB |
National Estate Report (no date) PDF ![]() |
122 | 968 KB |
National Estate Report (no date) DOC ![]() |
122 | 1.3 MB |
Wilderness of the Eastern Victorian Forests (July 1996) PDF ![]() |
17 | 278 KB |
Wilderness of the Eastern Victorian Forests (July 1996) DOC ![]() |
17 | 287 KB |
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Factsheet:
Document | Pages | File size |
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Information Kit: East Gippsland RFA (3 February 1997) PDF ![]() |
2 | 379 KB |
Information Kit: East Gippsland RFA (3 February 1997) DOC ![]() |
2 | 38 KB |
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Resource Report:
Document | Pages | File size |
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East Gippsland Victoria: Resource and Economics Report (no date) PDF ![]() |
221 | 1.9 MB |
East Gippsland Victoria: Resource and Economics Report (no date) DOC ![]() |
221 | 2.3 MB |
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Social and Economic Report:
Document | Pages | File size |
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Social Assessment Report (no date) PDF ![]() |
105 | 744 KB |
Social Assessment Report (no date) DOC ![]() |
105 | 1.0 MB |
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Annual Reports
Annual Reports were required for the first five years of each RFA. Victoria reported on their RFAs collectively in these reports:
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