Parks Victoria (Parks) has now released its Volunteer Manual 2021 (available here). This document attempts to provide a framework for volunteer groups working on public land managed by Parks for the community. Although the document presents a list of groups with whom Parks had meetings about the manual, including the VEFN, we have never had the opportunity to endorse the manual. We have raised numerous concerns with its practical implementation and these have not been addressed. It is the Parks Victoria manual, not our manual, which is now being imposed unilaterally.
VEFN proposes a meeting between Friends Groups who work on Parks managed land be held via Zoom 5.00 pm on Thursday 10th of June 2021. Your Group is welcome to participate with one or more of your members attending. Please let us know you will be attending by email to: paul_strickland@hotmail.com
We propose that this be a meeting where Members and other Friends Groups working with Parks Victoria can air concerns but also plan an approach to informing Parks of our concerns and working to achieve a better outcome for VEFN Members working on Parks-managed land. More information about our concerns can be found here
Suggestions by members to date include:
- proposals on how the “Letter of Collaboration” should be framed to give Friends Groups real recognition for the work they perform and empowerment to carry it out;
- proposals on how the Annual Activity Plan is to be framed and what its output should be, say in terms of input into the Regional Budget
- establishment of joint Parks Staff and Friends regional meetings to work out how the many steps are going to be made workable, including timeliness
- a letter writing campaign to the Parks Board and Minister
or other ideas you may have
Paul Strickland, Chair, VEFN Parks Victoria Subcommittee
