VEAC Assessment of the values of state forests in the Central Highlands
On 20 March 2023, VEAC was requested by the then Minister for Environment to assess the values of Immediate Protection Areas in the Central Highlands and East Gippsland, and in adjacent state forests. Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos MP amended the terms of reference on 11 September 2023 to focus on all the state forests in the Central Highlands Regional Forest Agreement area and VEAC’s interim report addressing parts (a) to (d) of those terms of reference was published in December 2023. On 31 July 2024, Minister Dimopoulos extended the date for VEAC to submit its final report to one month after the Government publicly released the Eminent Panel for Community Engagement’s report on Central Highlands state forest. That report by the panel, along with the government’s response to it was released on 21 October 2025 and the Minister advised VEAC that its assessment of the economic implications of the Panel’s recommendations (part (e) of the terms of reference) should only cover the recommendation that the government accepted, namely to expand the Yarra Ranges National Park to include the Yarra Tributaries Forest Reserve. VEAC’s resultant final report, incorporating that economic assessment, was to be submitted to the Minister on 16 January 2026.
Progress
Overview
On 20 March 2023, VEAC was requested by the then Minister for Environment to assess the values of Immediate Protection Areas in the Central Highlands and East Gippsland, and in adjacent state forests. Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos MP amended the terms of reference on 11 September 2023 to focus on all the state forests in the Central Highlands Regional Forest Agreement area and VEAC’s interim report addressing parts (a) to (d) of those terms of reference was published in December 2023. On 31 July 2024, Minister Dimopoulos extended the date for VEAC to submit its final report to one month after the Government publicly released the Eminent Panel for Community Engagement’s report on Central Highlands state forest. That report by the panel, along with the government’s response to it was released on 21 October 2025 and the Minister advised VEAC that its assessment of the economic implications of the Panel’s recommendations (part (e) of the terms of reference) should only cover the recommendation that the government accepted, namely to expand the Yarra Ranges National Park to include the Yarra Tributaries Forest Reserve. VEAC’s resultant final report, incorporating that economic assessment, was to be submitted to the Minister on 16 January 2026.
The full terms of reference are available in Reports & Resources.
The purpose of the assessment is to:
(a) identify the biodiversity, ecological and geological and geomorphological values of the specified area
(b) identify the cultural heritage, social and economic values of the specified area
(c) identify the current and likely future threats to those values, including climate change
(d) identify the typical land use categories commensurate with the identified values
(e) assess the potential economic implications of the expansion of the Yarra Ranges National Park to include the Yarra Tributaries Forest Reserve.
VEAC published its interim report covering the matters specified in (a) to (d) in December 2023. In January 2026, the Council reported on the completed evaluation including the matter specified in paragraph (e) in its final report to the Minister for Environment.
Reports and resources
| Title | Date | Type | Filesize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment of the values of state forests in the Central Highlands Final report | 22-01-2026 | Final report | 3.36 MB | |
| Assessment of the values of the state forests in the Central Highlands - Interim report | 19-12-2023 | Reports | 9.78 MB | |
| List of supplementary materials | 19-12-2023 | Reports | 41.46 KB |