Taking a stand for respect and safety
Published on 16 August 2024
Statement attributable to CEO Jodie Sizer
As one of the stewards of the Great Ocean Road, we urgently call on the community to stand with us in rejecting unwarranted, unruly, and disrespectful behaviour.
Our team members are not faceless entities - they are your neighbours, friends, and family members.
They live here, they love this place just as much as you do, and they work tirelessly and expertly to safeguard it. They have a right to feel safe and deserve your respect.
Our people are your people.
Our sole purpose is to protect, conserve, enhance and manage the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks. To achieve this, our people are working from Point Impossible to Warrnambool to serve the 21 unique communities along this iconic coastline, respecting the rights of our Traditional Owners, the Eastern Maar and Wadawurrung People.
For over a decade, local communities and entities together with Traditional Owners had passionately advocated for our establishment, seeking simplified and dedicated oversight of the area.
Fragmented land management has already been significantly reduced, with the Authority now responsible for coastal reserves, ports and public land previously managed by 11 different agencies, applying our protection principles respecting cultural, environmental, social and economic values in balance as one integrated living entity.
This is a significant change, a once-in-a-generation transformation that comes with its own challenges.
Having a standalone parks manager dedicated to the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks with its values enshrined in law is unique and testament to the significance of the management challenges and the importance of this coastline to all Victorians.
We understand that not every decision will be popular or easy to reach, but let us be unequivocal: there is no excuse for abuse of any kind.
It has become all too easy for individuals to hurl hurtful, harmful words, often without considering the real pain inflicted on real people. Enough is enough.
We value diverse opinions and constructive feedback; in fact, we rely on it. But there is a stark line between dialogue and abuse.
We’re honoured to look after this incredibly special part of Victoria and take our responsibility as environmental stewards very seriously. But not at any cost.
Safety and respect are not negotiable. Thank you for standing with us.