National Parks Act 1975

The land described in a Part of Schedule Seven is, for the purposes of this Act, a marine national park under the name specified in that Part.

The land described in a Part of Schedule Eight is, for the purposes of this Act, a marine sanctuary under the name specified in that Part.

Subject to any agreement entered into under section 16A(1), any Order under section 16C(1), and section 62Q(2) of the Great Ocean Road and Environs Protection Act 2020, Parks Victoria or the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (as the case may be) has the control and management of each marine national park and marine sanctuary and must—

ensure that each marine national park and each marine sanctuary is controlled and managed, in accordance with the objects of this Act, in a manner that will—

preserve and protect the natural environment and indigenous flora and fauna of the park and any features of the park which are of geological, geomorphological, ecological, scenic, archaeological, historic or other scientific interest; and

promote the prevention of the introduction of exotic flora and fauna into the park; and

provide for the eradication or control of exotic flora and fauna found in the park; and

subject to paragraph (a)—

provide for the use, enjoyment and understanding of marine national parks and marine sanctuaries by the public; and

promote an understanding of the purpose and significance of marine national parks and marine sanctuaries; and

prepare a plan of management in respect of each marine national park and each marine sanctuary, which may be included as part of a land management plan within the meaning of Division 4 of Part 3 of the Parks Victoria Act 2018.

In the case of any appointed land of a Traditional Owner Land Management Board that constitutes the whole or a part of a marine national park or a marine sanctuary, a management plan prepared under subsection (3)(c) does not have effect in so far as a joint management plan is in effect for that land.

On and after the preparation of a Marine and Coastal Strategy, Parks Victoria or the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (as the case requires) must ensure that a management plan, to the extent that the plan applies to marine and coastal Crown land, is prepared having regard to the requirements for preparing a coastal and marine management plan in Division 1 of Part 7 of the Marine and Coastal Act 2018.

The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority has the functions and duties referred to in this section in relation to land managed under this Act for which it is appointed as land manager—

by Order under section 16C(1); or

under section 62Q(2) of the Great Ocean Road and Environs Protection Act 2020.