End of an Era: VEAC Abolished in Major Shake-Up of Public Land Decision-Making

The Victorian Government has delivered one of the most significant changes to public land management in decades.

Through the Entities Legislation Amendment (Consolidation and Other Matters) Bill 2025, the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) has been abolished, with its functions transferred to the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability (CES).

For many in the hunting and broader public land community, this marks the end of a long-controversial chapter—and the beginning of a system that has the potential to better recognise the full range of values associated with Victoria’s public land.

This reform stems from the Independent Review of the Victorian Public Service, known as the Silver Review, which found the system had become overly complex, duplicative, and lacking clear accountability.

Among its recommendations was the consolidation or abolition of a number of statutory bodies, including VEAC. By acting on this advice, the government has removed a layer of bureaucracy and brought land use assessment functions into a more direct and accountable structure.

VEAC was established to provide independent advice on public land use, often through large-scale investigations into land classification and tenure.

Over time, however, many public land users came to see a consistent pattern in its work. Reviews frequently led toward the expansion of national parks and a corresponding reduction in multiple-use access. Activities such as hunting, camping, and four-wheel driving were often sidelined as land was reclassified.

For hunters, this translated into a gradual loss of opportunity to ethically and sustainably pursue wild deer on public land. The Australian Deer Association and others have long argued that this approach failed to adequately recognise the role hunters play in land stewardship and ongoing management.

The abolition of VEAC does not remove environmental assessment, but it does fundamentally change how it is carried out.

Rather than a standing body conducting broad, ongoing investigations, assessments will now be undertaken within the office of the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability and only when directed by the Minister. This shift places environmental assessment within a more clearly defined framework, tied directly to government priorities and decision-making.

In practical terms, it moves away from open-ended reviews toward a more targeted and accountable system.

For recreational deer hunters, access to public land is not an abstract issue—it is central to the continuation of hunting itself.

Past VEAC processes have played a role in the conversion of huntable state forest into national park, steadily reducing the amount of land available for hunting. At the same time, the contribution of hunting to land management has often been overlooked.

This reform creates an opportunity to change that trajectory. It opens the door to a system that better acknowledges that hunting for wild deer is a legitimate and valued use of public land, alongside conservation and other recreational activities.

Without a standing body continually reviewing land through a single lens, there is now the potential for a more balanced consideration of how public land is used and managed.

Public land serves many purposes. It supports conservation outcomes, provides space for recreation, underpins regional communities, and requires active, ongoing management. Recognising all of these values is essential.

Hunters are part of that broader picture. Through their time on the ground and their ongoing engagement with the landscape, they maintain a direct connection to public land that is both practical and enduring.

Another important shift lies in accountability.

Under the previous system, VEAC operated at arm’s length, providing recommendations that governments could adopt or reject. Now, responsibility sits more directly with government.

This creates a clearer line between decision-making and accountability. It also provides stakeholders—including the hunting community—with a more direct pathway to engage in the process and have their perspectives considered.

Victoria’s public land faces real challenges that require active, on-ground management. These are not issues that can be addressed through policy alone.

Recreational hunters pursuing wild deer are part of that landscape. They bring experience, local knowledge, and a strong interest in seeing public land managed sustainably. Their presence reflects a broader truth: that conservation and use can—and should—coexist.

A more streamlined system provides the opportunity to better integrate these practical contributions into land management approaches.

The decision to abolish VEAC has not been without criticism. Some conservation groups have expressed concern about the loss of an independent advisory body and what that may mean for environmental oversight.

These concerns reinforce the need for transparency and evidence-based decision-making within the new system. At the same time, they highlight an important point—public land policy must balance independence with accountability and fairness to all who use and value that land.

For many public land users, the abolition of VEAC represents more than an administrative change. It marks a shift away from a model that was often seen as one-dimensional in its outcomes.

This reform presents a genuine opportunity to move toward a system that is more balanced, more accountable, and more reflective of the diverse ways Victorians engage with their public land.

For deer hunters, that matters.

Because the future of hunting—and the sustainable pursuit of wild deer—depends not only on the landscape itself, but on the policies that determine how that land is managed and who can access it.