2025 organisational change proposal

The Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) was established in 2016 and since that time has driven great fishing outcomes across Victoria.

We have transitioned the 700-tonne commercial net fishery out of Port Phillip Bay and Gippsland Lakes, we now stock 10 million fish a year (more than every state and territory in Australia combined), we have made parking and launching at all boat ramps in Victoria free and we work with Victoria's 330 angling clubs to get more Victorians into fishing every day.

Over the last 10 years our fisheries have changed. We no longer have a massive commercial net fishery in Port Phillip Bay and we have record high compliance levels (90%) with our fishing rules and regs. Mums and dads and your average fisher overwhelmingly obey size and bag limits and the community does not tolerate people trying to trash our fisheries.

It is therefore timely that, like other Victorian Government Departments and Agencies, the VFA reviews its operations.

In doing this, we propose to reform the organisation to reflect changes in the fisheries we manage.

On Thursday 13 February we presented to our team members a Clause 11 proposal aimed to ensure we continue to adapt to changes to our fisheries. This is a proposal only and is currently out for consultation with our affected team members.

The key elements of the proposal are:

• To increase our focus on targeting deliberate organised Fisheries Crime through the establishment of a Major Fisheries Crime Unit with additional resources.
• Reduce our current staffing profile on Port Phillip Bay to reflect the removal of the 700-tonne commercial net fishery and the high compliance levels and refocus on deliberate poaching.
• Build stronger partnerships with external science providers to create efficiencies in our science and management areas.
• The proposal would see a total change in our staffing numbers from 192 to 157.
• The proposal includes closing existing stations at Cowes, Mornington, Braeside, and Altona and partly Queenscliff.
• The proposal includes 3 new Fisheries Offices at Tooradin, Carrum and St Leonards staffed with Officers at these fishing hot spots who will engage with the public and ensure there is compliance coverage across Port Phillip and Western Port.

Areas that will not change under the proposal:

• All our Fisheries Officers will continue to be Authorised Officers who carry a badge and can issue fines and undertake inspections as they currently do.
• There will be no impact on recreational fishing license money.
• There will be no impact on boating infrastructure funding.
• There will be no impact on fish stocking across the state.

The proposed changes have been announced to staff and are now subject to consultation with affected staff and the relevant union (Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), as per Clause 11 of the VPS Enterprise Agreement.  For more information on that process, click here. Formal consultation commenced on Thursday 13 February 2025 and will run for a period of five weeks.

We are committed to open, authentic consultation with our people and their union representatives.