Nature Parks Board Update – May 2023
Nature Parks Board Update – May 2023
The Phillip Island Nature Parks’ Board met on the 30 May 2023 on Millowl (Phillip Island). Below are highlights from this Board meeting:
RECONCILIATION WEEK
The Chair recognised that the Board was meeting in National Reconciliation Week and shared the humbling experience in witnessing the growing ground swell of community support for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community on National Sorry Day on 26 May. The Board was pleased to hear of the successful Sorry Day event delivered by Bass Coast Reconciliation Network and the local community in Cape Paterson. The Nature Parks is proud to support the Reconciliation Week events and look forward to the other activities scheduled throughout the week.
VISITATION
The Board noted visitation to the Nature Parks had experienced stronger than expected growth towards the end of the financial year, resulting in the organization reaching 77% of its pre-pandemic revenue YTD from admissions. The Board was pleased to see that international visitation was increasing, backed by a strong domestic market, driving promising results and ensuring the organisation’s financial recovery was on track.
ANNUAL BUSINESS PLAN AND BUDGET FY24
The Board endorsed the organisation’s Annual Budget and Business Plan for the coming financial year and acknowledged the hard work of the Chief Financial Officer and the Finance Team in preparing the coming year’s budget.
The FY24 Budget predicts that revenue generated from tourism operations will be sufficient to pay for all operational expenditure for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The year is set to be promising with the maintenance of strong domestic visitors in the first half and the continued increase in international visitor markets.
The Nature Parks also plans to invest significant time and financial resources into the replacement of tourism and community infrastructure including at the Penguin Parade, Nobbies Centre, Churchill Island, Forrest Caves and Pyramid Rock. The organisation will continue to improve operational processes and systems with priority given to the admission system for all attractions, procurement processes, asset management processes and further investment in IT security.
STRATEGIC RISK REVIEW
This month the Board reviewed and endorsed two strategic risks associated with the protection of the Little Penguins and the preservation of their habitat on the Summerland Peninsula. The Board noted the Conservation Team’s key focus for managing these risks by increasing penguins’ resilience to climate change, planning for disease risk to penguins, improving penguin habitat and investing other emerging threats to penguins.
In keeping with the penguin theme, the Nature Parks is seeking support from the IUCN to host a future International Penguin Conference and hope to bring this international event, along with leading penguin experts to Phillip Island in the coming years.
PENGUIN PARADE BOARD WALKS AND VIEWING STANDS PROJECT
The Penguin Parade Boardwalks and Viewing Stands Redevelopment project commenced earlier in the year with $5M in funding from the Regional Tourism Investment Fund. The Board received challenging news from the Project Control Group that the preferred contractor for the project entered voluntary administration in March and was updated on the alternative options for the completion of the project. The Board supported the Project Control Group to continue working with the appointed administrators for the best outcome for the project and any associated contractors. The project will continue with the finalisation of design works and completion of planning processes before re-tendering for construction of the structure later in 2023.
Kevin Love
Chair
Phillip Island Nature Parks