Victorian Regional Channels Authority

Last updated

Victorian Regional Channels Authority
Far Fosna offshore support vessel in Corio Bay - Geelong.jpg
This support vessel at the Port of Geelong operates in waters managed by the VRCA.
Authority overview
Formed1 April 2004;19 years ago (2004-04-01)
Preceding authority
  • Victorian Channels Authority
Type Statutory authority
Jurisdiction
HeadquartersChannels House
235 Ryrie St
Geelong VIC 3220
Employees9 (June 2018)
Minister responsible
Authority executive
  • Michael Harvey, Chief Executive Officer
Parent department Department of Transport
Key documents
Website vrca.vic.gov.au

The Victorian Regional Channels Authority (VRCA) is the channel management authority of the Victorian Government for the Port of Geelong, the Port of Portland, the Port of Hastings, and 13 other regional ports.

Contents

History

From 1996 to 2004, all shipping channels in Victorian waters were managed by the Victorian Channels Authority (VCA). The responsibilities of the VCA included navigation systems and dredging to maintain the depth of the major channels.

In 2003, the state government passed legislation creating a new Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC) to oversee the operations of the Port of Melbourne. The PoMC absorbed the functions of the former Melbourne Ports Corporation as the commercial port operator, and took over responsibility of the Port of Melbourne's shipping channels from the VCA. The VCA was formally abolished on 31 March 2004, and on 1 April, the PoMC became the channel management authority for Melbourne, while the VRCA was set up to manage the channels of the ports of Geelong, Portland and Hastings. [1] Its inaugural CEO was Ian Scott, the last CEO of the VCA, and its chairman was Michael Dowling. [2]

The VRCA took responsibility for planning, operation and management of the channels serving the Port of Geelong. The private port management companies of Hastings and Portland retained day-to-day responsibility for the operation of their approach channels, although the VRCA established a regime of inspections by the Geelong harbourmaster to ensure safety and prudent management. [3]

Although the VRCA's primary function remained the safe navigation of shipping in the regional ports, it also adopted responsibility for the promotion of regional ports to shipping companies. The appointment of a commercial manager in late 2004 saw the VRCA begin to examine its potential for commercial advantages over the Port of Melbourne, then rapidly approaching its capacity despite the Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project being undertaken. [4]

By 2006, despite a permanent staff of only six, including two harbourmasters, the operations of the VRCA were highly successful, obtaining an extra 10 centimetres (3.9 in) of draught at the Port of Geelong through modernised operations. The increased draught significantly improved the economic viability of the channels, and Shipping Australia, an industry peak body, said that it "couldn't praise them enough" for their management of the Geelong channels. [5] The improved draught contributed to a year of record grain export at the port.

The VRCA commenced further dredging operations in 2016 throughout Port Phillip Bay. [6]

Michael Harvey was appointed as the CEO of the VRCA in February 2017 by the state government. [7] In July 2017, the authority engaged public relations firm Brand Bureau to plan and implement a new awareness campaign. [8]

Related Research Articles

Geelong is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay and the left bank of Barwon River, about 65 km (40 mi) southwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Phillip</span> Bay in Australia

Port Phillip or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completely surrounded by localities of Victoria's two largest cities — metropolitan Greater Melbourne in the bay's main eastern portion north of the Mornington Peninsula, and the city of Greater Geelong in the much smaller western portion north of the Bellarine Peninsula. Geographically, the bay covers 1,930 km2 (750 sq mi) and the shore stretches roughly 264 km (164 mi), with the volume of water around 25 km3 (6.0 cu mi). Most of the bay is navigable, although it is extremely shallow for its size — the deepest portion is only 24 m (79 ft) and half the bay is shallower than 8 m (26 ft). Its waters and coast are home to seals, whales, dolphins, corals and many kinds of seabirds and migratory waders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland, Victoria</span> City in Victoria, Australia

Portland is a city in Victoria, Australia, and is the oldest European settlement in the state. It is also the main urban centre in the Shire of Glenelg and is located on Portland Bay. As of the 2021 census the population was 10,016, increasing from a population of 9,712 taken at the 2016 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corio Bay</span> Bay in Victoria, Australia

Corio Bay is one of numerous internal bays in the southwest corner of Australia's Port Phillip, and is the bay on which abuts the City of Geelong. The nearby suburb of Corio takes its name from Corio Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Victoria</span> Overview of rail transport in Victoria, Australia

Rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria is provided by a number of railway operators who operate over the government-owned railway lines. The network consists of 2,357 km of Victorian broad gauge lines, and 1,912 km of standard gauge freight and interstate lines; the latter increasing with gauge conversion of the former. Historically, a few experimental 762 mm gauge lines were built, along with various private logging, mining and industrial railways. The rail network radiates from the state capital, Melbourne, with main interstate links to Sydney and to Adelaide, as well as major lines running to regional centres, upgraded as part of the Regional Fast Rail project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Melbourne</span> Port

The Port of Melbourne is the largest port for containerised and general cargo in Australia. It is located in Melbourne, Victoria, and covers an area at the mouth of the Yarra River, downstream of Bolte Bridge, which is at the head of Port Phillip, as well as several piers on the bay itself. Since 1 July 2003, the Port of Melbourne has been managed by the Port of Melbourne Corporation, a statutory corporation created by the State of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellarine Highway</span>

Bellarine Highway is a main arterial highway that runs east from Geelong in Victoria along the Bellarine Peninsula to Queenscliff. The highway also provides the main route to Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, localities along the southern coast of the peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Melbourne</span> Overview of transport in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Transport in Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia, consists of several interlinking modes. Melbourne is a hub for intercity, intracity and regional travel. Road-based transport accounts for most trips across many parts of the city, facilitated by Australia's largest freeway network. Public transport, including the world's largest tram network, trains and buses, also forms a key part of the transport system. Other dominant modes include walking, cycling and commercial-passenger vehicle services such as taxis.

Blue Wedges is a conservation organisation in conflict with Australia's Victorian government policy to deepen shipping channels in Port Phillip and the large scale development of Ramsar listed Westernport. The Blue Wedges is a coalition of over 65 environmental and bay user groups opposed to development in the Melbourne Bays that they deem to be unsustainable, such as the Port of Melbourne Corporation's Channel Deepening Project. The Blue Wedges Coalition includes angling groups and peak bodies, professional fishing associations, diving and charter operators along with the more traditional coastal protection groups and bayside industry sectors. The Blue Wedges Coalition is supported in its goal to protect the bays by other environmental entities including the Victorian National Parks Association, Australian Conservation Foundation, Friends of the Earth, The Wilderness Society, Environment Victoria, Port Phillip Conservation Council and Western Region Environment Centre under a joint statement issued by these groups opposing the project and calling for action to stop the project from the Victorian Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Geelong</span> Port in Victoria, Australia

The Port of Geelong is located on the shores of Corio Bay at Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The port is the sixth-largest in Australia by tonnage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project</span>

The Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project (CDP) began on 8 February 2008 to deepen the shipping channels leading to Melbourne, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrnambool railway line</span> Railway line in Victoria, Australia

The Warrnambool railway line is a railway serving the south west of Victoria, Australia. Running from the western Melbourne suburb of Newport through the cities of Geelong and Warrnambool, the line once terminated at the coastal town of Port Fairy before being truncated to Dennington. This closed section of line has been converted into the 37 km long Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail. The line continues to see both passenger and freight services today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Melbourne Corporation</span>

The Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC) is a statutory body established by the Victorian Government to develop and manage the Port of Melbourne, Australia's busiest container port. The Corporation commenced operations on 1 July 2003, when it took over the management of the port from the Melbourne Port Corporation. On 1 September 2010, the corporation was re-established with a new charter under the Transport Integration Act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Lonsdale Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse

Point Lonsdale Lighthouse, also known as the Point Lonsdale Signal Station, is close to the township of Point Lonsdale in the Borough of Queenscliffe, Victoria, Australia. It stands at the eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula, on the western side of the entrance to Port Phillip from Bass Strait, on a headland overlooking the "Rip", a stretch of water considered one of the ten most treacherous navigable passages in the world, and the only seaborne approach to Melbourne. It is operated by Victorian Ports Corporation (Melbourne).

The Port of Hastings Development Authority is an authority of the Government of Victoria, Australia. The authority is responsible for the development and management of the port of Hastings located in Western Port Bay approximately 72 kilometres to the south east of Melbourne. The port is expected to be developed by the authority as a major new container port in competition with the Port of Melbourne, Australia's busiest container port.

The Melbourne Harbor Trust was established in 1877 to improve and operate port facilities for the growing city of Melbourne. It was superseded by the Port of Melbourne Authority in 1978 and later by the Port of Melbourne Corporation.

The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) is a former department of the Government of Victoria. It was created on 1 January 2015 by the government of Premier Daniel Andrews when the number of government departments was reduced from 9 to 7, and assumed responsibility for ministerial portfolios previously spread across 5 departments. It was abolished at the end of 2018 and divided into two new departments.

The Victorian Ports Corporation (Melbourne) (VPCM) is a statutory authority of the Government of Victoria created to succeed the Port of Melbourne Corporation as the government regulator of shipping in Port Phillip Bay after the lease of the Port of Melbourne in 2016. In 2021, it was merged with the Victorian Regional Channels Authority into a new agency, Ports Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail Projects Victoria</span>

Rail Projects Victoria (RPV) is an agency of the Government of Victoria, Australia, responsible for the management of certain major infrastructure projects on the Victorian rail network. Originally established as the Melbourne Metro Rail Authority (MMRA), to deliver the Melbourne Metro Rail Project, the office was later expanded in its responsibilities to include the management and planning of a number of major infrastructure programs on V/Line's regional rail services. It was renamed RPV in 2018 to reflect its expanded scope, and later became one of several project teams comprising the Department of Transport's Major Transport Infrastructure Authority.

References

  1. "Annual Report 2003–04" (PDF). Victorian Channels Authority. pp. 2–5. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  2. Davidson, Kenneth (25 October 2015). "Why Dan Andrews' port plan is a fraud on the people of Melbourne's west". The Age. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  3. "Annual Report 2004–05". Victorian Regional Channel Authority. pp. 3–6. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  4. Hopkins, Phillip (15 September 2004). "Port keen to carry more of the load". The Age. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  5. Hopkins, Phillip (12 April 2006). "A few centimetres a shipping triumph". The Age. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  6. "Melbourne Dredging Operations About to Begin". Dredging Today. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  7. "New Chief For Victorian Regional Channels Authority". Premier of Victoria. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  8. "Welcome aboard, Victorian Regional Channels Authority!" (Press release). Brand Bureau. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.