Victorian Invasive Pests Advisory Board
The Victorian Invasive Pests Advisory Board (VIPA) was formed in 2023 to promote collective and shared responsibility as the key to managing established weeds and pest animals in line with Victoria’s Biosecurity Strategy.
VIPA brings together the knowledge, skills and views of people from community, industry and government to decide together where to put our resources, which risks to combat, and how we can adapt to changing conditions.
The board co-designed the Partnership Against Pests grants program that aims to build community capacity and capability to support local management of established weeds and pests across Victoria. They continue to provide advice to Agriculture Victoria on the delivery of this program.
VIPA also provides advice to Agriculture Victoria about the design and delivery of Victoria’s established weeds and pest animal management program for the management of declared species on all land tenures across the landscape.
They do this by:
- Providing recommendations on the allocation of funding for community management of established weeds and pest animals across Victoria.
- Providing a connection between the community and government relating to established weed and pest animal management.
- Ensuring investments in community management of established weeds and pest animals align with best practice engagement principles and management techniques.
- Establishing and monitoring progress towards agreed outcomes for community management of established weeds and pest animal programs in Victoria.
- Liaising with stakeholders invested in established weed and pest management to understand their priorities, successes and challenges.
Board membership
The VIPA board includes 10 government and community leaders, drawn from Victoria’s 4 Community Pest Management Groups and key parties with interests and responsibilities for the management of established weeds and pest animals. These key parties include community, advocacy groups and public land managers and an independent chair.
The current VIPA board members are:
- Andrew Maclean – Independent Chair
- Lyn Coulston – Victorian Blackberry Taskforce Chair
- Ron Cosgrave – Victorian Gorse Taskforce Chair
- Gerald Leach – Victorian Rabbit Action Network Chair
- Lance Jennison -– Victorian Serrated Tussock Working Party Chair
- Sarah Corcoran – community representative
- Roger Wilkinson – community representative
- Michelle Ballentine – Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
- Ben Fahy – Parks Victoria
- Sharyn Williams – Agriculture Victoria