Victorian Numbered Acts Victorian Numbered ActsAfter Part 3 of the Principal Act insert —
(1) The Minister may declare a municipal district to be a district for which a roadside weed and pest animal management plan must be prepared.
(2) The declaration must be published in the Government Gazette and state—
(a) that the roadside weed and pest animal management plan relates to regionally prohibited weeds, regionally controlled weeds and established pest animals on roadsides of municipal roads in the declared municipal district; and
(b) the term for which the roadside weed and pest animal management plan is to operate being a period of between 2 and 4 years; and
(c) the Minister's reasons for
making the declaration.
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(3) In making a declaration, the Minister must take into account—
(a) the nature and extent of municipal roads in the municipal district; and
(b) the extent to which the roadsides of those municipal roads are infested with regionally prohibited weeds, regionally controlled weeds and established pest animals.
(4) The Minister must give a copy of the declaration to the municipal council of the declared municipal district.
(5) The declaration takes effect on the day it is published in the Government Gazette or on any later date after the date that any earlier declaration ceases to have effect as is specified in the notice.
(6) The declaration ceases to have effect at the earliest of—
(a) the end of the term of operation of any approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan for the declared municipal district; or
(b) if the approval of the roadside weed and pest animal management plan is revoked for the declared municipal district under section 22O, at the time the revocation takes effect.
A municipal council of a municipal district declared under section 22A must prepare, submit for approval and publish a roadside weed and pest animal management plan in accordance with this Part.
(1) A roadside weed and pest animal management plan prepared by a municipal council must—
(a) set out a program of measures to eradicate, as far as possible, all regionally prohibited weeds of which the municipal council is aware from the roadsides of all municipal roads in the declared municipal district; and
(b) specify the species of regionally controlled weeds and established pest animals to which the plan applies; and
(c) specify the municipal council's current knowledge of the extent and abundance in the municipal district of—
(i) all regionally prohibited weeds; and
(ii) all regionally controlled weeds and established pest animals specified in paragraph (b); and
(d) set out a program of reasonable measures to be taken by the municipal council to reduce the adverse impact on surrounding land arising from the species specified in paragraph (b) on the roadsides of municipal roads in the declared municipal district; and
(e) specify the municipal roads to which the plan applies; and
(f) specify the anticipated outcome of each measure referred to in paragraphs (a) and (d); and
(g) state the period of operation of the plan.
(2) The program of measures set out in a roadside weed and pest animal management plan must—
(a) support any weed and pest animal management programs being undertaken by land owners in the declared municipal district; and
(b) protect the infrastructure and environmental value of roadsides.
(3) A roadside weed and pest animal management plan prepared by a municipal council may also include any additional information that the municipal council considers appropriate.
In preparing a roadside weed and pest animal management plan, a municipal council must have regard to—
(a) any information provided by the Minister; and
(b) any regional catchment strategy applying to the declared municipal district; and
(c) any submissions received by the council under section 22F.
(1) Subject to subsection (2), a municipal council must submit a proposed roadside weed and pest animal management plan to the Minister within 120 days after the day on which the Minister's declaration under section 22A takes effect.
(2) The Minister may extend the period of time within which a municipal council must submit a roadside weed and pest animal management plan if the council makes an application in writing to the Minister which states—
(a) the grounds on which the extension is sought; and
(b) the period of extension required.
(1) Before a municipal council prepares a roadside weed and pest animal management plan, it must comply with the following procedure.
(2) The municipal council must give a notice stating—
(a) the purpose and scope of the proposed roadside weed and pest animal management plan; and
(b) where a copy of the proposed plan can be obtained or inspected; and
(c) that any person may make a submission to the municipal council on any aspect of the proposed plan that relates to regionally controlled weeds or established pest animals; and
(d) that submissions must be made to the municipal council within the period specified in the notice.
(3) The municipal council must allow at least 28 days after the day on which a notice is given under subsection (2) for the making of submissions.
(4) A notice under this section must be published—
(a) in the Government Gazette; and
(b) in a newspaper circulating generally in the municipal district of the municipal council.
(1) The Minister may approve a roadside weed and pest animal management plan if the Minister is satisfied that the plan meets the requirements set out in section 22C.
(2) Before approving a roadside weed and pest animal management plan, the Minister may request that the municipal council submit a revised plan.
(3) A request for a revised roadside weed and pest animal management plan must be in writing and state the particular matters in the plan that are required to be revised.
(1) On approval of a roadside weed and pest animal management plan, the Minister must—
(a) notify the municipal council in writing; and
(b) publish a notice of approval in the Government Gazette.
(2) The approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan comes into operation on the date that notification under subsection (1)(a) is received by the municipal council.
(1) The municipal council must publish the approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan on its website as soon as practicable after the plan is approved.
(2) The municipal council must ensure that copies of the approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan are available for inspection during normal office hours at the municipal council's office.
A municipal council must implement the measures set out in its approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan in accordance with the plan.
(1) Subject to subsection (2), a municipal council may request, in writing, that the Minister approve a variation of its approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan.
(2) If an approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan has less than 6 months to operate, the municipal council may only request a variation in the case of an emergency that is affecting its municipal district.
(3) A request for approval of a variation of an approved plan under subsection (1), must include—
(a) a description of the proposed variation; and
(b) the reasons for the requested variation.
(4) Within 28 days after receiving a request under subsection (1), the Minister must notify the municipal council in writing of his or her decision to approve or refuse to approve the request for a variation.
(5) If the Minister refuses to approve a request for a variation, he or she must set out reasons for the refusal in the notification to the municipal council.
(6) A variation of an approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan takes effect when the municipal council receives notification of the approval of the variation by the Minister under subsection (4).
(1) Subject to subsection (3), the Minister may request, in writing, that a municipal council prepare a variation to an approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan if—
(a) there has been a significant and unforeseen change in the environmental circumstances in the municipal council's municipal district since the plan was approved; and
(b) the circumstances under paragraph (a) have substantially diminished, or are likely to substantially diminish, the effectiveness of the plan.
(2) If the Minister requests that a municipal council prepare a variation to an approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan, the request must include—
(a) a description of the proposed variation; and
(b) the reasons for the requested variation.
(3) If an approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan has less than 6 months to operate, the Minister may only request a variation in the case of an emergency that is affecting the municipal council's municipal district.
(1) The municipal council must publish a consolidated version of its approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan on its website as soon as practicable after a variation to the plan is approved under section 22K or 22L.
(2) The municipal council must ensure that copies of the consolidated version of its approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan are available for inspection during normal office hours at the municipal council's office.
(1) The Minister may suspend the approval of a roadside weed and pest animal management plan if he or she is satisfied that the municipal council—
(a) is not implementing the measures set out in accordance with the plan; or
(b) has failed to provide the Minister with information or documents requested by the Minister under section 22P; or
(c) has failed to submit a variation to the plan requested by the Minister under section 22L; or
(d) has failed to submit to the Minister, within the time specified by the Minister in an invitation under subsection (2)(b), reasons why the plan should not be suspended.
(2) Before suspending the approval of a plan under subsection (1), the Minister must notify the municipal council in writing of his or her intention to suspend the approval and must—
(a) set out the reasons for the proposed suspension; and
(b) invite the municipal council to
submit, within the specified time, reasons why the approval of the plan should
not be suspended.
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(3) After considering any submission received from the municipal council under subsection (2), or if the municipal council fails to submit reasons within the specified time, the Minister must, in writing, notify the municipal council of his or her decision to suspend, or not to suspend, the approval of the plan.
(4) The suspension of the approval of a roadside weed and pest animal management plan under this section takes effect when the municipal council receives notification of the suspension under subsection (3).
(5) The Minister must not suspend the approval of a plan under this section for a period of more than 6 months.
(6) The Minister must revoke the suspension of the approval of a roadside weed and pest animal management plan if he or she is satisfied that the reasons for the suspension no longer apply.
(1) The Minister may revoke his or her approval of a roadside weed and pest animal management plan—
(a) if the reason for suspending the approval of the plan under section 22N continues to apply at the end of the period for which the approval was suspended; or
(b) if, due to changed circumstances affecting the municipal district to which the plan applies, a substantial part of the plan is no longer relevant.
(2) Before the Minister revokes his or her approval of a plan under subsection (1), the Minister must notify the municipal council responsible for implementing the plan in writing of his or her intention to revoke approval of the plan and must—
(a) set out the reasons for the proposed revocation; and
(b) invite the municipal council to submit, within the specified time, reasons why approval of the plan should not be revoked.
(3) After considering any submission received from the municipal council under subsection (2), or if the municipal council fails to submit reasons within the specified time, the Minister must, in writing, notify the municipal council of his or her decision to revoke, or not to revoke, the approval of the plan.
(4) The revocation of the approval of a roadside weed and pest animal management plan under this section takes effect when the municipal council receives notification of the revocation under subsection (3).
(1) For the purposes of monitoring a municipal council's progress in implementing its approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan, or in order to evaluate a municipal council's report on its approved plan under section 22Q, the Minister may request in writing to the municipal council that it provide specified information or a document relating to the approved plan.
(2) A municipal council must provide the information or document requested under subsection (1) to the Minister.
Within 30 days after an approved roadside weed and pest animal management plan ceases to operate, the municipal council responsible for implementing the plan must provide to the Minister a written report setting out the outcomes of the measures set out in the plan to be taken by the municipal council relating to the species of noxious weeds and pest animals covered by the plan.
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