Community
15 January, 2025
State, opposition clash over 12 Apostles
QUESTIONS have been raised surrounding the Victorian Government’s recent unveiling of plans for the redevelopment of the Great Ocean Road Victoria Experience Centre – but the Victorian Government has hit out at the claims as “rubbish”.
The Labor Victorian and Federal Governments recently announced the head contractor had been appointed to build the of the new $126 million visitor centre, but Polwarth MP Richard Riordan has raised concerns the project lacked key details.
Mr Riordan has written to Western Victoria MP Gayle Tierney, who was the Minister for Regional Development until December 2024, outlining 13 questions he said must be answered prior to the first sods being turned.
He slammed the development as the “spending of $126 million of taxpayer’s money without a skerrick of information, grossly irresponsible and yet another Allan Government disaster in the making”.
“How can the Allan Government be held accountable for this $126 million when nothing is known of the project and all the details are secret,” he said.
“No other entity could spend $126 million on a project in any community without the most basic of details being made public.”
In the letter, Mr Riordan said he had discussions with a range of tourism operators, local government and immediate neighbours who had either not received a response from the Victorian Government, or who had been “forced” to sign a confidentiality agreement which prohibited them discussing the publicly funded project.
Among the questions posed, Mr Riordan sought details on was how much of the budget would be dedicated to land acquisition and legal fees, who will have management control over the project, what business case efforts were made and if the information will be made publicly available, and additional information on the infrastructure planning such as number of parking spaces available.
“Victorians are tiring of the Allan Government’s secrecy and spending of taxpayers money on unknown projects,” he said.
“A world-class visitor experience at the 12 Apostles needs world class input, not a secret gaggle of bureaucrats making decisions without expertise or industry knowledge.
“This project is too important to be created in secret and without industry buy in.”
In response to questions from Western District Newspapers, a Victorian Government spokesperson said Mr Riordan’s claims were “rubbish”.
“The Twelve Apostles Visitor Experience Centre will be a world-class destination that will encourage even more visitors and ensure this iconic coastal landscape remains protected and sustainable for generations to come,” the spokesperson said.
“Together with our partners, we are investing $126 million into the Twelve Apostles Precinct Redevelopment to transform the iconic tourism destination, so it remains a much-loved Victorian landmark, encourages more local spending and boosts local businesses.
“The community, local businesses and tourism operators have helped us to create a design that will support the region’s vision and we are looking forward to work starting early this year – and we will continue to keep the community updated as we progress.”
The spokesperson said the appointment of the head contractor for the project in December followed extensive engagement over a two-year period, led by Development Victoria, which has included a community survey through the Engage Vic platform, two in person drop-in sessions at the Port Campbell Surf Club and several virtual sessions with community and key stakeholders.
Western District Newspapers understands representatives from the project’s architect group, Regional Development Victoria, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Corangamite Shire Council, the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority and Parks Victoria attended in person and virtual sessions to address any community questions.
Findings from the first stage of engagement in 2023 were published on the Engage Vic platform and informed the next stages of design, including improved safety and accessibility features.
As announced in May last year, the Victorian Government is investing an additional $18 million into the project (to $126 million).
A second stage of engagement last year included presentation of the updated and detailed designs before going out to tender to select the builder.
The Victorian Government plans to undertake further community consultation before making any decision on visitor contributions at the Twelve Apostles.
The Twelve Apostles Precinct Redevelopment is jointly funded between the Australian and Victorian governments under the Geelong City Deal, which will support growth in the visitor economy through strengthening Geelong and the Great Ocean Road region as leading tourism destinations.
Read More: local