Board of Management Update – May 2024

The Phillip Island Nature Parks Board met on the 30 May 2024 for its regular board meeting. The meeting was held virtually and below are the highlights of the meeting.
Reconciliation Week
The Chair acknowledged that the Board convened during National Reconciliation Week and shared the sobering experience of the community gathering to stand with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community on Sorry Day – a day that remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, forcibly removed from their families and communities. The Board and organisation were well represented at the Sorry Day event, which was organized by the Bass Coast Reconciliation Network and local Bass Coast community. The Nature Parks is proud to support Reconciliation Week and looks forward to participating in further scheduled activities.
The Nature Parks Reconciliation Advisory Committee commences a new term in the coming financial year and the Board was extremely pleased to endorse five First Nations Community Members to the committee. The Board looks forward to working with the new members to continue the Nature Parks journey towards reconciliation. The Board recognised the incredible efforts of the community members involved in this committee over the past three years, including Uncle Anthony Egan, Paul Pattern, Sally O’Neil and Bev Munro.
Visitation to the Nature Parks Attractions
The Board observed that visitation to Nature Parks attractions experienced stronger-than-forecast growth, surpassing expectations towards the end of the 2023-24 financial year. Despite visitor numbers being lower than the 2018-19 financial year, the organisation’s year to date revenue exceeded this target, which was an exciting milestone! This favourable outcome was attributed to stronger than expected international visitors combined with a robust domestic market.