15 January, 2020

Welcome to the latest news for Crown land managers (CLMs). In this edition we:

• recognise winners and finalists of Crown land awards
• give an update on annual reporting requirements for 2018–19
• showcase two new websites: the Reserve Manager website and the Caravan and Camping site
• introduce a work, health and safety guidance tool
• highlight successful grant applicants for the annual Crown Reserve Improvement Fund
• hear from the Dirawong Reserve Land Manager, a finalist in this year’s Regional Achievement and Community Awards

Annual reporting

Under the Crown Land Management Act 2016, non-council CLMs must submit an annual report to the minister. We contacted all CLMs in October/November to let you know about a change to the annual report submission process for this year, and gave instructions on how to complete the annual report.

We request that CLMs submit their annual reports as soon as practically possible. If you need any help with submitting your Crown reserve annual report, please contact us.

Public directory of Crown reserves

The Reserve Manager website will include a public directory of Crown reserves early next year. The directory will give information on reserves including photos and public contact details (for example, website, email and phone).

The directory will help promote your reserve to the general public and encourage CLMs to connect with each other. CLMs will need to give information for listing in the directory through this year’s annual report submission process. If you need any help with submitting your Crown reserve annual report, please contact us.

Volunteers recognised for Crown reserve efforts

Congratulations to the Crown land manager winners and finalists who were recently announced at a ceremony for the 2019 NSW/ACT Regional Achievement and Community Awards.

Cowra Showground, Racecourse and Paceway Land Manager won the Crown Land Manager Excellence Award. Members of the CLM have been recognised for their hard work running a multi-use reserve, generating income from a range of sources and undertaking a range of improvements on the site.

Arthur Hatch, from the Mullumbimby Showground, won the Individual Excellence in Crown Land Management Award. Mr Hatch has reinvigorated the showground, significantly improved the reserve’s finances, attracted a range of new user groups and enhanced the site’s camping offerings.

Finalists for both awards were also recognised at the ceremony. Individual Excellence award finalists were Barry Thomson of Boggabri; Neil Rose of Norah Head; and William Kember OAM, of Ganmain. Crown Land Manager Excellence Award finalists were Dirawong Reserve Land Manager, Dooralong Community Reserve Land Manager and Johns River Community Hall and Recreation Reserve.

Find out more about the winners and finalists.

New Reserve Manager website is now live!

The launch of the Reserve Manager website improves support for Crown land managers. The new website gives you a range of tools, templates, case studies and updated guidance materials to help you. The website has over 50 resources in the templates and guides section, as well as a map identifying reserve locations and type of CLM.

The new site replaces the Trust Handbook and will be the access point for the Reserve Manager Portal (due to launch in early 2020). Future improvements to the site will include a public directory for all Crown reserves and more guidance materials. Visit the Reserve Manager website

Caravan and camping site relaunched

The redesigned Caravan and Camping website is now live. With more than 270 caravan parks and camping grounds located on Crown reserves, this website showcases the variety of caravan parks, camping areas and tourist accommodation facilities situated on some of the most stunning locations around NSW.

If a caravan park or camping ground operates on your reserve and is not listed, please contact us at caravanandcamping@crownland.nsw.gov.au

$16.5m for Crown reserve grants

In 2019–20, the NSW Government is investing $16.5 million in 345 separate projects across the state through the Crown Reserves Improvement Fund (CRIF).

Successful applicants for the 2019–20 CRIF program were announced in October by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, the Hon. Rob Stokes, and the Minister for Water, Property and Housing, the Hon. Melinda Pavey.

Projects funded will maintain and upgrade facilities and reserves on eligible community land. The funding will continue to benefit local communities, boost our economy and contribute to the cultural, sporting and recreational life across NSW regions.

Please let us know if you have a capital works project that will soon  get underway (planned sod-turnings) or will soon to finish as we would like to help you promote it. Send an email to reservefunding@crownland.nsw.gov.au

The 2020–21 CRIF program funding round is scheduled to open in early 2020. Learn more about the CRIF program.

Enhanced support for work, health and safety

A new online program to support work, health and safety (WHS) on Crown reserves is now available on the Reserve Manager website. Under the Crown Land Management Act 2016 appointed CLM's have responsibility for the care, control and management of the land. This extends to ensuring the health and safety of individuals working, volunteering, or using Crown reserves as outlined in the CLM Code of Conduct.

This WHS resource will help you:

• understand and comply with your obligations under the Work, Health and Safety Act 2011.
• identify hazards on your reserve and practically manage the associated risks
• implement improvement strategies to enhance the work health and safety practices on your reserve
• access a range of resources and support to assist you in your safety journey.

CLM roadshow events

Around 500 CLMs attended information sessions held at 15 locations across NSW throughout October. The sessions covered annual reporting requirements for 2018–19, the new Reserve Manager Portal (due for launch in early 2020), and showcased the new Reserve Manager website.

The events provided an opportunity for CLMs to connect with each other and for department staff to answer questions and provide guidance on Crown reserve matters.

Venue hire agreement

A new venue hire agreement template is now available for CLM use. This template is recommended for one-off bookings of reserve facilities.

The venue hire agreement covers users who want to book a reserve for either non-commercial (for example, birthday parties) or commercial (for example, a ticketed event) activities. The template can be adjusted to suit individual Crown reserve requirements.

View venue hire template (Under leases and licences section)

Managing caretakers

Many Crown reserves across the state rely on the services of a caretaker for day-to-day on-site operations. Engaged by the CLM, caretakers often have a range of tasks such as supervising grounds, managing public access, administration duties, managing bookings, cleaning, managing workers, inspecting sites and maintenance works.

Some caretakers reside on site, such as a lighthouse keeper or caravan park manager. Other caretakers live offsite and travel to a reserve to carry out their roles.

View out top tips for managing caretakers

CLM profile - Dirwaong Reserve Land Manager

The Dirawong Reserve at Evans Head, an hour south of Byron Bay, is one of the best-preserved pieces of Crown land coastal landscape on the Far North Coast. The Dirawong, Aboriginal for ‘Old Man Goanna’, has been managed by the local community for more than 30 years as a Crown reserve, and has cultural significance to the Bundjalung People.

Every year, tens of thousands of visitors are attracted to its 300+ hectares of magnificent sandy beaches, diverse bays, rocky cliffs, sandstone bluffs, complex ecologies and abundant wildflowers, Aboriginal cultural history, great fishing and surfing spots and well-maintained tracks and walkways.

Share your stories

Sharing stories is a great way to learn from each other and recognise the hard work and dedication of reserve managers. If you would like to share your story, email us at reserves@crownland.nsw.gov.au.

E-newsletter for December 2019