Parks Victoria’s newest recruit was given a specially guided tour around the Ballarat and Grampians region yesterday to accustom himself with his new office.
The stop off in Ballarat marked the start of a part of a two day trip undertaken by the new chief executive, which will see him explore Port Campbell and the 12 Apostles as well as the Shipwreck Coast.
Mr Fauteux said the vast differences in terrain from his previous job in Canada had been a driving force in making the change.
“The density of all the beautiful places is great. In a few hours you can be just about anywhere.”
Parks Victoria manages around 4.2 million hectares of land across the state, as well as many of the public assets on the land.
Mr Fauteux said he hoped to empower local communities to take ownership of their parks.
“It’s about making sure the communities have a role in what’s happening.”
Mr Fauteux’s visit comes as Victorian Parliament gets ready to debate the Crown Land Legislation Amendment, which if passed will see the creation of the Canadian Regional Park.
The park would take in the current Canadian State Forest as well as the former Victorian Plantation Corporation land.
Mr Fauteux said it was important Parks Victoria engaged with the local community to ensure the park becomes something they are proud of.
“We want to make sure that community engagement is really strong.”