Victorian Regional Forest Agreements

Termination of Victorian Regional Forest Agreements

As a part of Victoria’s transition out of commercial native timber harvesting in state forests, the Victorian Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) were terminated on 31 December 2024.

The RFAs were first established by the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments between 1997 and 2000, and provided for sustainable management and use of Victoria’s forests. The RFAs provided an important set of commitments to enable streamlined regulatory processes for commercial native timber harvesting in Victoria, which is no longer necessary.

The agreements previously were due to expire in 2030 to align with the original date to end native timber harvesting announced as part of the Victorian Forestry Plan in 2019.

The conclusion of the RFAs follows the decision to end native timber harvesting across state forests by 1 January 2024. In concluding the Victorian RFAs, Victoria will join South Australia and Queensland, who support successful plantation and other fibre industries without a similar agreement.

Since the modernised RFAs were finalised in 2020, the Victorian Government has delivered:

• listed species and communities risk assessments and implementation of protections and management actions
• a review of legislation to identify improvements to strengthen protections for listed species and communities
• a review of the system that protects biodiversity, old growth forests and wilderness areas across Victoria’s five RFA regions
• a Major Event Review, which assessed the impacts of the 2019/20 bushfires on forests.

For more information

You can learn more about the RFAs on the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website: Australian Government, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Regional Forest Agreements

Modernised Victorian Regional Forest Agreements - 2020 amendments

This section provides historic information about the significant amendments to the Victorian Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) in 2020. The Victorian RFAs have now been terminated.

The original RFAs were reviewed after being in place for more than 20 years. The agreements were reviewed and updated in line with the contemporary context, including community values and science and to recognise the challenges of climate change.

The Victorian Government invested $17.6 million over four years in forest management reform which included the modernisation of Victoria's RFAs. This resulted in significant improvements to the RFAs which bolstered protection for Victoria's unique forest biodiversity and threatened species.

As the RFAs are intergovernmental agreements, the modernisation process, beginning in 2018, involved detailed negotiations between the Victorian and Australian Governments.

The RFAs were informed by independent expert advice, assessments of all forest values and new research, contemporary community values, and insights from Traditional Owners.

Two independent advisory committees - a Scientific Advisory Panel of scientific experts and RFA Reference Group representing key stakeholders - were established and provided advice on potential improvements to the RFAs.

RFA consultation was structured around the Independent Consultation Paper - Modernisation of the Victorian Forest Agreements written by Dr William Jackson.

Findings from community consultation (PDF, 1.9 MB) was complemented by a report of advice from a dedicated RFA Reference Group (PDF, 408.0 KB) that represented a diverse range of community interests including Traditional Owners, environment, industry, and recreation.

Key materials related to the modernisation and extension of the Victorian RFAs