This State Election, the Yarra Riverkeeper Association is asking all candidates regardless of political affiliation to support actions for a healthy, protected, swimmable and loved Yarra, Birrarung. By supporting the key election commitments outlined below, candidates can support their local communities and the river they love. 

(1) COMMIT TO WATER LEADERSHIP IN THE CLIMATE CRISIS

Despite the recent rains, the Yarra, Birrarung is in trouble. Long-term extraction of water for Melbourne’s population and agriculture has damaged its health and now climate change is taking away its water. The river has already lost 16% of its flows and is predicted to lose much more in future as the planet warms. Iconic species that call the Yarra, Birrarung home such as platypus and river blackfish are disappearing, creeks stop flowing more often than they used to. and water quality is on a downward slide. Crisis situations call for strong leadership by governments. We must reduce the volume of water we take or our rivers will pay the price. Candidates should commit to:

• Examining every option for returning water to the Yarra, Birrarung and acting with urgency. We are facing an urgent situation, with Melbourne experiencing a potential deficit in supply as early as 2023 and our river faces potential tipping points into new degraded states from which it cannot recover. This includes the setting of caps on extraction, reassessing how licences for agricultural use and bulk entitlements are determined (including a moratorium on new licences), and how water take is measured and monitored. No option for water recovery should be off the table. 
• Examining every option for increasing water supply from sources other than the Yarra, Birrarung. We have to become smarter about how we use water and move to integrated management that includes the use of recycled water and stormwater in business as usual. That means setting standards for recycled water quality so that it is safe to use for all purposes and developing precinct scale plans for capturing stormwater. Every option, from large-scale augmentation to local showerhead exchanges, must be on the table for full and transparent assessment.

(2) PLEDGE NEW FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE YARRA STRATEGIC PLAN (BURNDAP BIRRARUNG BURNDAP UMARKOO)

The Yarra Strategic Plan is the very first plan to protect and enhance the Yarra, Birrarung river and its parkland as one living entity and was developed in partnership with the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and communities to support Traditional Owner to co-manage the river and its lands. However, the plan has no new funding for its implementation and relies on existing funding from entities tasked with its implementation. If the plan is to achieve its vision of a healthy river and parklands for many generations to come, it needs significant and additional resources. Candidates should commit to:

• Additional dedicated financial and human resources to implement the plan, including resources for local communities to work alongside Traditional Owners and government authorities as significant partners across a range of programs, not just projects. This requires at least $400 million over the initial 10-year plan.

(3) STOP NATIVE FOREST LOGGING IN OUR RIVER CATCHMENTS NOW

Victoria is the most cleared state in Australia, with close to 70% of the state cleared since colonisation. Logging is still allowed in some of Melbourne’s water catchments including tributaries of the Upper Yarra River. This logging has been scientifically proven to reduce the quality and quantity of water from the catchments. These forests, which are 50% occupied by the eucalypt species Mountain Ash, yield more water when the forests are older than about 50 to 100 years. Pulp logs sourced from native forests are not a commercial necessity; there are viable alternatives. Candidates should commit to:

• Ending native forest logging now not in 10 years’ time. Logging native forests is not only extremely bad for birds, possums, and gliders, it threatens our water supply.  

(4) PROVIDE FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANISATIONS TO ADVOCATE FOR AND SUPPORT RIVER HEALTH 

The Yarra Riverkeeper Association is the community voice of the river, working with over 100 community groups along the river to restore our waterways and help people have access to a better quality of living. We are small but impactful. Like many community-based organisations, we operate with a small budget and rely on the generosity of volunteers to supplement a small paid workforce. Financial support is much needed to allow us to continue working effectively and efficiently and to become sustainable. This is not grants for projects, but support for core costs. Candidates should commit to:

• Dedicated financial resources and programming for community-based organisations to support the implementation of the Yarra Protection Act and the Yarra Strategic Plan. Examples include resources to support the conceptualisation and implementation of the Great Birrarung Parkland, and resources to increase community capacity to advocate and steward the river environment (through regeneration and litter reduction).

WE ARE NOT ALONE IN ADVOCATING FOR RIVER HEALTH

The Yarra Riverkeeper is part of the Concerned Waterways Alliance, a network of 12 community and environment groups from Gippsland to the Otways. We share a deep concern about the degraded state of southern Victoria’s rivers, wetlands and aquifers, and are committed to improving their health for the benefit of current and future generations.

To find out more about the campaign go to: https://concernedwaterwaysalliance.org/