Transcript for IWM Action Plan launch video

Introduction

Hello everyone. My name is Harriet and I am Victoria's Water Minister. Thank you so much for the opportunity to present briefly to you today. I apologize I can't be there in person. It is a wonderful opportunity, however, for the Metropolitan Melbourne Integrated Water Management Forum to proceed and also to be able to launch the catchment scale integrated water management action plans.

Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners

Today, I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the lands upon which we variously gather, and I want to pay my respects to their elders past and present. I also want to acknowledge any and all Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander leaders or emerging leaders who've joined you here today or who are part of the broader work across the Victorian water sector.

Importance of Water

Water is, as you all know, our most vital resource, and it is essential to the health and wellbeing of so many people and so many environments. Water enhances community wellbeing and the livability of our cities. It supports economic growth and jobs across Victoria, including as our population grows, and it is deeply connected to Aboriginal culture.

Integrated Water Management

I'm so proud to acknowledge the huge efforts and achievements by you in forging so many ways forward to implement integrated water management as business, as usual practice across metropolitan Melbourne. This collaborative approach to the planning and management of all elements of the water cycle is a wonderful example of how this sector is working together to build resilience, to develop adaptive ways of responding to complex challenges, and to continue to innovate around rapid urbanization, climate change, and population growth.

Integrated water management is about protecting our waterways and our bays from harmful discharges, improving the amenity values of our landscapes, the notion of livability, effective management of flood risks, and contributing to secure water supply in our communities so that life can be better for future generations. This in turn, will support sustainable and resilient water systems, ecosystems, and communities now and into the future.

Integrated Water Management Program

The Integrated Water Management Program has already come so far with partner organizations of the 15 forums across the state, collaborating on many projects, including the delivery of 177 projects through the integrated Water Management grant programs. This represents a combined investment of $239 million across Victoria, and it includes projects such as the Dingley recycled water scheme that will provide 1.8 billion liters annually of high quality recycled water to irrigate 48 public and private sites throughout the southeast of metropolitan Melbourne. Together, these sites can save up to 300 million liters per year of drinking water and reduce the drawdown on local groundwater. The Blind Creek at Lewis Park Project is another wonderful example that will naturalize 1.6 kilometers of Blind Creek in Wantirna South, creating new green open spaces for community use by constructing a wetland stormwater harvesting system to also irrigate local sports ovals and community gardens.

The Victorian government is saving up to 1 billion liters of Victoria's precious drinking water each year thanks to this program. And I can see from the performance targets in the catchment scale IWM plans that all metropolitan IWM Forum partners are committed to delivering much greater savings.

Catchment Scale IWM Action Plans

I'm also really pleased to launch the five inaugural catchment scale IWM Action Plans. This is a huge collaborative achievement of the 50 partners, comprising water corporations, traditional owners, local governments, and the state government, and it signals an important shift from planning to implementation of the IWM approach in metropolitan Melbourne. These action plans establish a clear direction to collaboratively implement IWM initiatives across organizational and geographical boundaries from on the ground projects to key breakthrough initiatives that will unlock new investment opportunities.

The plans will improve outcomes for Victorian communities with actions such as the creation of diverse and climate resilient water supplies that will reduce Melbourne's reliance on drinking water by substituting 120 gigaliters a year of portable water demand with recycled water treated storm water and rainwater by 2050, increasing use of recycled water, treated storm stormwater and rainwater, creating healthier waterways, greener parks and ovals and open spaces, and securing continued sustainable water supplies to support food production across the metropolitan Melbourne region.

Conclusion

Creating the long lasting change that these action plans aim to achieve is complex and will require sustained effort and hard work. Our collective dedication to key enabling policy work and capacity building will be a continued focus as we look ahead, including in securing IWM funding and resourcing for traditional owners. I look forward to the shared effort of these forums continuing as these plans are delivered and the community experiences the positive impacts for generations to come.

The water sector reminds us of the many complex and competing challenges of water management in our state and the importance of planning and integrated water management.