Labor has committed $3.225 million to restore Canberra’s waterways – regeneration, weed management, and improving water quality – if it wins the election, Labor MP Alicia Payne announced today.
“Canberrans absolutely love our waterways; they are the lifeblood of our environment,” Ms Payne said. “If we don’t have healthy waterways, we don’t have a healthy environment.”
She joined fellow Labor MPs Dr Andrew Leigh and David Smith at Narrabundah Wetlands this morning.
Labor would allocate $2.775 million for revegetation, weed control, and water flow across the Ginninderra, Molonglo, and Southern ACT catchments. This program would be led by Landcare ACT in partnership with catchment management groups.
Karissa Preuss, Landcare ACT’s CEO, welcomed the announcement, saying it would diversify and broaden the volunteer base. More than 70 groups and thousands of volunteers dedicate their time to improving and maintaining the ACT’s waterways and natural assets, she said, but resources and funding held them back.
The project has four goals: on-ground restoration; supporting Ngunnawal people to care for waterways; involving children and teenagers in waterways restoration; and a communications campaign to recruit more volunteers.
The Molonglo Conservation Group, for instance, spends hours weeding and planting in the Jerrabomberra Wetlands, said Jeannine Fromholtz, the group’s program manager. They run citizen science programs (Waterwatch and Frogwatch) at the Jerrabomberra Wetlands, and engage with Men’s Link and Canberra Grammar School.
“Our Landcare groups and catchment groups do incredible work to care for these areas,” Ms Payne said. “This announcement will support the work of hundreds of volunteers in Canberra, who work tirelessly weeding and looking after these areas so that the community and wildlife can enjoy them.”
Secondly, Labor would provide $450,000 to fund work by the Woodlands and Wetlands Trust and the ACT Parks and Conservation Service to remove weeds and revegetate the riparian zones along Jerrabomberra Creek.
Lauren Brown, from the Trust, said this would help them to continue to restore, repair, and maintain the Jerrabomberra Wetlands; educate thousands of schoolchildren who visit the wetlands (including an early childhood education program for toddlers and the ACT Young Rangers Club for 8- to 15-year-olds); and engage the community to take ownership over the wetlands and help with the project.
The ACT Government committed $5 million in this year’s budget to continue the Healthy Waterways project. Ms Payne said the Federal commitment would fund different activities.
“This program is really about Federal Labor if in government seeing that waterways are a national issue, and we really want to support that work,” Ms Payne said. “This is absolutely working in tandem with what the ACT Government is already doing – but supporting the work of volunteers who are really leading on the ground the tireless work that happens every week at these areas.”
The $3.23 million would be provided by Labor’s proposed national Urban Rivers and Catchment Program.
“These two projects are among the many to be funded by Labor across the country, helping to retore urban river systems, catchments, and wetlands,” the Labor party stated. “Fixing up waterways and the catchment areas around them will improve water quality, help restore habitat for animals, and deliver positive outcomes for nature and communities.”
