From John Thwaites, Chair, Melbourne Water

The integration of the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority with Melbourne Water provides an exciting opportunity to deliver truly integrated catchment and waterway management, realising environmental and community benefits across the region from catchment to coast.

While we have always been a committed and active partner in the development and implementation of previous Regional Catchment Strategies, we now embrace the role of the CMA, championing, leading and coordinating integrated catchment management across the Port Phillip and Westernport region. This will build on the role we currently play through the Healthy Waterways Strategy and extend our work to cover the integrated management of land, water and biodiversity resources across this region.

Continuing to build on the partnerships established by the CMA over years of collaboration in delivering previous strategies will be pivotal to the success in achieving our shared vision of this new edition strategy. In particular, we recognise Traditional Owners as the voice for their Country and are committed to ensuring strong relationships with them will be a cornerstone of our work. 

We also look forward to expanding our work with all strategy partners on protection and enhancement of biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and climate change adaptation. We welcome the opportunity to advance these areas with Landcare and community groups, Councils, environmental groups, businesses and communities.

We thank the Port Phillip & Westernport Catchment Management Authority for its leadership in natural resource management and the work it has done over the past 25 years. It is handing to us a great legacy we are committed to uphold and evolve.

Melbourne Water is proud to have the opportunity to build on the foundations laid down by previous Regional Catchment Strategies. We invite all our regional partners and communities to become actively involved in this exciting new phase of integrated catchment management.