Seven Basin Councils Call for Urgent Meeting
The Mayors of the seven Councils representing Victoria’s Murray-Darling Basin irrigation communities, have today joined forces to urgently call on the Victorian Government to pause, and rethink its approach to the Basin Sustainable Communities Fund.
The full media release is available here
In a united stand, the Murray River Group of Councils (MRGC) and Greater Shepparton City Council are calling for genuine partnership with local communities to get the investment right.
Chair of the Murray River Group of Councils, Cr Stuart King said Local Government stands ready to work alongside the Victorian Government, to deliver the best possible outcomes for the region from this once-in-a-generation investment.
“This funding is too important to get wrong.”
“Every one of our communities has been affected differently by water recovery. Each has its own industries, strengths and opportunities. That is why we need to co-design individual responses.
“We have been asking for a seat at the table to strengthen project design and delivery since the Victorian Government agreed to accept the funding last year.
“Local government understands its communities best of all the levels of Government. We know where the opportunities exist, where the challenges lie and what investments will deliver meaningful long-term economic and social benefits,” Cr Stuart King said.
The councils are proposing a collaborative process to assess the impacts of water recovery in each municipality and identify the highest-value local investment opportunities before developing tailored implementation plans for each community.
