Environmental Justice Australia is leading a campaign that aims to secure improved legal protection for key urban waterways in Melbourne’s west, equivalent to the safeguards provided for the Yarra River in a law established in 2017. The Rivers of the West campaign seeks to have the Maribyrnong and Werribee Rivers and other smaller waterways acknowledged as valuable community assets and better protected in law. The rivers of Melbourne’s west are valuable assets for communities in the suburbs and upstream, but their protection and restoration is constrained by weak and fragmented laws. This campaign aims to change that. For an overview of the issues and potential legal mechanisms, see Dr Bruce Lindsay’s presentations on the Werribee (PDF, 1.7MB) and the Maribrynong (PDF, 2.2MB) rivers.
Rivers of the West: news and media
– February 8, 2018: Environmentalists push to protect the Maribyrnong River (Moonee Valley Leader)
– January 23, 2018: Rivers of Melbourne’s west need protection
– January 6, 2018: Push for tougher laws to protect rivers of the west (The Age)