Community interaction focus for new position
From the Spring 2008 edition of Bush Telegraph Magazine.
The River Murray. Photo copyright David Kleinert
A community engagement officer is being employed to increase the level of community consultation in Australia’s most significant river restoration program, ‘The Living Murray’.
With funding support from the Murray Darling Basin Commission, the new officer will be engaged by Forests NSW, in partnership with the Murray Catchment Management Authority (CMA), and will work across government agencies and the community.
Murray CMA catchment coordinator – water, Tracey Brownbill, said the community has expressed their interest in The Living Murray, with the Murray CMA keen to help improve the scale of the interaction between government agencies and the community.
“They will be responsible for communicating what is happening, identifying where the community can have input, and working with agencies to make sure this happens,” she said.
The program was established in 2002 by the Murray Darling Basin Commission, in response to declining health of the River Murray system and brings together the Australian, NSW, Victorian, South Australian and ACT governments.
The program has a number of core focus areas including water recovery and water delivery. The water savings will be used to benefit plants, animals and the millions of Australians that the Murray supports by improving the health of six environmental ‘Icon sites’ along the river.
The Living Murray project manager, Linda Broekman, said State forests in the Central Murray area rely on regular flooding from the river to sustain river red gums, waterbirds, fish and other floodplain wildlife that makes up the forest ecology.
“These magnificent river red gum forests have been targeted for environmental watering under the initiative, once water supplies have stabilised. “These forests are such an integral part of community life in the Riverina, it is important that we involve local people in managing forest watering.
“The public should be confident that environmental water is being used in a responsible manner,” Linda said.
Sarah Chester Public Affairs & Media, Albury
