About the Regional Taskforce

The Minister for Water established this regional taskforce to guide implementation of the Lower Loddon Irrigator Recovery Package.

It is a joint local and state government group chaired by a representative from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and seeks community input from the Community Consultative Committee. 

The role of the Taskforce is to respond to local needs, coordinate arrangements and manage regional delivery of the program. 

Terms of Reference:

• Develop an implementation plan for the Package
• Develop and endorse eligibility criteria for the $4.96 million Facilitating Irrigator Recovery component of the package
• Develop and implement the priorities for the $12.31 Active Floodplain Restoration component of the package
• Develop the terms of reference, and engagement process, for the Community Consultative Committee
• Participate in community consultation as required
• Review the technical content of relevant working documents
• Promote the Lower Loddon Irrigators Recovery Package and implementation activities associated with it
• Periodically report and review progress.
  

The taskforce comprises the following members:

Department of Primary Industries	Neil McBeath (Chair)
Victorian Farmers Federation	Andrew Leahy
Loddon Shire	Neil Beattie
Gannawarra Shire	Geoff Rollinson
Rural Finance Corporation	Geoff Blyth
Goulburn-Murray Water	Daniel Irwin
Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project	Murray Smith
North Central Catchment Management Authority	Damian Wells
Department of Sustainability and Environment	Campbell Fitzpatrick Jane Doolan

About the Community Consultative Committee

The taskforce established a Community Consultative Committee (CCC) to provide further opportunity for community input into the Lower Loddon project. Representatives were nominated to represent the diversity of irrigator and stakeholder perspectives.