Over 4 years, $253.56 million is allocated to the ‘Maintaining the health, resilience and enjoyment of Victoria’s waterways, catchments and Country' initiative.

Building on decades of investment, this initiative continues the multi-generational task of protecting and restoring Victoria’s waterways and catchments.

The programs include:

  • Waterway Health – delivering regional on-ground works at priority management areas including flagship waterways and Ramsar sites (wetlands of international important). Also providing essential statutory services under the Water Act 1989 and Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994; and supporting a coordinated state-wide policy program including the development of the next Victorian Waterway Management Strategy and Regional Waterway Strategies.
  • Environmental Water – managing water for the environment to preserve the environmental values and health of water ecosystems and implementing obligations under the Murray Darling Basin Plan, the Goulburn to Murray Trade Environmental Monitoring Program; and other priorities in the Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy.
  • Catchment Stewardship – supporting healthy catchments, community resilience and Traditional Owner aspirations for Country through catchment stewardship and partnership projects in priority catchments and implementing 10 statutory Regional Catchment Strategies.
  • Urban Waterways – implementing Victoria’s transformative iconic urban waterway plans – Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo (Yarra Strategic Plan), Barre Warre Yulluk Action Plan (Rivers of the Barwon), and Waterways of the West Action Plan.
  • Recreational Values – improving recreational planning, access and facilities at Victoria’s waterways and lakes.

Expenditure to date

  • 2024–25 expenditure: $49.10 million
  • 2025–26 expenditure: $73.99 million

Annual progress summary

Milestones delivered during 2024-25 include:

  • More than 70 regional projects completed the first year of a 4-year program focussed on delivering on-ground programs and statutory functions. Investment reports submitted to DEECA demonstrated good progress with activity delivery.
  • A draft Victorian Waterway Management Strategy was prepared in preparation for public consultation in 2025-26, in partnership with Traditional Owners and key stakeholders in waterway management, independent experts and the broader Victorian community.
  • The strategy will provide the framework for waterway management, addressing current challenges and aligns with broader government policy directions since the second strategy was released in 2013.
  • A new Catchment Stewardship Framework was published in August 2024 providing a state level update on current theory and practice for the Our Catchments, Our Communities program.
  • A total of 18 catchment stewardship projects were initiated in July 2024 that involve CMAs working with Traditional Owners, key partners and the broader community to plan and undertake on-ground works. This included the launch of Testing the Waters, a new program of work in Corangamite focused on sustainable on-farm dam management.
  • Funding was provided to Corangamite CMA and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners to support ongoing coordination and delivery of Kitjarra-dja-bul Bullarto langi-ut, a 10-year masterplan covering the lower Moorabool and lower Barwon River corridors, connecting people to the lower Moorabool and lower Barwon River corridor by balancing public access, recreation, economic opportunities and education while enhancing the area’s unique cultural and environmental values.
  • Melbourne Water was provided with funding to support the establishment of the Maribyrnong Collaboration and development of a strategic plan for that iconic waterway corridor. The collaboration includes Melbourne Water, all local governments along the corridor, Wurundjeri and Bunurong Traditional Owners and DEECA.
  • The first trial of a central repository of Natural Resource Management (NRM) project data to support key policy and program assessments was completed, in August 2024 with all CMA NRM data successfully submitted into the DEECA Vector Data Platform and quality curated.
  • The inaugural Recreational Values of Waterways Forum in Halls Gap was held in November 2024, with more than 40 attendees across water corporations, CMAs, Victorian Fisheries Authority, Better Boating Victoria, Life Saving Victoria, the Victorian Environmental Water Holder, Safe Transport Victoria and Traditional Owners.
  • The forum aimed to enhance community access and enjoyment of water-based activities like fishing, boating, and walking. The second Recreational Values of Waterways Forum is planned for November 2025 in Bendigo.
  • DEECA has been supporting water entities with determined recreational areas to develop recreational area management plans for approximately 42 recreational areas across Victoria. Coliban Water, Goulburn Valley Water, Goulburn Murray Water, Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water and Southern Rural Water submitted recreational area management plans for their areas in 2025.
  • During 2024–25 the Recreational Values team has continued to contribute to the delivery of the Tarago Election Commitment, including continuing their role as secretariat of the Tarago Implementation Steering Committee and providing grant administration and oversight of funding to Melbourne Water and Gippsland Water to deliver upgrades to the Tarago, Warragul and Neerim South treatment plants.
  • Secretariat function was handed over the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR) in August 2025 as the project moves into the final stages of delivery on recreational infrastructure.
  • Funding was provided to the Birrarung Council as the independent voice of the Birrarung (Yarra River) and Melbourne Water as the lead agency for Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo (Yarra Strategic Plan) for delivery of actions critical to implementing the plan.

Milestones delivered during 2025–26 include:

  • More than 70 regional projects completed the second year of a 4-year program focussed on delivering on-ground programs and statutory functions. Investment reports submitted to DEECA demonstrated good progress with activity delivery.
  • DEECA finalised and submitted updated Ramsar documentation to the Australian Government in June 2026 to support the proposed boundary extension to the Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site. The updated documentation confirms the precise boundaries and extent of the new wetland areas, increasing the Ramsar site by 1,459 hectares.
  • The draft Victorian Waterway Management Strategy was open for public consultation during June 2026 with the final Strategy scheduled for release mid 2026–27. The draft Strategy sets out a long-term vision, outcomes, policies and actions to meet Victoria’s responsibilities for managing rivers, wetlands, estuaries and their floodplains.
  • CMAs and DEECA produced a statewide summary of the mid-term review of 10 Regional Catchment Strategies.
  • 18 Catchment Stewardship projects were led by CMAs across Victoria, delivering 15,768 hectares of improved catchment stewardship including significant areas of pest animal control on the Lower Murray Floodplain and new and renewed Management Agreements on large properties along the Murray below Mildura.
  • In addition to these on-ground actions, CMAs with partners, private landholders and Traditional Owners undertook strategic catchment and farm planning covering over 260,000 hectares in preparation for active stewardship in future years.
  • Burndap Birrarung Burndap Umarkoo (BBBU/ Yarra Strategic Plan) continued to strengthen collaboration along Birrarung’s corridor, supporting Traditional Owner-led implementation with additional funding, progressing projects such as Greening the Birrarung and Birrarung Parklands, and supporting Trust for Nature to engage private landowners in protecting prioritised land within Birrarung’s corridor.
  • The Waterways of the West Action Plan progressed with DEECA supporting Melbourne Water and partners to develop a Strategic Plan for the Maribyrnong River and its tributaries, bringing together Traditional Owners, communities and agencies to deliver coordinated long-term environmental, cultural and liveability outcomes for the catchment.
  • The Waterways of the West Pollution Prevention program, launched in July 2026 will target known “hot spot” industrial areas with advice on reducing offsite water pollution and enhancing compliance actions to improve the health and enjoyment of waterways across Melbourne’s west.
  • The Rivers of the Barwon Action Plan continues to advance projects to improve river health, community access and Traditional Owner partnership, including delivery of priority projects identified through the Kitjarra-dja-bul Bullarto langi-ut Masterplan, and funding for continued strategic collaboration.
  • Recreational Values are being enhanced at many waterway sites around Victoria. There are 41 determined Recreational Areas around Victoria, where the Water (Recreational Area) Regulations 2023 apply. To June 2026, 23 Recreational Area Management Plans have been developed by water corporations and Corangamite CMA to help them plan for and deliver safe and enjoyable recreation in their respective regions. Further plans are being developed and will be delivered in the coming two years.

Page last updated: 28/10/26