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WEST GIPPSLAND CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY Annual Report 2019-20 As a leader in Natural Resource Management we will inspire and facilitate partnerships and action to achieve improved catchment health. ISSN 1836-0629 Acknowledgement © State of Victoria, West Gippsland The West Gippsland Catchment Management Catchment Management Authority 2020. Authority would like to acknowledge and pay our respects to the Traditional Land Owners and other This publication is copyright. No part may indigenous people within the catchment area: the be reproduced by any process except in Gunaikurnai, the Bunurong and Boon Wurrung, accordance with the provisions of the and the Wurundjeri peoples. We also recognise the Copyright Act 1968. contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations in Land and Natural Resource Management. Contents Section 1 Overview of the Report 2 Highlights 2 Challenges 4 Key initiatives and projects 6 Summary of financial results 9 Chair and CEO’s report 10 Section 2 About the West Gippsland region 14 The West Gippsland region and the environment we work in 15 Section 3 Catchment reporting 18 Management of land and water resources 20 Climate 20 Waterways 23 Biodiversity 32 Land 37 Coasts 42 Community 46 Summary of grants to community 51 Regulatory services 51 Section 4 Our organisation 53 Our purpose 53 Our vision 53 Our principles and values 53 Our organisation 57 The board and committees 59 Organisational structure 63 Our staff 64 Health and Safety statement 65 OH&S Committee 65 Environmental report 66 Section 5 Good governance 67 Report against corporate plan targets 67 Community inclusion 68 Statutory reporting 71 Disclosure index 76 Section 6 Finances 78 Annual Report 2019-20 1 SECTION 1 Overview of the report Highlights Delivering Water for Victoria priorities We are extremely proud of our work to deliver on the priorities in Water for Victoria and have made significant progress again this year. During 2019-20: • we fenced more than 40 kilometres of priority waterways • completed nearly 90 hectares of revegetation • removed almost 70 hectares of willows • completed over 2,440 hectares of weed control • stabilised riverbeds and banks at 24 sites. This work will help reduce the amount of sediment and nutrients entering rivers and streams. In addition, we have continued our partnerships with Landcare groups, Traditional Owners and recreational angling groups. Our Catchments, Our Communities The Protecting our Ponds project in the Providence Ponds and Perry River catchment continued to gain community support and momentum. During 2019-20: • we fenced over four and half kilometres of chain of ponds waterways • completed over 170 hectares of weed control • earthworks armouring at 13 sites • seven management agreements signed • ten site assessments A key partnership with HVP Plantations and Trust for Nature has resulted in the development of a 20- year strategy for the protection of ponds and waterways throughout the HVP Plantations’ Stockdale estate. This is a significant achievement for the project. Regional Landcare events A range of successful Landcare events were held throughout the year focusing on different projects and audiences. This included 18 Landcare facilitators from across Gippsland coming together at Eagle Point to discuss topics including mental health, recruiting and retaining members, and the summer’s catastrophic bushfires. We also conducted a review of the support provided to Landcare across the region and a new Landcare Support Plan will be developed in 2020-21. To help Landcarers understand Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, a Cultural Heritage Information Pack (CHIP) has been developed in consultation with Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) and Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (BLCAC). It is the first of its kind in Victoria and these packs will be used, in conjunction, with On Country presentations to educate the Landcare members in the region to have a better understanding of their responsibilities and opportunities to protect Aboriginal Cultural Heritage. 2 West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority SECTION 1 Supporting the community We coordinated the Victorian Landcare Grants where 27 projects were funded resulting in more than nine and a half kilometres of fencing, more than thirty thousand indigenous plants, and almost 30 hectares of weed control. The Community Engagement Network (CEN) has continued under the new model which provides an information exchange between us and different sections of our community. The CEN has 26 community members and meets on a regular basis to learn and discuss various aspects of catchment management. Partnerships with Traditional Owners Our ongoing commitment to cultural competency has strengthened communication and engagement with traditional land-owning groups. This commitment has resulted in an increase in work on country throughout the region. We have also provided office space for GLaWAC staff to work from our Traralgon office. We meet every six months with both GLaWAC and BLCAC to develop and plan projects as well as monitor their implementation. In early 2020 a specific Environmental Contribution 5 (EC5) planning meeting was held with each organisation to plan and develop all our EC5 proposals. Our Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with each organisation guides this partnership. Creating wetlands for endangered frogs More than 100 Bell frog tadpoles were found in early 2020 at new wetland sites constructed in partnership with Greening Australia and local landholders. The project to construct the wetlands aims to improve the vegetation and health of the fringing wetlands of the Gippsland Lakes and provide much-needed habitat for birds, frogs, and other freshwater species. Previous surveys estimate that there are only 400 Golden Bell frogs and 80 Growling Grass frogs left in the system. Finding both endangered species of frog in the reconstructed wetlands shows that this work to reconstruct the wetlands is making a real difference. Sustainable Irrigation Program The Lake Wellington Land and Water Management Plan was finalised in 2019 and provides a 10-year vision for sustainable irrigation and water management in the Lake Wellington catchment. This year the Sustainable Irrigation Program delivered: • Thirty-four new or updated irrigation farm plans, which will impact almost 2,500 hectares of land in the Macalister Irrigation District. • Twenty-two on-farm irrigation efficiency projects (reuse systems, spray irrigation and best practice surface irrigation) were also completed covering an area of 236 hectares, providing estimated water savings of over 1,950 megalitres each year. CORE 4 The CORE 4 program supports dairy farmers to reduce nutrient loss to waterways. In 2019-20 we completed the CORE 4 program in the Macalister Irrigation District to reduce nutrient flow to the Ramsar-listed Gippsland Lakes. We allocated $800,000 to 60 on-ground projects. These projects cover more than 10,000 hectares, which is almost 20% of the Macalister Irrigation District. Together these projects are expected to not only save local farmers money in unnecessary fertiliser application but also save 19,200 kilograms of phosphorus and 104,000 kilograms of nitrogen from flowing into the Gippsland Lakes per year. Annual Report 2019-20 3 SECTION 1 National Landcare Program Three key projects continue to be delivered as part of the National Landcare Program Regional Land Partnership Program, including Alpine Peatlands Protection, Corner Inlet Connections and the Sustainable Agriculture Project. In addition to these projects, the program supports the Regional Agricultural Landcare Facilitator (RALF) position and our Indigenous Partnership Program. In 2019-20, Corner Inlet Connections and Alpine Peatlands projects undertook a detailed analysis to develop an updated implementation plan for years three to five. The analysis and implementation plan will ensure the best return on investment. In 2019-20, over 50 farm plans were developed, deer were controlled in the alpine areas across 5,600 hectares, over 600 hectares of weeds were controlled, 12 hectares were revegetated and we continued the valuable partnership with GLaWAC with On Country work in Corner Inlet and alpine areas. Water for the environment Water for the environment is an important part of improving the health of rivers and wetlands in Gippsland. This year, 27,867.5 GL of water for the environment was released into the Thomson, Macalister and Latrobe rivers. This water is critical for native plants, fish, and other animals. These flows can move sediment and nutrients through rivers, connect habitats, and improve water quality. To complement and enhance the water for the environment releases, we successfully constructed the Thomson River Fishway, allowing for low flows around the Horseshoe Bend Tunnel. This exciting project enables connection of the waterway from the Gippsland Lakes to the Alps and provides fish passage for many species of fish, including the EPBC-listed Australian Grayling. In 2019-20, fish surveys found higher numbers of migratory fish above the fishway than previously surveyed, which is an early indication of the success of the project. This year, there was a confirmed sighting of an Australasian Bittern for the first time since 1992 on the back of a timed and coordinated water for the environment release. The Bittern was spotted at Sale Common after managed inflows into the Common. In the preceding three months to the sighting, we had
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