ANNUAL REPORT 2006-2007 www.ppwcma.vic.gov.au Table of Contents Chairman’s Report 3 Chief Executive Officer’s Report 4 The Port Phillip and Western Port Region 6 Our Board 8 Our Staff 10 Functions of the PPWCMA 11 Regional Catchment Strategy Implementation 13 Leadership and Advocacy for Integrated Catchment Management 15 Priority Setting and Investment 24 Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting 33 PPWCMA Culture and Business Management 36 Financial Statements 42 Disclosure Index 60 Port Phillip and Westernport CMA Annual Report 2006/07 1 Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority 2006/07 Annual Report October 2007 ISBN 978-0-9804232-1-1 This publication may be of assistance to you but the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, its Board and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes. The PPWCMA therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. Acknowledgements The PPWCMA acknowledges the traditional landowners within the Port Phillip and Western Port region. Designed and Printed by Docklands Group Plans and Strategy documents referred to throughout this Annual Report can be obtained by contacting the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, Ph: 03 8781 7900. Some documents are also available for electronic download from the PPWCMA website – www.ppwcma.vic.gov.au 2 Port Phillip and Westernport CMA Annual Report 2006/07 Chairman’s Report The 2006-2007 year has been the I believe the PPWCMA is well regarded because it adds first of a three-year term of this value to projects that encompass multiple organisations Board. and cross municipal boundaries. It is also seen as welcoming innovative thinking and doing the hard work to Despite being new, this Board has stimulate change both within Victoria and nationally. We quickly hit its stride thanks to the now want to build on this reputation and turn it into groundwork laid by the previous Board tangible and long-lasting improvements in the condition of including Chairman Dr Mick Lumb and this region’s environment. an efficient handover and induction by the CEO and staff. Governance, financial management and compliance have I would like to acknowledge the hard work, been assessed and carefully monitored. It is clear that this professionalism, enthusiasm and achievements of the PPWCMA is an efficient and professional organisation. PPWCMA Team. The year ahead is rich in challenges and we look forward to improving catchment condition and This has enabled the Board to quickly focus onto strategic health. matters: ● Strengthening the relationship between funding, catchment condition and effectiveness through the development of a simplified yet powerful Catchment Andrew Grant Condition Report; Chairman ● Driving the Flagship Projects through the development and implementation of high quality business plans and unified action amongst the contributing organisations; and ● Enhancing the funding base by securing additional private and public sector funding to accelerate the implementation of enhanced catchment management programs. Port Phillip and Westernport CMA Annual Report 2006/07 3 Chief Executive Officer’s Report Everyone knows which Council area they live in and ● Guiding some of their staff to have a holistic view of which organisation supplies their home with water. environmental problems and programs, helping them Most people know of the Environment Protection to think regionally and act locally; and Authority, the Department of Sustainability and ● Maintaining a database of relevant activities occurring Environment, Melbourne Water and Parks Victoria. in our area and sharing this knowledge. Some even know of their local Landcare group. We may be a small organisation in some respects, but we However, only a small proportion of the broad public are an important part of the system to help our have heard of the Port Phillip and Westernport environment. Catchment Management Authority. Let me explain why this might be the case and why it is not an issue. We liken our role to that of an orchestra conductor. We are influencing and guiding the players, helping them to The PPWCMA is a Victorian Government organisation. work as a team, to harmonise and achieve outcomes. We have about 20 staff and have operated for four years. Our job is to get many organisations to plan together In 2006/07, we have played our part well. We have and work together to achieve a healthy environment. proudly helped the environmental orchestra in a number of ways including: Our area covers Port Phillip Bay and Western Port plus ● Negotiating and advancing the implementation of the the areas of land that flow into them (their catchments). 97 actions of the Regional Catchment Strategy with This includes Melbourne and much of the surrounding numerous organisations and documenting this work in landscapes, from the You Yangs to the Macedon Ranges a customised database that is rapidly becoming an to the Yarra Valley to Phillip Island. This area is almost a important information bank for many people; tenth of Victoria, is home to 3.5 million people and covers all or part of 38 council areas. ● Funnelling Victorian and Australian Government funds to local projects including over $4 million in 2006/07 Rather than dealing day-to-day with the broader public, from the Natural Heritage Trust, the National Landcare our main clients are the councils, the water authorities, Program and the Victorian Second Generation the government departments and the Landcare and Landcare Program; community groups in our area. We provide services to those organisations because they each play a part in protecting and enhancing the environment. The services we provide to those organisations include: ● Generating a roadmap to a healthy environment (called the “Regional Catchment Strategy”) and gaining wide spread agreement to work together on its implementation; ● Directing Victorian and Australian Government funds to important projects; ● Generating funding from the private sector for important projects; ● Generating cooperation amongst organisations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their individual programs; ● Stimulating discussion and generating community input to important and sensitive environmental issues; 4 Port Phillip and Westernport CMA Annual Report 2006/07 ● Gathering data from various sources and publicly reporting a simple summary of the environmental condition of the region; ● Providing meaningful support to the region’s 470 environmental community groups, including Landcare groups, in the form of data provision, planning assistance, grants and facilitation services; ● Organising the Regional Landcare Awards to showcase and celebrate the valuable work being undertaken year after year by environmental community groups and individuals; ● Leading the development of four major projects that each involve numerous organisations, enhance cooperation and attract major funding for on-ground works, namely: ● Organising and hosting bus tours for councillors and ❖ Grow West - A landscape restoration project council staff, agency staff and community groups to centred around Bacchus Marsh that aims to highlight a wide range of local environmental plans revegetate 10,000 hectares of degraded land; and projects and facilitate an understanding of how everyone fits into the catchment-scale picture. ❖ Living Links - A long-term project in Melbourne’s south east that aims to create a network of recreational and environmental corridors as a This Annual Report outlines more of our work in greater world-class urban ecosystem; detail. It is a record of the PPWCMA’s achievements in 2006/07, our vision and our drive for a better ❖ Yarra 4 Life - A project in the southern part of the environment. Yarra Valley that aims to improve the Yarra River, bring residents and visitors in touch with their environment via a Great Yarra Walk, improve the For what has been achieved, I congratulate all of the livelihoods of local farmers and improve the PPWCMA staff. It is a pleasure to work with the habitat for threatened native fauna including the knowledgeable, professional, purposeful and committed Helmeted Honeyeater; and staff of the PPWCMA. ❖ Bring Back the Bunyip - A long-term project east of Melbourne in the catchments of the Bunyip River I also thank the PPWCMA Board appointed at the start of and Cardinia Creek that seeks to create continuous 2006/07. The Board has been decisive regarding the corridors of native vegetation from the hills to the future directions of the PPWCMA and has provided bay and halve the amount of sediment that flows valuable guidance and support for the staff in our work into Western Port. to get there. ● Developing, and sharing with various organisations, a broad-ranging ideas paper to spur discussion and debate regarding the future health of land and biodiversity in Victoria; ● Organising and hosting public seminars on water quality in the Yarra River, the environmental condition of the Dandenong Creek catchment and the future of David Buntine Melbourne’s green wedges, all of which disseminated Chief Executive Officer useful information to the community, raised the profile of the work of relevant organisations and generated ideas for improvement; and Port Phillip and Westernport CMA Annual Report 2006/07 5 The Port Phillip and Western Port Region Port Phillip and Western Port is