///////////////// two thousand and nine>ten>eleven>twelve> > > ///////////////// Mildura to Macedon to Mildura 2011 Feb 07-11 Korumburra to Orbost Apr2011 11-15 Corryong to Kinglake 2011 May 23-27 Moriac Mt to Portland 2011 Jun 20-24 Kaniva to Stawell 06-09Sep2011 Nhill to Horsham 2011 Nov 28-29 MANY PUBLICS PARTICIPATION INVENTIVENESS and ChangE Vic Map page fold-out on separate artwork File name: CUT115_CPreport12_ Cover_art 297x685mm size has been confirmed by printer with stock dummy supplied to Room44 This page does not print in this format What people said ...“ ” ‘We feel that our communities are unique because of the strong bonds within farming families and ” the strong connections between people … this is a valuable resource and an emotion that could be utilised.’ Participant from Boort, Pyramid Hill, Wedderburn and Wycheproof Secondary School forum. ‘I was so delighted that Orbost was chosen because we’re normally left out of the loop.’ ” Liz Falkiner, Orbost Neighbourhood House Coordinator. But, we also know that local knowledge is often not well understood - ‘Community narratives about what happened the last time, what will work, and why this does not ” make sense are often difficult to articulate to outsiders, and when they are spoken, they tend to translate as ‘attitudes’ or ‘opinions’ rather than knowledge; ‘anecdotal’ rather than proven, and, thus, ultimately, of less, weight.’1 CONTENTS PARTICIPATION 8 CHAPTER ONE 12 Inquisitive and spontaneous – young people inventing the world 12 Introduction 12 From Sale to Swan Hill 14 The places we visited 14 Kaniva College: peer learning and participation 14 Kinglake Middle Primary School: communication grows confidence 17 Narrawong: sustainable programs 18 Boort, Pyramid Hill, Wedderburn and Wycheproof: respect for the environment 20 Beyond the schools 22 Summary 23 Statewide Natural Assets 24 CHAPTER TWO 26 The Wimmera: a river, a region 26 Introduction 26 The Wimmera 27 Environment in the Wimmera 28 The torrent 32 Resilience and responsiveness 36 Participation and communication promotes insight 37 Landcarer conversations and participation 37 Local and active inventiveness 40 Inventiveness in the face of uncertainty 42 Issues on the ground 45 Dependency, partnerships and change 50 Summary 53 CHAPTER THREE 54 Many Gippslands: change across the region: Orbost to Korumburra 54 Gippslands: cultural and environmental facts 54 Getting to East Gippsland 58 Rural Women Leading Change 59 Support for a change agenda 60 Better communication and respect for knowledge 62 The power of local agency: getting to change 63 Accepting and promoting change 66 Change and change management 68 Breadth of issues: working with complexity 71 Common threads: complexity and collaboration 73 Reflections after the tour: participation and change 77 Summary 79 CONTENTS CHAPTER FOUR 80 Corryong to Kinglake: climate change, drought and fire 80 Statistics of engagement 80 Engaging background 80 Corryong – where blackberry is a ‘people issue’ 82 Practicalities 84 Looking for solutions and learning to adapt 84 Evident change 86 People acting for themselves and government failures 89 Participation and cooperation 92 Trail blazers and leading practices 95 Blending participation and communication 96 Participation, dialogue and solutions 96 Community building and dealing with frustration 99 Summary 101 CHAPTER FIVE 102 Convincing Ground to Moriac 102 The rivers and wetlands 102 Local initiatives: programs, developments and awards 106 Case studies and context 108 Planning for change 110 Local government challenges 112 Layers of learning 114 From tree reserves to kitchen tables: the value of conversation 117 Carlisle River 120 Summary 120 CHAPTER SIX 122 The View from Mount Wycheproof 122 Mildura to Macedon 122 The Mallee 123 North central catchments 125 Resourcefulness 126 Sharing the load: strength and knowledge 129 How best to report and inform 133 Inevitable change 134 Small, local and achievable 134 Obstacles to get around while getting on with it 136 Change built on relationships 143 Operational issues and the long haul 147 Change and diversification 149 Summary 151 CONTENTS CONCLUSION 152 APPENDIXES 154 Appendix One 154 Methodology: Participation – our way 154 Appendix Two 158 International Participation – some background theory 158 Appendix Three 159 Brisbane Declaration 159 Appendix Four 162 Portland Field Naturalists’ Club submission on controlled burning 162 ENDNOTES 165 PARTICIPATION PARTICIPATION Many places, many people One of my statutory objectives as the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability is to enhance knowledge and understanding of issues relating to ecologically sustainable development and the environment.3 In 2011, many people across regional Victoria came to meetings we convened and talked to us about environmental issues. We had specifically sought out regional views about environmental aspirations. This report reflects our discussions. I have compiled it specifically to report back to those who joined us in this enterprise. People were generous, and they told us they were simply delighted to be included in conversations about the environment. They shared their views. They spoke of their knowledge about places of social, economic and cultural importance, and about localised environmental action in places they love and respect, however unremarkable these places might or might not be to others. This report celebrates their commitment. For those who pick up this report but who were not participants in our environmental conversations, I expect you will find the sheer extent of the community’s exuberance, some of which is described here, inspiring. Fundamental messages from this work are: > There is an astonishing amount of inventive and intelligent environmental work being done in the community, often by volunteers, across generations, social and cultural backgrounds, geographies and sectors. > There are many publics, across the state deeply committed to environmental sustainability who recognise the need for change and who want to be part of that effort. > Those driving change are both planning carefully and acting spontaneously and, while support is always welcome, they are not waiting for outside direction. > Communities and individuals are driving change in places they know and care about, and they are collaborating extensively and building networks committed to sustainable efforts. > Much of the baseline local knowledge underpinning this commitment to change is of long standing, sometimes intergenerational, and it would be constructive if it was afforded respect. > Meaningful, not token, participation in formal discussions about environmental issues and solutions is a basic requirement for inventiveness to thrive. > Support for, and the nurture of, networks builds community capability and individual and collective confidence, and this in turn promotes sustainable outcomes. > A participating community will be better able to deal with extreme events and calculate risk and respond, reducing reliance upon external intervention. > Environmental reporting, the work of my office, must be accessible and responsive to be useful and effective. 8 Many Publics participation inventiveness and change We met people in a range of settings, from Corryong to Port Fairy Wattle seeds in the hand of and Orbost to Mildura, in a program that exposed all of my staff to a Narrawong Primary student the insights and long local environmental histories of highly motivated, inventive and resourceful people.4 People spoke to us in halls, clubrooms, neighbourhood houses, council chambers, university boardrooms and research facilities; at field or tree planting days; at the end of a road or in a paddock; in national and state parks; by the side of a river or ephemeral wetland; under a red gum or on top of a ridge or granite rock; in kitchens and health services. We invited ‘citizen scientists’, volunteer recorders, school students, farming men and women, business people, people who were simply interested and those who were highly motivated, to meet and talk. People from widely divergent backgrounds – the many publics – participated in conversations about the environment and human interaction with it.5 People talked about the many ways they made room to manoeuvre, cleverly and collaboratively, about environmental matters. We heard about success stories and frustrations, halting first steps and the confidence that comes when action produces good outcomes. Together we explored perspectives, aspirations and action about biodiversity, water conservation and floods, drought, growth, energy efficiencies, waste management, skills and careers, and the challenges and opportunities that climate change presents.6 We heard about data gaps, community action, reporting problems, and positive and negative outcomes. We found that a great deal of highly localised and inspiring applied environmental effort was taking place among people who understood the ‘big picture’. Our conversations were intense, often unguarded and, on our part, deliberately open-ended. We actively sought broad observations and case studies of environmental practice rather than opinions on policy positions. We did not limit our consultations to a fixed method of inquiry but adopted a broad-based approach to elicit the widest possible input.7 A serial inventiveness, robustness and persistent resourcefulness typified the people who met with and talked to us. People are not simply waiting for knowledge deposits from bodies such as ours. People are acting