GLENELG HOPKINS CMA Annual Report 2019 2020 REPORT PROFILE: MANNER OF ESTABLISHMENT AND MINISTERS Glenelg Hopkins CMA is established under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. The responsible Ministers for the period from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020 were the Hon. Lisa Neville MP, Minister for Water and the Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio MP, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. NATURE AND RANGE OF SERVICES PROVIDED Glenelg Hopkins CMA is responsible, with others, for natural resource management within the region. It takes an integrated, whole-of-catchment approach by combining strategic planning with co-ordination for management of natural resources. Glenelg Hopkins CMA is an important link between community and government, providing advice to the Australian and State Governments on environmental conditions, social & economic priorities and direction within the Glenelg Hopkins region. OBJECTIVES, FUNCTIONS, POWERS AND DUTIES The Objectives, Functions, Powers and Duties of the Glenelg Hopkins CMA are largely contained within the following Acts: • Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994; • Water Act 1989; • Financial Management Act 1994; • Audit Act 1994; • Freedom of Information Act 1982; • Information Privacy Act 2000; and The functions, powers and duties of Glenelg Hopkins CMA are identified in the Statement of Obligations (SOO) under section 19E(1) (a) of the Catchment & Land Protection Act 1994 (CaLP Act). The above Statement should be read in conjunction with the Statements of Obligations for CMAs issued under the Water Act 1989, which identify additional objectives, functions, powers and duties in waterway management, floodplain management and regional drainage conferred under Part 7 and Part 10. The 2019-20 Annual Report of Glenelg Hopkins CMA is prepared in accordance with all relevant Victorian legislation. This index has been prepared to facilitate identification of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s compliance with statutory disclosure requirements. Other Glenelg Hopkins CMA information is available from the Glenelg Hopkins CMA office and website: • Previous Annual Reports • Glenelg Hopkins CMA Corporate Plans • Regional Catchment Strategy Glenelg Hopkins CMA 79 French St, Hamilton Vic 3300 Ph: 03 5571 2526 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ghcma.vic.gov.au © State of Victoria, Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority 2020 This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. Contents YEAR IN REVIEW 4 FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Acknowledgement CEO and Chairperson's Report 4 COMPLIANCE ATTESTATION STATEMENT 70 Glenelg Hopkins CMA proudly Glenelg Hopkins CMA Year in Review 6 acknowledges the Traditional Owners Media and Communications 7 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 71 of Victoria and recognises their Five year summary - financial continuing connection to land, water performance at a glance 8 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL and community. Operational Performance 8 STATEMENTS 79 We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging. OUR REGION 10 DISCLOSURE INDEX & We also recognise and acknowledge LEGISLATIONS 112 Glenelg Hopkins CMA at a glance 11 the contribution, interests and rights that Traditional Owners Our Region Our Community 12 GLOSSARY 114 and Aboriginal communities and Our Vision and Purpose 13 organisations have in land and water Strategic Objectives 14 ENDNOTES 115 management. Glenelg Hopkins CMA 15 We value the opportunity to continue COVID-19 IMAGE DISCLAIMER to build relationships and establish CONDITION AND Some of the images featured in this new partnerships for the health of MANAGEMENT REPORT document do not comply with physical people and Country. 2019-20 16 distancing, group numbers and face mask 1.0 Overview 16 requirements under COVID-19 restrictions. These images were taken prior to these 2.0 Implementing the Regional pandemic restrictions being enforced in Catchment Strategy 16 Victoria. 3.0 Condition Assessment and Management Report 20 4.0 Regional Actions and Achievements Reporting 54 OUR GOVERNANCE, OUR PEOPLE, OUR BUSINESS 60 Board Structure and Purpose 60 Audit & Risk Committee 62 Remuneration and Performance Committee 62 Organisational Structure 63 Workforce Data 64 People and Culture 65 Risk and Compliance 66 Disclosure of Grants and Transfer Payments 68 Environment Report 69 RIGHT: Knowledge sharing is one of many activities carried out by Aboriginal Rangers on Budj Bim Country and the Tyrendarra Indigenous Protected Area (IPA). Waterway restoration, weed control and aquatic habitat enhancement are some of the other responsibilities of the Budj Bim Rangers in protecting the productive volcanic plains and basalt lava flows that sustained Gunditjmara people for several millennia. 3 Year in review REPORT FROM THE CHAIRPERSON AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER On behalf of the Board of In February the CMA in partnership with The CMA continues to have strong Directors, management and the Grasslands Society of Southern partnerships with Traditional Owner staff, we are pleased to present Australia (GSSA) and MLA held the “Front groups across the region. A significant the 22nd Annual Report of the Foot Farming – Carbon Farming for the focus for the 2019-20 year has been Future” forum in Hamilton. Targeting a traditional burns with Wadawurrung Glenelg Hopkins Catchment cohort of proactive farmers, the one-day to improve and protect listed habitat Management Authority. conference addressed the latest science such as grasslands in the Victorian and market information relating to Volcanic Plains (VVP), and with Gunditj The 2019-20 financial year will be one carbon trading, carbon offsets, on farm Mirring Traditional Owner Aboriginal that will be remembered for a long time. emission management and emissions Corporation (TOAC) to improve habitat COVID-19 has changed our world and auditing. for listed species such as Red-tailed has also fundamentally changed how Black Cockatoos and Australasian the CMA operates and engages with A major highlight for the year was Bitterns. The CMA’s partnership with its community. attending the River Basin Management Gunditj Mirring TOAC has continued Society Awards in Melbourne and From March through to June, the CMA to support their management of the jointly receiving an award for the Merri quickly responded to the COVID-19 World Heritage listed Budj Bim Cultural Alliance project for the Most Outstanding pandemic by closing its office to the Landscape via representation on the Waterway Management Project. public and working remotely from home. Budj Bim Council, and through on- This project has been a huge success This required bringing many of our ground projects including cultural and shows what can be achieved actions under the ICT Strategy forward to burning, cultural indicator trials, when organisations come together to enable staff to undertake their work from Aboriginal Water Assessments (AWAs), transform a river. The CMA was also home and to communicate effectively weed control, wetland restoration and thrilled to be a project partner and to with the rest of the organisation and species monitoring. The CMA has also see Nature Glenelg Trust receive the our stakeholders. collaborated with Traditional Owner Community Award for the Walkers groups including Eastern Maar Aboriginal Swamp Project. Despite this disruption, staff quickly Corporation and Barengi Gadjin Land adapted to the new way of working and Partnerships and engagement continue Council on the renewal of the Glenelg have still managed to complete many to be a strong focus of the CMA Hopkins Regional Catchment Strategy projects on time and to budget. Despite enhanced through the completion and future investment proposals that the restrictions on direct engagement of a new ‘Communication Strategy. support their interest in land, water and with stakeholders and the community, This Strategy sets the direction for sea management. the CMA has been able to still engage communications over the next few with more than 4,689 people at events A highlight for the environmental water years with a focus on our website, social over the financial year, largely by program this year was the completion media, branding and other traditional transitioning to online forums. of the Warrock Fishway on the Glenelg means of engagement. This strategy River. A fish barrier near Warrock on dovetails with the recently developed In response to the impact of COVID-19 the Glenelg River stood as the last Partnership and Engagement Strategy. restrictions on engagement, the major impediment to fish movement Landcare Coordinator established an The CMA and Deakin University downstream of Rocklands Reservoir. online Landcare facilitator network consolidated their partnership through Removing this barrier has opened for the region. There have been very the development of a new MOU, which fish passage to an additional 170 km high levels of participation and positive will focus on further collaborations of the Glenelg River plus tributaries, feedback that has enabled stronger and cooperative projects that relate helping a range of endemic migratory networking, information sharing and to natural resource management and fish species such as Tupong, Short- peer collaboration as well as greater student education. This is in line with finned Eels, Lamprey and Estuary Perch. connection to key funding bodies. our CMA’s strategy to establish strong Benefits from the now well-structured partnership links across the region. environmental flows program continue to