Annual Report 2019— 2020 North East Catchment Management Authority Annual Report 2019—2020 NORTH EAST CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY ANNUAL REPORT 2019 — 20 Traditional Owner Acknowledgment North East Catchment Management Authority (North East CMA) acknowledges the Traditional Owners. We recognise the diversity of the cultures and the intrinsic connections they have with their Country. The North East CMA pays respects to Elders past, present and emerging and recognise the primacy of their obligations, responsibilities and rights to care for their Country. Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this publication may contain images or names of deceased people. About this report This report provides information on the North East CMA‘s operational highlights, performance and finances for 2019‑20. It also reports against agreed state‑wide indicators and trends for catchment health: Waterways, Biodiversity, Land and Community. This report was prepared in accordance with all relevant Victorian legislation, including the requirement under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 for the North East CMA to submit ‘a report on the condition and management of land and water resources in its region and the carrying out of its functions’. Design and print complies with Department of Treasury and Finance Reporting Direction 30D, which aims to achieve consistency and minimise costs and environmental impact across government agencies. Front Cover Photo Credits: Top: King River (Credit Natalie Ord). Middle Left: Fishing at Lake Buffalo (Credit Natalie Ord). Middle Right: HVP and CMA staff inspect fire impact in the Upper Murray.Bottom: Karen Bowley and Dirk de Zwart, Bush for Birds incentive recipients through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program. 2 NECMA.VIC.GOV.AU Contents Message from the Chair ....................2 Message from the CEO .....................4 Introduction ...............................6 Our Catchment ............................7 Report of Operations 8 Financial Statements 63 Auditor General’s Certification ............. 64 SECTION 1 How this report is structured .............. 66 A year in review 9 Accountable Officer’s declaration .......... 67 Key Achievements and Initiatives............9 Comprehensive operating statement ...... 68 Balance sheet . 69 SECTION 2 Cash flow statement ...................... 70 Governance and Statement of changes in equity ............ 71 Organisational Structure 32 Notes to the financial report ............... 72 Organisational Structure ...................33 Our Board . .34 Board Meetings . 36 Appendices 110 Compliance................................39 Appendix 1 Financial Summary.........................52 Disclosure Index ...........................110 Appendix 2 SECTION 3 Operational performance ...................112 Workforce Data 54 Appendix 3 Our Workforce Profile . 54 Catchment condition indicators and trends ..118 Waterways ................................121 Biodiversity ...............................124 Land ......................................131 Community ................................134 Appendix 4 Glossary of terms ..........................138 1 NORTH EAST CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY ANNUAL REPORT 2019 — 20 Message from the Chair The past 12 months have been a real challenge for north east Victoria. We have faced drought, bushfires and impact from smoke, localised flooding and coronavirus (COVID‑19). Throughout this, we have continued to focus on maintaining and delivering services in partnership with state agencies, public and private land managers and our community. With 22% of our catchment burnt during the summer’s bushfires, there was, and still is, much work to do in the recovery process. We thank the Victorian and Australian Governments for the additional funds provided to support communities and several environmental projects. Our team managed 13 sites where damage posed a high risk to river health; debris was removed and river banks were stabilised. Bushfire recovery in our catchment will be a long‑term focus, and we also acknowledge the severe devastation the bushfires had for our partner and neighbour, East Gippsland CMA. We understand that the economic and social impacts of COVID‑19 on top of the drought and bushfires, had cumulative effects on people’s mental health; highlighting the need to support both our community and staff. Community and staff An increasing number of people are wanting to connect with their environment to maintain health and wellbeing and this highlighted the importance of our role in protecting natural assets for the benefits of people, plants and animals. This is in line with the Victorian Government Strategy ‑ Biodiversity 2037 target that ‘by 2037 all Victorians are connecting with nature’. In order to embed resilience in our community, this year we continued our journey to further establish trust with partners in our community, which is even more important in this rapidly changing environment. One of these important partnerships is with Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Victorians. This year we worked with the Taungurung Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation, the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, the Duduroa‑Dhargal Aboriginal Corporation, and the Alpine First Nations Alliance made up of Dhudhuroa, Waywurru and Yaitmathang people. Our Board and staff have a genuine interest in, and respect for Aboriginal ecological knowledge and culture, and we acknowledge the constructive and positive effects this has across the community and environment. We know this year’s challenges placed extra pressure on our staff and I recognise and thank them for their dedication to our vision and values. Staff health, safety and wellbeing is at the forefront of all that we do. This year engagement in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Charter from the Victorian Public Sector’s Leading the Way initiative helped staff build skills and capacity to deal with stresses in these areas. 2 NECMA.VIC.GOV.AU On ground works Through Australian Government funding we have continued to support hundreds of farmers across the catchment to improve pasture and soil health. We are two years into a four‑year project to improve habitat for, and ultimately see an increase in numbers of, the threatened regent honeyeater. This project, in partnership with Trust for Nature protects regent honeyeater habitat and improves habitat connection; both key prerequisites for survival of existing birds and an increase in breeding. This year, our team also completed a four‑year program funded by the Victorian Government’s $222 million investment to improve the health of waterways. The 85 km of fencing installed has restricted livestock access to waterways to aid in reducing stream bank erosion and improving water quality. Thousands of hectares of weed control has been achieved making a significant improvement in our catchment’s productive capacity. Looking forward We thank the outgoing Board directors Jenny Indian, Peter Farrell and Cate Prichard for their valued contributions. We were pleased to welcome three new board members in October 2019 Judith Ahmat, Euan Ferguson and Dr Jan Mahoney. They bring a wealth of skills and experience and their contributions have been most positive As we reflect on the challenges and achievements of the year, it is timely that the Regional Catchment Strategy is due to be revised. Our Regional Catchment project steering group includes representatives from our partners and the community including six Traditional Owners and First Nations partners. The steering group is established to take a holistic and consultative approach to lead the identification of areas across the catchment in which we need to persist, where we must adapt and where we can transform. This is an important and exciting opportunity to plan our contribution to supporting a vibrant, resilient, healthy and sustainable region, one in which we value and care for the picturesque landscapes in which we have chosen to live and work. Leanne Mulcahy Chair, North East Catchment Management Authority 22nd September 2020 Dr Maureen Rogers Deputy Chair, North East Catchment Management Authority 22nd September 2020 The Board of the North East Catchment Management Authority (Back L‑R Dr Lee Baumgartner, Jan Mahoney, Russel Sheppard, Robert Hescock, Miriam McGowan Front L‑R Judith Ahmat, Leanne Mulcahy, Dr Maureen Rogers (absent Euan Ferguson)) 3 NORTH EAST CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY ANNUAL REPORT 2019 — 20 Message from the CEO I want to congratulate our staff for their incredible achievements this year. I thank them for their hard work and commitment to delivering on all the targets set for the four‑year Victorian Government funded projects contributing to the achievement of Water for Victoria. At one stage it seemed we wouldn’t meet the targets. Their efforts to catch up and deliver have produced major benefits for the environment over the past 4 years. Waterway health has been protected and enhanced by excluding 609 ha from stock grazing and the installation of 49 water troughs to keep stock out of streams, 526 ha of revegetation works will improve river biodiversity, 175 landholders signed‑up to manage land along waterways and 17,221 people have been engaged with by the North East CMA. Through the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, the CMA and Trust for Nature worked with 24 landholders to protect and enhance over 1,000 ha of habitat on private land