Southern Metropolitan Region
Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (12:45): (1515) My question is to the Minister for Environment. The Gardiners Creek catchment is one of the major waterways of the Yarra, spanning 112 kilometres over much of eastern Melbourne, including in my electorate. Kooyongkoot, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung name for this water, means ‘place of the waterfowl’. It is an important biodiversity corridor and has a significant impact on the quality and health of the water in the Yarra, the Birrarung. The precious resource is cared for by a large network of dedicated volunteers. The KooyongKoot Alliance is more than 20 different friends and advisory groups from across the catchment. When I spoke with alliance representatives last week they told me that they desperately needed funding for a paid project officer to help coordinate and unlock the time, skills and passion of the volunteers across the catchment. Minister, what support can the government provide to this amazing group of volunteers?