Sustainable water and jobs together for Victoria

The Victorian State Budget will secure long-term water supplies and protect jobs, farmers, families and the communities that rely on them.

The Victorian State Budget will secure long-term sustainable water supplies. It will protect jobs, farmers, families and the communities that rely on them.

The Victorian Budget has allocated $112 million to manage the State’s water sustainably into the future. This will ensure that green spaces remain green, farmers can continue to farm, and our drinking water supply remains secure.

Minister for Water Lisa Neville said, “By investing in our water security, we’re investing in the future of our state – as well as the jobs, communities and industries that rely on it.”

At the centre of its investment is $56.6 million in the Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy. It is a fifty-year water security plan supporting jobs, communities, industry and agriculture throughout the region. That funding includes $10 million dedicated to a series of waterway and catchment health projects throughout the region.

That funding also includes $39 million for more recycled and stormwater projects. It will give communities and businesses guaranteed water supply for local parklands and preserving our drinking water supply.

Neville added, “As Victoria’s population grows and the climate gets warmer and drier, we need to use more recycled and stormwater to irrigate places like local parklands and help save more water for drinking. It’s an important part of our plan to keep water bills low for all Victorians.”

Sustainable water in Victoria

$6 million is being invested in helping protect the water sector from climate change as part of the Water Cycle Adaptation Action Plan. This includes projects to increase stormwater and recycled water uptake and trialling new blue-green algae management approaches.

$1.6 million has been allocated to explore ways regional Victoria can unlock more benefits from the desalination plant, including a potential expansion of the Melbourne-Geelong Pipeline. It can ensure Victorians have a secure drinking water supply, while the Victorian Government can drought-proof the natural environment and support industry and agriculture.

The Budget included $51.8 million for a long-term solution to mine-affected groundwater under Bendigo. Remediation works will support tourism at Central Deborah Gold Mine while protecting the natural environment of Bendigo Creek.

A further $3.9 million will support the water aspirations of Aboriginal Victorians and develop leadership opportunities for Aboriginal Victorians on water sector boards.

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