We need to have a collaborative and coordinated effort to address the challenges currently faced by our rivers, estuaries and wetlands. The strategy has been designed to align investment and maximise the benefit of everyone’s actions in advancing waterway health. 

Melbourne Water have the lead role in facilitating co-delivery with all partners.

Co-delivery 

In deciding to co-design the Healthy Waterways Strategy, Melbourne Water aimed to create a shared strategic intent and co-ownership among different agencies and groups involved in waterway management. This is the first time that the Healthy Waterways Strategy has been developed to be both co-designed and co-delivered by all organisations involved in the care and management of waterways in the region.

Collective impact principles are being used to co-deliver the Healthy Waterways Strategy. These are:  

  1. A common agenda (Creating healthy waterways together) 
  2. A shared measurement framework (Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement framework – MERI) 
  3. A shared plan of action for mutually reinforcing activities (Healthy Waterway Strategy and its five Co-designed Catchment Programs provide a strong starting point for developing shared action plans)
  4. Open communication fostering genuine collaboration (continuing) 
  5. A backbone organisation with the skills and resources to keep everyone on track (Melbourne Water).

Read more about the co-design process in the Engagement and Collaboration report.

The Region-wide Leadership Group

The Region-wide Leadership Group (RLG) was established to enable a forum for strategic oversight and implementation of the Healthy Waterways Strategy by key delivery partners.

The RLG is independently chaired by Prof Rob Vertessy and includes representatives from the Municipal Association Victoria, Parks Victoria, the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority (until 2022), the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, the Environment Protection Authority and Melbourne Water.

What does the RLG do?

Meeting at least four times a year, the group have oversight of the Strategy implementation, play a key role in the implementation of the Strategy in their own organisations, advocate for the Strategy and identify and advise on the resolution of emerging strategic and systemic issues that affect the implementation of the Strategy.

Major partners

Other key partners and stakeholders

A wide range of stakeholders have been involved in developing and implementing the Strategy
A wide range of stakeholders have been involved in developing and implementing the Strategy