Tuesday, 3 May 2022

Curdies River management

Mr RIORDAN (Polwarth) (19:11): (6340) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, who is at the table this evening. The action I am seeking, Minister, is for you to make your way down to Peterborough and the Curdies River. In a couple of weeks time, on Friday, 13 May, at 7.00 pm in the Peterborough hall, there is going to be a community meeting about the ongoing parlous state of the Curdies River and its estuary and the beautiful area around Peterborough, where at the moment there is a massive blue-green algal bloom. It has led to a considerable amount of fish death. It stinks. It is quite toxic there. It is making what is really a beautiful part of the world—

Ms Green: It needs a federal government that actually takes climate change seriously.

Mr RIORDAN: Well, it has got nothing to do with that. The government has been in charge of funding and looking after our waterways now for eight years, and every year of that eight years this waterway has gotten worse—and it comes in stark contrast because the government, with its commitment to fishing and recreational fishing, is making a lot of the fact that these waterways should be available to the general public to enjoy, catch fish and make the most of it.

Ms Green: They’re getting warm. The algae will grow.

Mr RIORDAN: Unfortunately the retiring member for Yan Yean—well, she probably is quite aware of Peterborough because she spent most of lockdown out in our part of the world rather than looking after her own constituents. However, this is an important matter to that community, and the Peterborough community would love the minister to come down and see firsthand what a lack of investment and what a lack of funding looks like on a really important waterway. That is in stark contrast to some of the money that they have spent for recreational fishermen—so not the local community so much but people coming in. They have built a new boat ramp, and that has been much appreciated; that has added value. There are other fishing spots along the river. But if the water is toxic, if there are massive blue-green algae outbreaks and if there are dead fish, this is not a way to attract people to rural and regional Victoria.

The farmers and the landowners, the people that really care about this part of the world, need to know that this government has got their back and that this government is prepared to help the catchment management authorities and others to invest in the long-term health of this waterway. It cannot be done alone. It is a big job, and many of the issues that the Peterborough community are concerned about will be discussed in the public hall at 7.00 pm on Friday the 13th. Minister, you are most welcome to come down, have a cup of tea and listen firsthand to the concerns that this community has.