Thursday, 18 June 2026

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (17:22): (1726) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Water, and the action I seek is for the minister to provide an update on the next stage of the reimagining Moonee Ponds Creek project. The Moonee Ponds Creek forms part of the lungs and arteries of our community, meandering north-west into my community from the Yarra River – from just under where the Bolte Bridge is and going under the CityLink overpass. The creek continues to provide many neighbourhoods and habitats along the corridor with the nature, open space, environmental and recreational spaces and oases through our increasingly urbanised north-western suburbs.

That is why I was so delighted to have secured and delivered with my colleague stage 1 of the reimagining Moonee Ponds Creek revitalisation works, with $10.2 million in upgrades through sections of the creek via Pascoe Vale, Oak Park and Strathmore, a 360-metre section of the creek being renaturalised with improved paths and better spaces for families and biodiversity and 43,000 plants that we have planted. I helped plant some of the first at the time, and I commend my colleagues the members for Essendon and Broadmeadows, Merri-bek council, Moonee Valley City Council, Melbourne Water and all the other partners – Chain of Ponds, Friends of Moonee Ponds Creek and all the others – who were part of that.

But there remains more to do. We have to help keep naturalising the creek further south of the corridor, which is why I was so happy to welcome the $5 million commitment and investment from the Albanese Labor government in September 2024 towards delivering stage 2 of the reimagining works further south through Strathmore and Pascoe Vale, down to where Lebanon Reserve is between Ivan Street, Strathmore, and the Pascoe Vale Road bridge, further downstream from stage 1. In this respect I am delighted to say Melbourne Water is now kicking off community consultation on stage 2. It builds off the feedback from stage 1, which found that 88 per cent of community members are satisfied or very satisfied with the work that we have done to date.

Stage 2 proposes to continue introducing a more natural creek form, including a meandering channel and rock works to slow the water flow down. These changes, along with accompanying recreational opportunities for families, are expected to improve water quality, biodiversity and habitat spaces. I encourage all locals to attend the pop-up sessions coming up this weekend. The first one is happening on Saturday 20 June from 10 am to 1 pm at the Pascoe Vale Central Cricket Club at Oak Park Reserve, just behind the Oak Park pools. The second pop-up session will be at the Strathmore sports club, 5 pm to 8 pm on Monday 22 June, at Lebanon Reserve on Mascoma Street. The ‘Let’s Talk’ page on the Melbourne Water website allows people to provide feedback on the concept plans, which are up there as well.

Again I commend all the stakeholders: Melbourne Water, Chain of Ponds, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, the councils, all my parliamentary colleague, federal colleagues and Peter Khalil, the member for Wills, on helping secure this funding. I welcome all of you to visit the Moonee Ponds Creek stage 1 and stage 2 once they are complete.