We opened applications for the large grants round of the Murray–Darling Healthy Rivers Program from 25 August to 6 October 2021.
Applicants could apply for grants between $100,001 and $2 million. Grants are for community-led, on-ground projects that improve the health of rivers and wetlands in the Basin.
The Minister for Resources and Water approved 23 projects for funding.
Funded projects include:
- riverbank and wetland revegetation
- installing grazing exclusion fencing to prevent erosion
- invasive species control
- re-snagging rivers for fish habitat.
Successful projects
| Number | Project location | State or territory | Australian Business Number (ABN) | Grant recipient | Short project description | Funding amount (GST exclusive) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colac Colac | Victoria | 20 007 052 066 | Nariel Ag Pty Ltd | Preservation of the Nariel Creek and its native wildlife | $498,250.00 |
| 2 | Bethanga | Victoria | 75 109 213 121 | Parklands Albury Wodonga Limited | Spring Creek to Lake Hume conservation corridor | $186,100.00 |
| 3 | Ovens and Kiewa River catchments | Victoria | 22 611 431 653 | Mudgegonga & District Landcare Group Inc. | Community-led landscape restoration through fencing, erosion control and revegetation | $990,100.00 |
| 4 | Lower Ovens River | Victoria | 53 229 361 440 | North East Catchment Management Authority | Enhancing native fish habitat and protecting the nationally important Lower Ovens wetland complex | $588,880.00 |
| 5 | Lower Ovens River | Victoria | 98 448 624 856 | Growling Grass Frog | Re-snagging and aquatic habitat creation along the Ovens River | $190,163.00 |
| 6 | Wodonga | Victoria | 50 345 344 219 | Wodonga Urban Landcare Network | Rehabilitating waterways in Wodonga | $473,440.00 |
| 7 | Upper Murrumbidgee River | New South Wales | 78 053 639 115 | Bush Heritage Australia | Recovering river health and native fish of the Upper Murrumbidgee | $552,900.00 |
| 8 | Calperum Station | South Australia | 18 082 229 810 | Austland Management Pty Ltd | Restoring the Riverland Ramsar site through streambank erosion control and increased connectivity and fish passage | $1,560,083.00 |
| 9 | Narrandera surrounds | New South Wales | 57 876 455 969 | Local Land Services | Restoring redgums and the riparian zone at Cudgel Creek | $451,210.00 |
| 10 | Coonabarabran | New South Wales | 63 348 671 239 | Warrumbungle Shire Council | Castlereagh River rehabilitation and community education | $899,000.00 |
| 11 | Mudgee | New South Wales | 96 149 391 332 | Mid-Western Regional Council | Enhancing and protecting the Cudgegong River | $325,000.00 |
| 12 | Yass and surrounds | New South Wales | 62 129 024 997 | Australian River Restoration Centre Limited | Improving biodiversity and water quality in the Yass River catchment | $200,000.00 |
| 13 | Wagga Wagga | New South Wales | 56 044 159 537 | Wagga Wagga City Council | Restoration of Flowerdale Lagoon by improving water quality, habitat and community connection | $150,000.00 |
| 14 | Murray Bridge | South Australia | 69 336 525 019 | South Australian Water Corporation | Restoring floodplain ecosystems in the Lower River Murray | $600,533.00 |
| 15 | Coleambally | New South Wales | 75 951 271 684 | Coleambally Irrigation Co-operative Limited | Fencing the Coleambally Irrigation biodiversity reserves | $150,000.00 |
| 16 | Namoi River catchment | New South Wales | 63 008 656 513 | Landcare Australia Limited | Natural asset farming within the Namoi River catchment | $1,296,501.00 |
| 17 | Western Lake Alexandrina region | South Australia | 34 165 571 089 | Goolwa to Wellington Local Action Planning Association Incorporated | Ecological enhancement around the River Murray Lower Lakes to support threatened and migratory birds | $450,000.00 |
| 18 | Cobramunga and Koondrook | New South Wales and Victoria | 66 300 241 066 | Western Murray Land Improvement Group Incorporated | Murray River floodplains Boxthorn removal program | $242,592.50 |
| 19 | Wakool | New South Wales | 23 067 197 933 | Murray Irrigation Limited | Restoring the Jimaringle and Cockran Creeks | $1,982,000.00 |
| 20 | Barham | New South Wales | 66 300 241 066 | Western Murray Land Improvement Group Incorporated | Little Forest fish exclusion screens demonstration sites | $256,410.00 |
| 21 | Lower Dumaresq River | New South Wales and Queensland | 35 514 070 354 | New England Tablelands (Noxious Plants) County Council | Protecting the Dumaresq River from Water Lettuce and Cats Claw Creeper infestations | $207,040.00 |
| 22 | Lower Kiewa River | Victoria | 53 229 361 440 | North East Catchment Management Authority | Lower Kiewa River critical habitat protection and enhancement | $398,888.00 |
| 23 | Boorowa | New South Wales | 67 162 901 947 | D.J & K.F McGrath | Protection and conservation of a highly erodible section of the fragile Boorowa River and associated remnant vegetation | $233,235.00 |
How grants were assessed
A selection advisory panel assessed applications in accordance with the grant opportunity guidelines and made recommendations for funding to the Minister for Resources and Water. Find out about their skills and experience.
An independent probity advisor was involved throughout all stages of the selection advisory panel’s deliberations. The probity advisor identified no material risks that have not been effectively managed throughout the selection process. Read the probity certificate.
Selection advisory panel members
Chair – Marcus Finn
Acting Assistant Secretary, Healthy Rivers Branch, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
Dr Anna Carr
Dr Carr works in leadership development as a coach, facilitator and advisor. She worked for three decades in community development, academia and public service.
Dr Carr is committed to productive, ethical and sustainable futures based on communication and inclusion across cultures. This comes from her background and experience with rural, regional and remote Australia. She served on the Board of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation until November 2021.
Dr Carr has tertiary qualifications in communication, economic development and environmental management that support her governance and engagement roles with not-for-profit and public sector clients in Australia and the Pacific.
Gabrielle Coupland
Ms Coupland owns and operates an irrigated mixed farming business in the southern Riverina of NSW. Ms Coupland has taken on leadership roles in community, agriculture and irrigation and is currently the Chair of the combined NSW Murray Local Land Services Landholder Community Advisory Group and Aboriginal Advisory Group. Ms Coupland served as Chair of Southern Riverina Irrigators until October 2018.
Ms Coupland has lived and worked across Australia with a career in the agribusiness supply chain in areas such as financial education, advocacy, marketing, wool valuing and auctions, grain storage and succession facilitation. She has a Masters in Business Administration and an Associated Diploma of Applied Science (Wool and Fibre Marketing).
Phil Duncan
Mr Duncan, a Gomeroi man from Moree, has more than 39 years of experience working with Aboriginal people, communities and liaising with governments. He has provided high level policy and strategic advice to key Aboriginal representative organisations, state and Australian governments as well as key external stakeholder groups.
Mr Duncan currently serves as the Chair of the Basin Community Committee, is on the board of the Natural Resources Access Regulator and is a consultant with Alluvium Consulting.
Michelle Hobbs
Ms Hobbs is an Associate Lecturer and PhD candidate at Griffith Sciences – Griffith University. Ms Hobbs’ research interests include freshwater ecology of inland and tropical rivers, particularly invertebrates and fish. Ms Hobbs has several years of industry experience as an environmental consultant. This work has investigated population and community ecology of marine and freshwater systems and water quality assessments. Ms Hobbs has remote field experience including the Murray–Darling Basin, northern Western Australia, far north Queensland and Papua New Guinea, as well as international experience in the Philippines, Laos, Indonesia and Canada.
Ms Hobbs has also worked in policy (water quality) and wildlife conservation at the Department of Environment and Science (Queensland Government), contributing to policy strategies, community consultation and stakeholder engagement. In 2020 Ms Hobbs was a member of the Technical Advisory Group for the Native Fish Management and Recovery Strategy for the Murray–Darling Basin Authority. Ms Hobbs identifies as an Aboriginal woman and is of the Bidjara nation of Central Queensland.
Rachel Kelly
Ms Kelly has been a Policy Manager at the Ricegrowers Association since 2015 and is Vice–Chair of the NSW Irrigators’ Council. Ms Kelly has a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce (Business Management) from the University of Canberra and is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program, which she completed in October 2018.
Prior to her current roles, Ms Kelly practiced law with an Echuca law firm, working predominantly within the areas of agribusiness, water law and litigation. Ms Kelly also held the role of Legal Officer at Murray Irrigation Limited for the Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program in New South Wales.
Download the Large grants grant opportunity documents
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, 2021
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Download the probity certificate
The probity certificate may not meet Australian Government accessibility requirements as it was not prepared by the department.
| Document | File size |
|---|---|
| Murray–Darling Healthy Rivers Program – Large grants – probity certificate PDF | 191 KB |
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.