The North East Regional Waterway Strategy is being renewed 

The new strategy will guide investment in waterway management for the next 10 years across the North East CMA region. It will help drive the work of agencies and community groups and generate a shared understanding of our priorities for each waterway system. 

North East Victoria is a diverse geographic region encompassing the alpine ranges of the Great Dividing Range, the fertile Ovens and King River valleys, and the floodplains along the Murray River, stretching from the Victorian Alps in the south to the New South Wales border in the north. The area comprises approximately 2% of the geographic area of the Murray-Darling Basin, yet the region’s water resources contribute around 40% of the water in the Murray-Darling Basin system.  

The North East CMA hosted community engagement sessions at multiple locations in August and September 2025. Community members were invited to attend, share their insights and help set shared strategic outcomes. 

The renewal process has several stages, commencing with the drafting of a Regional Waterway Insights Paper and early engagement.   Once completed, the final Insights Paper will be used by North East CMA as a tool to support further engagement with community and stakeholders during the formal Regional Waterway Strategy (RWS) renewal process.  Further information on the formal RWS process will be posted when we approach this milestone. 

What is the Regional Waterway Insights Paper    

The Insights Paper will synthesise the best available technical information available along with the knowledge and values of the region’s diverse community members, to summarise the environmental, social, cultural, and economic values of waterways across the region. 

Community members are invited to complete an online survey to ‘tell us about your waterway’ and share their insights to help set shared strategic outcomes. 

You can still provide feedback via a short survey - click HERE to access, or scan the QR code to complete:

The online survey wil be available for your feedback until 30 November 2025.

All participants, as well as broader stakeholders, will have the opportunity to review the full draft strategy following the engagement sessions.  

Since the last North East Regional Waterway Strategy, significant on-ground activities have been delivered to improve waterway health, including weed control, riparian fencing, revegetation, bank stabilisation, in-stream habitat improvement and partnerships with community groups, land managers and Traditional Owners.  

Contact Us  

For enquiries contact Deb Furst, Senior Strategy and Evaluation Officer at  deborah.furst@necma.vic.gov.au  or phone 1300 216 513