A visiting friend from Australia works with a coalition of community groups on the Great Ocean Road in coastal Victoria. Can the East Sheen and Mortlake Communities learn from their objectives?

The Painkalac Valley Network is an ongoing coalition of community groups that meet regularly to collaborate on and advocate for issues of mutual interest regarding the Painkalac estuary and its valley environs. The Network will action diverse strategies to further its objectives.

Vision
To revive and maintain the Painkalac from source to ocean [from park to river] as a thriving interconnected community and ecosystem that must be protected for future generations.

Approach
We acknowledge the inherent rights of the entire Painkalac landscape including ecosystems on land, in fresh and estuarine waters and at sea, recognising the fundamental interconnectedness between humans and the natural world. We embrace collective responsibility for its wellbeing and see the Painkalac as a community to which we belong, rather than the other way around. What is good for the Painkalac is good for all.

Our objectives are to:

• Engage with and learn from the traditional custodians of the Painkalac Valley, the Gadubanud People and the Wadawurrung People.
• Work collectively towards the optimal health, a systemic understanding and the wholistic [sic] management of the Painkalac Valley throughout its catchment, waterways, wetlands, ……., including their flora and fauna.
• Advocate for strong monitoring, evaluation and research of key ecosystem values, including water quality, threatened and endangered species and communities.
• Contribute to the analysis of and solutions for developing pressures on the Painkalac’s ecosystem e.g. climate change, increased estuary openings, flood and fire risks, land use, tourism, recreation, residential development and infrastructure.
• Actively maintain the individual roles of the Network’s different interest groups, ensuring both a turnover of participants and an ongoing legacy to protect and advocate for the Painkalac.
• Maintain an up to date resource repository.
• Publicise the work of the network through information, events and activities to encourage residents, traders and visitors to support the wellbeing of the Painkalac ……. environs.
• Work actively with agencies that have legal carriage over aspects of the Painkalac to promote the best interests of the Painkalac.
• Explore sustainable stewardship options and long-term conservation strategies for the …… riparian zone, wetlands and floodplain to protect and enhance their critical ecological, social and cultural values.
• Build greater awareness, appreciation and advocacy for the Painkalac Valley across adjoining landholders and the broader community.