Prospectus for the Victorian state election

The Prospectus: The Merri Merri Parklands: A prospectus for the Victorian state election, 2022 includes a list of fifteen priority actions the Friends' Committee has identified as being central to the health and wellbeing of the creek and parklands, both in the urbanised south and the northern reaches where development continues apace.

Now is the time, to take the steps which can deliver the vision of a "vibrant, biodiverse corridor .... integrated into the urban landscape, giving generations to come
local access to nature".

The State of the Environment report (2021) and the release by the federal government of the Threatened Species Action Plan : Towards zero extinctions, highlights the crucial role habitat plays in species survival: there are ecosystems in our backyard, along the Merri, that need investment and protection.

The key themes under which these fifteen actions fall are:

• establishment of a Ministerial Advisory Council to develop an action plan for coordinated implementation by state government agencies;
• conservation parklands along the middle and upper Merri;
• protecting the waterway corridors;
• Merri Shared Trail;
• improving water quality; and
• nature refuges in the city.

The candidates' responses will be collated into a score card, which will be circulated in time for the polls to open on 14 November.

We request that you follow up the Prospectus with your local candidates and encourage their support of these priority actions for the Merri Merri Parklands.

The Merri Merri Parklands: A prospectus for the Victorian state election, 2022