WESTERN AUSTRALIAN PARTNERSHIPS AND REGIONAL INFORMATION

Western Australian Water Campaign™: An ICLEI Oceania program delivered in collaboration with the Department of Water as part of the Western Australian State Water Strategy.

ICLEI Oceania and the Government of Western Australia have worked in partnership to deliver the Water Campaign™ in Western Australia since September 2003.

In May 2006, the Government of Western Australia announced it would provide $600,000 over three years to support the Water Campaign™.

The Water Campaign™ is one of three actions aimed at local government in the State Water Strategy under the objective of ‘improving water use efficiency in all sectors’.

Department of Water

The Department of Water provides comprehensive information to industry, expert technical support, and professional guidance to Government on the status of water and the viability of new source development. The Department collects and analyses water resources information, issues licences, regulates water use, protects the quality of our water, and prepares policies and plans critical to the future development of Western Australia.

City of Melville

The WA Water Campaign™ team has moved to the City of Melville.

From experience gained in South Australia ICLEI Oceania sought expressions of interest from ICLEI members and Water Campaign™ participants. After a rigorous process the City of Melville was chosen to be the new host of the Water Campaign™ staff in WA.

The hosting agreement was announced at a recognition breakfast held at the Western Australian Local Government Association Local Government Convention on Monday 6 August.

The City of Melville is located 8km south of Perth and has a population of over 97,000. The City is recognised as a leader in sustainable water management, particularly in the area of irrigation efficiency. The City was a recipient of a WA Water Award in 2006 for its work in this area.

ICLEI Oceania looks forward to working with the City through this partnership and exploring new opportunities to assist the delivery of the Water Campaign™.

ICLEI Oceania would like to thank our previous host the Western Australian Local Government Association for all of the support and assistance its staff has provided over the years. ICLEI Oceania look forward to continuing this strong partnership.

The WA Water Campaign™ team moved to the City’s offices on 5 September 2007. The new contact details for the WA Water Campaign™ staff are available on the ICLEI website.

Participating Councils

There are currently 37 councils participating in the Water Campaign™ across Western Australia. These councils participate in the Water Campaign™ with the support of the Department of Water. To view a list of participating councils in WA visit the Participants page here.

Other Regional Stakeholders

ICLEI Oceania also works with the following key stakeholders in relation to the Water Campaign™ in Western Australia:

The Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) hosts the WA Water Campaign™ Coordinator and Program Support Officer. ICLEI Oceania has a memorandum of understanding with WALGA.

The Water Corporation supports the Water Campaign™ by supplying water consumption data to participating councils.

The South West Catchments Council assists councils in the region undertake the Water Campaign™ through the provision of officer support

The Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC) assists councils in the region undertake the Water Campaign™ through the provision of officer support. ICLEI Oceania has a memorandum of understanding with the EMRC.

Regional Information

WA Water Awards Announced

The WA Water Awards were announced on 24 October 2008. The WA Water Awards 08 encourage sustainable water use in Western Australia. The Awards focus on products, processes and systems that contribute to sustainable water use, and those who work with the community to ensure water use efficiency is forefront in the minds of Western Australians. The WA Water Awards are organised by the Department of Water and the Water Corporation. Among the award recipients for this year were Water Campaign™ participants the City of Subiaco and the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River.

The City of Subiaco received the award for Best Water Conservation Plan, given to the council whose Plan best demonstrated a committment to water efficiency and continual improvement.

The Shire of Augusta-Margaret River received the award for Management of Water Resources (Small Organisation, Community Group or Individual) for their broad range of water management initiatives Shire-wide. With this impressive portfolio of water management the Shire also took out the top award for the night - the Award for Excellence!

Congratulations to both the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River and the City of Subiaco.

For more information on the awards visit http://www.waterawards.wa.gov.au.

Water Campaign™ Catchment Module Update

ICLEI Oceania is currently developing The "Catchment Module" component of the Water Campaign™. The aim of this module is: “To facilitate the development and implementation of an approach focused on Catchment level issue/s between multiple local governments participating in the Water Campaign™.” An update on the progress of the Catchment Module is available to participants by clicking here (must be logged in to view).

Stormwater Management Manual

The Stormwater Management Manual for Western Australia (Department of Water 2004 – 2007) has now been completed. The manual has been developed for local government, industry, developers, state agencies, service providers and community groups. It contains policies and guidelines on how to manage stormwater where it falls and as it travels through the catchment, as well as end of catchment solutions to protect rivers, wetlands and oceans. The manual encourages a treatment train approach, where combinations of different methods are implemented in sequence or concurrently to achieve the best management of stormwater. These methods include at-source controls and infiltration, non-structural methods such as education and training, retention and restoration of natural water body systems, and structural methods. Copies of the manual chapters can be obtained from the Department of Water website at http://stormwater.water.wa.gov.au, under the Management Manual heading. For more information, phone (08) 6364 7600.

State Water Plan

The Department of Water recently released the State Water Plan which outlines the strategic direction for future water management. The State Water Plan is comprised of an assessment of the current and future availability and consumption of water across Western Australia, a Water Policy Framework and Water Planning Framework. This document outlines local government’s key role in the future of water management in Western Australia including motivating the community and implementing land use planning controls.

For more information and to download a copy of the State Water Plan go to http://portal.water.wa.gov.au.

Regional Water Plans

To support the State Water Plan, the Department of Water is developing a series of Regional Water Plans which will incorporate regionally specific water information and outline actions to achieve the objectives under the Water Policy Framework of the State Water Plan. The first Regional Water Plan is currently being developed for the South West region. For more information go to http://portal.water.wa.gov.au.

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