Shadow Minister for the Environment and Water Tony Burke and Member for Blair Shayne Neumann have announced today that the Bremer River will be a priority project under the Shorten Labor Government’s Urban Rivers and Corridors Program.

This election will be a choice between a united Shorten Labor Government which has a comprehensive policy package to protect our environment, or more of the Liberals’ cuts and chaos.

Mr Burke said Labor had committed $200 million to bring urban waterways and habitat corridors back to health.
 
“Through the Urban Rivers and Corridors Program, a Shorten Labor Government will restore urban rivers across the country to their natural beauty.”
 
“Labor’s investment will unlock grant funding for projects to clean up our rivers including revegetation, tree planting, waste capture and naturalisation projects,” Mr Burke said.
 
For too long, our rivers, creeks and wetlands have been treated like storm water drains, ending up polluted, dirty and littered with shopping trolleys rather than being safe spaces for families, kids and school groups to visit.
 
Labor will engage state and local governments, local councils, community groups and local environmental organisations to bring urban waterways and habitat corridors back to health.
 
Labor’s $200 million investment will unlock grant funding for projects to clean up our rivers including:

• Building wetlands to capture and clean and filter stormwater.
• Revegetation and tree planting along corridors.
• Citizen science and education programs along creeks and corridors, including bush kinder.
• Bird boxes and waste capture.
• Employment of indigenous rangers.
• Turning urban waterways back in to creeks and rivers again through changing hard surfaces back to natural surfaces (cement turned to river banks).

“The Bremer River is highly prone to erosion due to the frequency and intensity of flood events, and the work of local individuals, Council and community groups is vital to protecting its banks from erosion and to filter stormwater runoff.

“Labor’s investment will ensure that this work can continue, to reduce the negative impact future flood events will have on the health of the waterway,” Mr Neumann said.

The Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government have consistently failed to provide federal environment programs that adequately address the urgent need for urban river rehabilitation.

Only Labor is serious about protecting the environment and making sure it’s there for future generations to enjoy – action on climate change, investing in the environment, and maintaining Australia’s status as the “great outdoors”.

These policies and projects form part of a comprehensive platform for a healthier environment in our cities and across Australia.