The Concerned Waterways Alliance (CWA) is releasing this discussion paper to draw attention to an emerging but often overlooked challenge: the growing gap between Victoria’s available water resources and the accelerating demand placed upon them. This paper focuses solely on the physical realities of water availability, river health, and the limits of natural systems in a drying climate. It is in "response to the Victorian Government’s 2025 Water Security Plan for Greater Melbourne, Geelong and Connected Towns, and its identification of population growth as a key driver of water security risk in southern Victoria, in addition to climate change."
As a coalition of waterway-focused community groups, our concern lies with the environmental pressures on rivers, groundwater systems, and wastewater infrastructure, pressures that arise regardless of who new residents are or where they come from. The central question the paper addresses is how Victoria can manage total water demand in a way that protects rivers and ensures a secure, affordable and equitable water future for everyone.
The CWA firmly rejects any attempt to weaponise environmental concerns in ways that undermine social cohesion or target migrant communities. Sustainable water management is about protecting the rivers and ecosystems that sustain us all, and ensuring that Victoria plans responsibly for a drier future. It does not argue for limits on who may come to Australia, nor does it attribute environmental pressures to particular groups. Our focus is on total system demand and the need to better integrate land-use planning, water availability, and climate-independent supply regardless of population composition.
This discussion paper is therefore offered in the spirit of constructive, evidence-based policy debate. It invites governments, planners, and the community to consider how water security, ecological limits, and long-term population planning can be better aligned so that Victoria remains liveable, fair, and environmentally resilient for generations to come.