CWA submission to Senate inquiry into Artificial Intelligence and Data Centres
The Concerned Waterways Alliance has made a submission to the Australian Senate Environment and Communications References Committee inquiry into Artificial Intelligence and Data Centres. CWA’s submission focuses on an issue that has received far less attention than...
CWA Submission to the Western Region Sustainable Water Strategy Scoping Paper
The Concerned Waterways Alliance has lodged a detailed submission on the Victorian Government’s scoping paper for the new Western Region Sustainable Water Strategy. The Strategy will guide water management across much of western Victoria for the next 50 years. CWA’s...
CWA submission to the Second Statutory Review of the Water Act 2007
The Concerned Waterways Alliance has lodged its submission to the Australian Government’s Second Statutory Review of the Water Act 2007. Our submission comes from outside the Murray–Darling Basin, but asks a fundamentally national question: why should the strongest...
CWA Submission Essential Services Commission 2028 Water Price Review
The Concerned Waterways Alliance has lodged a detailed submission to the Essential Services Commission (ESC) on its 2028 Water Price Review – Draft Guidance, arguing that Victoria’s water pricing framework must do more than deliver affordable services to customers: it...
CWA Submission to Birrarung Flows Study Review
The Concerned Waterways Alliance has made a submission to Melbourne Water’s review of the environmental flow recommendations for Birrarung (the Yarra River). https://letstalk.melbournewater.com.au/birrarung-flows-study-review The review will update the 2018...
CWA Submission: Potential water access for Yallourn coal mine rehabilitation
The Concerned Waterways Alliance has lodged a submission with the Water Minister opposing EnergyAustralia Yallourn’s proposed bulk entitlement for water to rehabilitate the Yallourn coal mine....
CWA submission to the National Environmental Standard for Community Engagement
The Concerned Waterways Alliance has made a submission to the proposed National Environmental Standard for Community Engagement from Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water calling for it to better recognise that rivers, wetlands, aquifers,...
CWA Submission to the Draft Third Victorian Waterway Managment Strategy
The Concerned Waterways Alliance (CWA) has lodged its submission on the Draft Third Victorian Waterway Management Strategy, welcoming several important advances while arguing that the final strategy must do more to guide CMAs in halt the continuing decline of...
CWA submission on ESC Draft Decision – Melbourne Water Price Review 2026
May 2026 The Concerned Waterways Alliance has provided a submission to the Essential Services Commission in response to its Draft Decision on Melbourne Water’s 2026 Price Review. The submission focuses on whether the Draft Decision adequately reflects Melbourne...
CWA submission to the National Water Reform 2026 Inquiry
The Concerned Waterways Alliance (CWA) has lodged a detailed submission to the Productivity Commission’s National Water Reform 2026 Inquiry. This process will help shape the next phase of Australia’s water governance framework, and it comes at a time when the...
Hyperscale Data Centres and Victoria’s Water: CWA Position paper
The Concerned Waterways Alliance (CWA) has released its February 2026 position paper, Hyperscale Data Centres and Victoria’s Water: Protecting a Public Resource for Communities and Rivers The paper examines a rapidly emerging issue: the scale of water being sought by...
Pricing Water, Valuing Waterways: CWA’s Submission on Melbourne Water’s 2026 Price Review
12th December 2025 The Concerned Waterways Alliance has lodged our submission with the Essential Services Commission as part of Melbourne Water’s 2026 Price Review process. Price determinations play a critical role in shaping not only household water bills, but also...
CWA Victorian Budget 2026 Submission
November 2025 The Concerned Waterways Alliance has released its first Victorian Budget Submission, marking an important milestone in the Alliance’s growing policy and advocacy work. This inaugural submission represents the collective knowledge of community advocates,...
Discussion Paper – Regulation of Private Dams
New discussion paper highlights hidden pressures on water-stressed rivers November 2025 Across Victoria, many of our rivers are struggling to sustain themselves under the combined weight of climate change, extraction, and growing demand. Yet there is another pressure...
Single Living Entity Concept in Planning for Waterways Report
The Concerned Waterways Alliance is pleased to announce the release of our latest report, Single Living Entity Concept in Planning for Waterways, authored by Stephen Rowley of RCI Planning. Across Victoria, communities and Traditional Owners have long understood that...
Submission to the Draft Hazelwood Declared Mine Rehabilitation Plan
On 31 August 2025, the Concerned Waterways Alliance lodged its submission on ENGIE’s Draft Hazelwood Declared Mine Rehabilitation Plan (DMRP). Our message is pretty straightforward: decisions made at Hazelwood will ripple through the Latrobe River, the Lower Latrobe...
CWA Submission to Latrobe Valley licence applications
About the applications Southern Rural Water (SRW) recently sought community feedback on two groundwater licence renewals linked to the Hazelwood (ENGIE) and Yallourn (EnergyAustralia) mines in the Latrobe Valley. The proposals were framed as short-term safety measures...
Concerned Waterways Alliance Submission on EnergyAustralia’s Draft Yallourn Declared Mine Rehabilitation Plan
Why CWA is challenging the “big lake” plan at Yallourn On 18 August 2025, the Concerned Waterways Alliance lodged its submission on EnergyAustralia’s draft Yallourn Declared Mine Rehabilitation Plan. Our primary message is simple: the Latrobe system is already in...
Submission by the CWA on the Economic Value and Pricing of Surface Water for Mine Rehabilitation in the Latrobe Valley (AGL Application A)
In Gippsland, an important decision now sits at the crossroads of river recovery, climate resilience, and how Victoria prices water for big users. The Concerned Waterways Alliance (CWA) has lodged a submission to the Minister for Water on AGL’s proposal to secure a...
CWA Submission to the Victorian Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee – Inquiry into Community Consultation Practices
Strengthening Community Engagement The Concerned Waterways Alliance (CWA) has made a formal submission to the Victorian Legislative Council Inquiry into Community Consultation Practices, which is now available on the Parliament website here (Submission No. 84). Our...
CWA Submission to the Victorian Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee – Inquiry into Climate Change Impacts on Victoria’s Built Environment and Infrastructure
The CWA are grateful to the Inquiry for accepting our late submission. It can be found on the Victorian Parliamentary website here:...
CWA Response to Melbourne Water’s Price Submission 2026 Playback
The Concerned Waterways Alliance has provided a detailed response to Melbourne Water’s Price Submission 2026 Playback process, calling for stronger commitments to waterway health, catchment protection, and climate resilience. While CWA supports Melbourne Water’s five...
CWA Letter to the Prime Minister
May 2025 On behalf of the Concerned Waterways Alliance, a coalition of community-based organisations across southern Victoria, a formal letter has been submitted to the Prime Minister, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, following his re-election. The letter extends...
Concerned Waterways Alliance Feedback on Groundwater Monitoring Strategy
On 27 April 2025, the Concerned Waterways Alliance provided feedback to DEECA’s Groundwater Management 2030 team on the proposed questions for developing Victoria’s groundwater monitoring strategy. We welcomed the opportunity to contribute, suggesting additional...
CWA submission to Infrastructure Victoria’s Draft 30-Year Infrastructure Strategy
The Concerned Waterways Alliance (CWA) welcomed to opportunity to respond to Infrastructure Victoria’s Draft 30-Year Infrastructure Strategy for recognising the current and growing threats to our rivers, wetlands, and waterways. In our submission, we supported the...
Response from the Concerned Waterways Alliance to the Draft Pre-Application Engagement Guidance by EPA Victoria
This response was to the draft guidelines which were the result of earlier engagement by the EPA which the CWA had contributed to: https://concernedwaterwaysalliance.org/cwa-submission-on-epa-industry-engagement-for-development-proposals/ While the CWA welcomed the...
CWA Submission to ‘Planning for our waterways’
The Concerned Waterways Alliance has made a submission to the Department of Transport and Planning's Engage Victoria regarding Planning for our Waterways. We have expressed our firm support for the widespread implementation of Significant Landscape Overlays (SLOs)....
Launch – What is a Waterway? by Dr Bruce Lindsay
The Concerned Waterways Alliance is pleased to announce the release of our latest report, ‘What is a waterway?’, authored by Dr. Bruce Lindsay. This report examines the critical question of how waterways are defined in legislation and policy—and why this matters for...
CWA Submission on EPA Industry Engagement for Development Proposals
Stronger Community Engagement Needed for Industry Development Proposals The CWA has submitted feedback (see below) to the EPA Victoria on improving pre-engagement processes for industry-led development proposals that require EPA permissions. Our key message? Community...
CWA submission to the Australian Senate Select Committee on PFAS
The Concerned Waterways Alliance (CWA) submission to the Australian Senate Select Committee on PFAS addresses the contamination of Victorian waterways by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The CWA highlights its concerns about the environmental, public...