The South East Corridor Councils Alliance (SECCA) has welcomed election pledges from the federal Labor and Liberal parties who have both recently promised to invest $10 million into restoring the health of the Canning River.
SECCA, an alliance between the cities of Canning, Armadale, Gosnells and the Town of Victoria Park, launched the Restoring our Rivers campaign in January to lobby the Federal Government for $10 million to restore rivers impacted by overdevelopment.
The funding commitment from both parties would allow working groups to start planning to improve river drainage to alleviate nutrient and sediment run-off as outlined in the Canning Waterways Restoration Plan.
City of Canning Mayor Patrick Hall said joint pledges from both parties is good news for the future of the Canning River.
“SECCA is pleased to hear of the pledges from both federal Liberal and Labor parties as election promises, which is an assurance into the future health of the Canning River system that is currently plagued with issues.
“It is vital to invest into the future of the Canning River as it serves a dual purpose to enhance our natural environment while also improving recreational areas for public enjoyment.”
City of Gosnells Mayor Terresa Lynes said both announcements were welcome commitments toward addressing the range of issues impacting the local rivers.
“This level of funding has the potential to make a significant positive impact on the local river systems and would go a long way toward restoring these valuable natural assets for current and future generations,” she said.
“Since the launch of SECCA’s Restoring our Rivers campaign in January, there has been a groundswell of support, confirming our understanding of the importance of these rivers to our communities.”
City of Armadale Mayor Ruth Butterfield said the funding will provide a welcome boost to the ongoing health of the Canning River.
“I am pleased that SECCA’s lobbying has been successful in securing funding commitments from both Federal Labor and the Coalition.
“SECCA is committed to restoring river health in Perth’s south east corridor, and it will be terrific to be able to address issues affecting the Canning River’s ecosystem,” she said.
Town of Victoria Park Mayor Karen Vernon said the announcements were a great start to improving the health of our key south east corridor rivers.
“Our community is more concerned than ever about the environment and the impacts of climate change.
“They want to see all levels of government taking these issues seriously and collaborating to deliver solutions.
“The Restore our Rivers project warrants a bipartisan approach, and I am pleased it has attracted funding commitments from both major parties.”
Working groups collectively working towards the future of the Canning River include stakeholders from local governments, the State Government and Land Care Group.
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