We opened applications for the second small grants round of the Murray–Darling Healthy Rivers Program from 25 August to 6 October 2021.
Applicants could apply for grants between $5,000 and $100,000. Grants are for community-led, on-ground projects that improve the health of rivers and wetlands in the Basin.
The Minister for Resources and Water has approved 63 projects for funding.
Funded projects include:
- riverbank and wetland revegetation
- installing grazing exclusion fencing to prevent erosion
- invasive species control
- re-snagging rivers for fish habitat.
View a list of the funded projects.
| Number | Project location | State or territory | Australian Business Number (ABN) | Grant recipient | Short project description | Funding amount (GST exclusive) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forbes | New South Wales | 48 703 253 807 | K.I Muffet & W.E Muffet | Using regenerative agriculture to restore a floodplain through revegetation and weed control | $17,256.00 |
| 2 | Canary Island | Victoria | 39 562 050 701 | G.J Bear & J.L Bear | Riparian and aquatic revegetation and re-snagging a river to improve native fish habitat | $72,276.00 |
| 3 | Calimo | New South Wales | N/A | Hooper, K.J & Hooper, J | Installing pipe infrastructure to allow environmental watering of a wetland | $97,617.00 |
| 4 | Darling River, Lower Murray River, and Lower Lachlan River | New South Wales | 57 876 455 969 | Local Land Services | Fish-friendly screen installation to protect native fish and improve water efficiency in western New South Wales | $99,000.00 |
| 5 | Omeo and surrounds | Victoria | 50 529 509 211 | Benambra Dinner Plain Omeo Landcare Group | Fencing, planting and pest species control along waterways in the Upper Mitta Mitta Valley | $79,723.00 |
| 6 | Indigo Valley | Victoria | 15 251 567 381 | Indigo Valley Landcare Group Incorporated | Working with farmers to enhance farm dams to support biodiversity | $54,536.00 |
| 7 | Northwood | Victoria | 89 184 039 725 | Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority | Southern Pygmy Perch conservation stocking and habitat enhancement in the Goulburn River Catchment | $98,933.33 |
| 8 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | Victoria | 56 145 404 645 | F.A Murdoch & P.J Murdoch | Revegetation and drought refuges on Raakajlim, adjoining Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | $14,250.00 |
| 9 | Lower Murray catchment | South Australia | 74 783 741 583 | Mid Murray Landcare SA Incorporated | Breaking the chokehold of Yellow Water Lily and other invasive weeds on the River Murray | $95,612.00 |
| 10 | Nariel Valley | Victoria | 34 569 205 937 | Aston, James Peter | Restoring native fish habitat in Scrubby Creek | $68,000.00 |
| 11 | Wallpolla Creek | Victoria | 29 602 568 696 | OzFish Unlimited Limited | Restoring native fish habitat through river re-snagging, exclusion fencing and revegetation | $89,500.00 |
| 12 | Kiewa River catchment | Victoria | 22 717 248 660 | Kiewa Catchment Landcare Groups Inc. | Exclusion fencing, weed control and revegetation to support threatened species in the Kiewa Valley | $97,781.00 |
| 13 | King Valley | Victoria | 45 751 031 941 | Greta Valley Landcare Group Incorporated | Involving landholders in fencing and revegetation of waterways in the King River catchment | $69,300.00 |
| 14 | Avoca region | Victoria | 73 937 058 422 | North Central Catchment Management Authority | Fencing off and revegetation of refuge habitat in the upper Avoca River catchment | $99,500.00 |
| 15 | Eulah Creek | New South Wales | 93 149 720 399 | M.J Cain & S.J Cuddigan | Invasive weed control along Eulah Creek | $11,650.00 |
| 16 | Comobella | New South Wales | 76 614 020 472 | The Trustee for Batoka Family Trust | Stock exclusion fencing, weed control and revegetation along Mitchell’s Creek | $82,000.00 |
| 17 | Mount Alfred | Victoria | 49 085 659 764 | G Drummond & H.N Drummond | Fencing off and rehabilitating a section of the Murray River | $6,480.00 |
| 18 | Gol Gol | New South Wales | 86 753 935 020 | Gol Gol Community Reference Group Incorporated | Aquatic weed control and sediment management to facilitate water flows into the Gol Gol Wetlands | $92,100.00 |
| 19 | Barnawartha North | Victoria | N/A | Goodwin, D | Reducing erosion and planting aquatic vegetation in Kookaburra Creek | $40,145.00 |
| 20 | Moree | New South Wales | 29 602 568 696 | OzFish Unlimited Limited | Engaging recreational fishers in riverbank planting and river re-snagging | $93,250.00 |
| 21 | Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla Islands | Victoria | 29 602 568 696 | OzFish Unlimited Limited | Reinstating vital rocky and woody habitats within off-channel Ramsar listed waterways | $100,000.00 |
| 22 | Mount Cole Creek | Victoria | 59 631 244 284 | Project Platypus Association Inc. | Reviving the Mt Cole Creek to support native fish species | $100,000.00 |
| 23 | Lake Rowan | Victoria | 23 917 949 584 | The Trustee for Nature Glenelg Trust | Restoring Rowan Swamp through enhancing water flow, reducing erosion and weed treatment | $100,000.00 |
| 24 | Glen Innes region | New South Wales | 22 494 686 391 | GLENRAC Incorporated | Working with landholders to plant native trees and shrubs and improve river health | $99,228.00 |
| 25 | Gunbower Creek | Victoria | 73 937 058 422 | North Central Catchment Management Authority | Installing fish screens on irrigation pumps to protect native fish and Platypus | $98,500.00 |
| 26 | Deepwater | New South Wales | 43 577 955 047 | I.G Lockwood & W Lockwood | Protecting and enhancing Bell’s Turtle habitat on the Deepwater River | $62,801.00 |
| 27 | Riversleigh | Queensland | 80 606 427 442 | C.B Cornford & K.A Cornford | Installing 12 kilometres of fencing to protect the Angellala Creek riparian zone from grazing | $100,000.00 |
| 28 | Tuggeranong | Australian Capital Territory | 16 699 063 426 | A.W Geikie & G.K Geikie | Erosion control and revegetation of riparian zones and surrounding agricultural land at the Murrumbidgee River | $50,000.00 |
| 29 | Burrinjuck | New South Wales | 96 462 521 332 | Harrop, Jason Brett | Protecting Platypus and the environment by excluding stock from the riparian zone of the Murrumbidgee River | $46,000.00 |
| 30 | Condobolin | New South Wales | 83 301 447 669 | S.J Cranney & B.J White | Installing fencing and planting natives to create biodiversity corridors along the Lachlan River | $27,710.00 |
| 31 | Carcoar | New South Wales | 90 164 949 455 | Graham Lewis Accounting Pty Ltd | Stock exclusion and revegetation along the Belubula River and tributaries | $15,223.18 |
| 32 | Stonehenge | New South Wales | 22 494 686 391 | GLENRAC Incorporated | Managing erosion and installing fencing along the Beardy and Severn Rivers | $99,975.00 |
| 33 | Beechworth | Victoria | 95 427 744 819 | Shallue, Stephen | Protecting tributaries in the upper Hodgson Creek by excluding stock and revegetation | $42,900.00 |
| 34 | Calimo | New South Wales | N/A | Hooper, K.J & Hooper, J | Removing flood bank to allow wetland inundation | $10,690.00 |
| 35 | Monak | New South Wales | 50 137 010 658 | Murray Darling Wetlands Working Group Ltd | Maintaining floodplain health by using infrastructure to maximise environmental water flow | $65,700.00 |
| 36 | Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges | South Australia | 60 000 023 843 | Goolwa to Wellington Local Action Planning Limited | Protecting the ecological health of rivers in the Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges | $91,327.00 |
| 37 | Wargan | Victoria | 35 731 044 773 | Schilling, David Andrew | Installing a pump, weed control and revegetation to restore a natural wetland | $90,000.00 |
| 38 | Mitta Mitta Valley | Victoria | 83 319 025 200 | Mitta Valley Landcare Inc. | Fencing off and revegetation of waterways and wetlands of the Mitta Mitta Valley | $95,834.00 |
| 39 | Koondrook-Perricoota Forest | New South Wales | 66 300 241 066 | Western Murray Land Improvement Group Incorporated | Rehabilitating Swan Lagoon through pest species, erosion management and revegetation | $99,978.00 |
| 40 | Charleville | Queensland | 73 493 482 820 | C.D Alison & S Alison | Collaborating to restore the Ward River with erosion and pest species control and revegetation | $15,000.00 |
| 41 | Emmaville | New South Wales | 77 506 737 526 | J.L Symons & P.A Symons | Restoring the Beardy River following floods by fencing and earthworks to reduce erosion | $48,942.00 |
| 42 | Walwa | Victoria | 43 160 672 039 | D.H Hanna & J.G Hanna | Stock exclusion to reduce erosion and improve the health of the Murray River | $5,408.00 |
| 43 | Goondiwindi Shire | Queensland | 32 606 492 728 | Yogi Farms Pty Ltd | Installing retaining walls and planting natives to prevent riverbank erosion | $95,000.00 |
| 44 | Lower Murrumbidgee River | New South Wales | N/A | Oxley Angling Club Incorporated | Native fish restocking In the Murrumbidgee River | $18,000.00 |
| 45 | Mongans Bridge | Victoria | 88 262 416 773 | Hind, Yvette | Protection and restoration of swamps and creeks in the upper Kiewa Valley | $60,000.00 |
| 46 | Yeoval | New South Wales | 34 581 865 794 | Little River Landcare Group | Reducing sedimentation and run-off into the Little River catchment | $21,472.00 |
| 47 | Bearii | Victoria | N/A | Kennedy, W.R | Provide habitat around a natural billabong bordering Barmah Forest | $83,915.00 |
| 48 | St Ives | South Australia | 41 693 200 300 | E Modra & T.R Modra | Using fencing to protect and improve the Mount Barker Creek and tributaries | $39,540.00 |
| 49 | Myall Creek | New South Wales | 11 636 419 850 | Gwydir Shire Council | Working with First Nations to control weeds and revegetate woodland at Myall Creek Memorial Site | $85,000.00 |
| 50 | Moulamein | New South Wales | 21 588 086 185 | The Trustee for the Vial Family Trust | Lagoon rehabilitation to re-establish native fish habitat | $84,361.00 |
| 51 | Towong Shire | Victoria | 40 815 373 539 | Upper Murray Landcare Network | Community partnerships to increase vegetation and manage run off in the Upper Murray | $99,681.00 |
| 52 | Mebul | New South Wales | 61 989 364 458 | G.D Browning & G.L Browning | Fencing off Mebul Creek and Cudgegong River | $20,000.00 |
| 53 | Gooramadda | Victoria | 11 474 938 536 | P & F Weidner Partnership | Protection and revegetation of Snarts Creek to prevent erosion | $100,000.00 |
| 54 | Birchip and surrounds | Victoria | 85 429 348 990 | Birchip Landcare Group | Enhancing four environmental water sites in the Wimmera-Mallee pipeline scheme | $14,300.00 |
| 55 | Little River | New South Wales | 29 675 922 783 | J.P McLennan & R McLennan | Riverbank restoration to improve the health of the Goobarragandra River and stop erosion and sedimentation | $70,988.00 |
| 56 | Talmalmo | New South Wales | 76 395 946 235 | Buckley, Evelyn Eileen | Weed control, fencing and revegetation along Lake Hume | $55,000.00 |
| 57 | Omeo Valley | Victoria | 90 296 816 737 | W.K and M.A Ferguson | Creek bank revegetation, stabilisation and fencing to reduce erosion | $70,000.00 |
| 58 | Wallaroo and Sutton | New South Wales | 75 648 187 515 | Ginninderra Catchment Group | Farm dam restoration in the Murrumbidgee catchment | $35,000.00 |
| 59 | Murrabit West | Victoria | N/A | K.J and J Hooper | Restoring water flow to Lignum Swamp South | $99,830.00 |
| 60 | Cullulleraine | Victoria | 50 137 010 658 | Murray Darling Wetlands Working Group Ltd | Increase environmental values of Ranka/Railway Creek | $69,000.00 |
| 61 | Katamatite and Kaarimba | Victoria | 89 184 039 725 | Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority | Creating healthy and productive habitats for fish in Broken Creek | $99,250.00 |
| 62 | Bookpurnong | South Australia | 65 542 596 200 | Flinders University | Solar-powered enhanced evaporation pond system for in-situ salt extraction | $99,983.92 |
| 63 | Bingara | New South Wales | 11 636 419 850 | Gwydir Shire Council | Willow control on the Gwydir River | $17,000.00 |
How grants were assessed
A selection advisory panel assessed applications in accordance with the grant opportunity guidelines and made recommendations for funding to the Minister for Resources and Water. Find out about their skills and experience.
An independent probity advisor was involved throughout all stages of the selection advisory panel’s deliberations. The probity advisor identified no material risks that have not been effectively managed throughout the selection process. Read the probity certificate.
Chair – Marcus Finn
Acting Assistant Secretary, Healthy Rivers Branch, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
Dr Anna Carr
Dr Carr works in leadership development as a coach, facilitator and advisor. She worked for three decades in community development, academia and public service.
Dr Carr is committed to productive, ethical and sustainable futures based on communication and inclusion across cultures. This comes from her background and experience with rural, regional and remote Australia. She served on the Board of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation until November 2021.
Dr Carr has tertiary qualifications in communication, economic development and environmental management that support her governance and engagement roles with not-for-profit and public sector clients in Australia and the Pacific.
Gabrielle Coupland
Ms Coupland owns and operates an irrigated mixed farming business in the southern Riverina of NSW. Ms Coupland has taken on leadership roles in community, agriculture and irrigation and is currently the Chair of the combined NSW Murray Local Land Services Landholder Community Advisory Group and Aboriginal Advisory Group. Ms Coupland served as Chair of Southern Riverina Irrigators until October 2018.
Ms Coupland has lived and worked across Australia with a career in the agribusiness supply chain in areas such as financial education, advocacy, marketing, wool valuing and auctions, grain storage and succession facilitation. She has a Masters in Business Administration and an Associated Diploma of Applied Science (Wool and Fibre Marketing).
Phil Duncan
Mr Duncan, a Gomeroi man from Moree, has more than 39 years of experience working with Aboriginal people, communities and liaising with governments. He has provided high level policy and strategic advice to key Aboriginal representative organisations, state and Australian governments as well as key external stakeholder groups.
Mr Duncan currently serves as the Chair of the Basin Community Committee, is on the board of the Natural Resources Access Regulator and is a consultant with Alluvium Consulting.
Michelle Hobbs
Ms Hobbs is an Associate Lecturer and PhD candidate at Griffith Sciences – Griffith University. Ms Hobbs’ research interests include freshwater ecology of inland and tropical rivers, particularly invertebrates and fish. Ms Hobbs has several years of industry experience as an environmental consultant. This work has investigated population and community ecology of marine and freshwater systems and water quality assessments. Ms Hobbs has remote field experience including the Murray–Darling Basin, northern Western Australia, far north Queensland and Papua New Guinea, as well as international experience in the Philippines, Laos, Indonesia and Canada.
Ms Hobbs has also worked in policy (water quality) and wildlife conservation at the Department of Environment and Science (Queensland Government), contributing to policy strategies, community consultation and stakeholder engagement. In 2020 Ms Hobbs was a member of the Technical Advisory Group for the Native Fish Management and Recovery Strategy for the Murray–Darling Basin Authority. Ms Hobbs identifies as an Aboriginal woman and is of the Bidjara nation of Central Queensland.
Rachel Kelly
Ms Kelly has been a Policy Manager at the Ricegrowers Association since 2015 and is Vice–Chair of the NSW Irrigators’ Council. Ms Kelly has a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce (Business Management) from the University of Canberra and is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program, which she completed in October 2018.
Prior to her current roles, Ms Kelly practiced law with an Echuca law firm, working predominantly within the areas of agribusiness, water law and litigation. Ms Kelly also held the role of Legal Officer at Murray Irrigation Limited for the Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program in New South Wales.
Download the Small grants round 2 grant opportunity documents
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, 2021
If you have difficulty accessing these files, please visit web accessibility for assistance.
Download the probity certificate
The probity certificate may not meet Australian Government accessibility requirements as it was not prepared by the department.
| Document | File size |
|---|---|
| Murray–Darling Healthy Rivers Program – Small grants round 2 – probity certificate PDF | 191 KB |
If you have difficulty accessing these files, please visit web accessibility for assistance.