Wetlands win: Asher matches Karaaf pledge

LIBERAL candidate for Corangamite Stephanie Asher has made a pledge towards protecting the Karaaf Wetlands in Torquay North, committing $1.9 million towards remediation works if the Morrison Government is re-elected next month.

Making the election pledge on Tuesday this week, Ms Asher said the Liberals would deliver the project at the Karaaf Wetlands Reserve in partnership with the Surf Coast Shire.

“I am very passionate about protecting and preserving the local environment, which is essential to supporting local liveability and managing regional growth,” she said.

“The Karaaf Wetlands are an essential local environmental asset – this commitment means a healthier, more resilient local community.

“My Local Plan is all about building stronger communities and that is exactly what this important announcement will deliver.”

The 320 hectares of wetlands are a hyper-saline salt marsh whose salt-adapted vegetation is important to a wide range of species, including migratory waders from north Asia and the orange bellied parrot, but are being affected by overflows of stormwater from nearby housing estates.

Ms Asher’s pledge follows Corangamite Labor federal member Libby Coker’s commitment on March 24 of $1.9 million to improve the overall natural function of the Karaaf Wetlands by improving the retention and filtering of stormwater runoff and reducing the amount of pollutants, or potential for pollutants, to reach environmentally significant areas.

The Surf Coast Shire – the stormwater drainage authority for parts of the catchment to the north and west of the wetlands – has already started a short-term program to manage inflows into the wetlands, including cleaning gross pollutant traps and water quality testing, as well as a longer term four-part project to investigate the impact of the stormwater system more broadly.

This will result in a plan that considers an integrated water management approach for the north of Torquay and the Karaaf Wetlands.

The shire says it will have a better picture of what the next steps should be once its data gathering is complete, and plans to have community and agency representation throughout the project.

A project control group comprising shire officers, community members, agency representatives and other subject matter experts will oversee the works, with the goal to be an agreed management model for the stormwater that enters the Karaaf wetlands that “addresses environmental concerns now and into the future”.