Monday, June 3, 2024

Georges Riverkeeper General Meeting - May 2024

Georges Riverkeeper General Committee meeting May 2024

The General Meeting of the Georges Riverkeeper Committee held on 23 May 2024 was hosted by City of Canterbury Bankstown. In addition to Program updates by the Georges Riverkeeper team (Kirsten, Rob and Lydia), David Lowery, Team Leader Environment and Sustainability, City of Canterbury Bankstown, gave an update about the council’s Bushcare program.

As Georges Riverkeeper's Hosting Agreement with Sutherland Shire Council ends in September 2024, operational matters discussed at the meeting included the hosting options being explored by the Georges Riverkeeper Executive Group with assistance from staff and consultants. While we can’t yet reveal who the new host council is, all agreed that Georges Riverkeeper will continue to be hosted by a Member Council for the next four-year term (2024-2028) and should explore the option to become independent of a host council during that time.

The other major point of discussion during the meeting was the status of the Georges River Coastal Management Plan (CMP). Preparations towards completing stages 2 to 4 of the CMP have stalled in recent months as a result of Georges Riverkeeper being ineligible to apply for the DCCEWW grant funding because we are not a Regional Organisation of Councils (ROC). Georges Riverkeeper must rely on one of its Member Councils to be the primary applicant for the grant funding for this multi-council CMP. Discussions with Member Councils on this issue are underway and in the meantime, Georges Riverkeeper is consulting with the Project Control Group and stakeholders to develop a project plan that will ensure we are ready to apply as soon as we can.

In attendance at the meeting were the Georges Riverkeeper team and the Executive Group representatives, Cr. Stephen Nikolovski (Chairperson), Cr. Paul Sedrak (Vice-Chair), Cr. David Walsh (Second Vice-Chair), Cr. Peter Mahoney (Treasurer), as well as Cr. Carmen Lazar OAM (Fairfield City Council), and Cr. Michael Banasik (Wollondilly Shire Council), as well as numerous council officers, stakeholders and community members.