of planning at a catchment scale, the larger boundary may favour larger projects as opposed to smaller more localised projects. Councils will also need to show how projects that they seek external funding for fit into a bigger regional picture. It is unclear for councils who sit within multiple regions about where and how they should participate. Some councils are concerned that they will not be able to feasibly participate because their resources will be stretched between multiple numbers of forums. DELWP will play a role as a broker of information to those forums councils will not attend. informed decision. Institutional arrangements and stakeholder involvement There are internal contradictions in the framework. On the one hand there is a strong focus on agencies understanding institutional arrangements (p 12), while at the same time a recognition of the need to be flexible and work outside of the institutional arrangements. There are many reviews occurring on institutional arrangements which may lead councils to be concerned about the The framework provides an opportunity to work outside of the current institutional arrangements where there is a shared vision and community need. Rather than focussing on ‘clarifying’ arrangements (p 12), it would be beneficial for the framework to focus on how IWM has a purpose which transcends individual accountabilities providing the opportunity to innovatively deliver a shared vision, often with Communication messages need to be developed emphasising that the purpose of the forums is to facilitate shared planning and flexible delivery options.
A number of institutions are also working in IWM (E.g. CRC for Water Sensitive Cities on the Elster Creek catchment). It is also unclear how their work will feed into the forums and sub groups. Include detail on how state government agencies and departments, institutions, developers and the community will be able to participate in forums or project work. Give more consideration to how community and developer views can be accommodated in the forums. State Government investment The framework will allow potential projects to come to the attention of a multitude of organisations, including DELWP, which will increase funding opportunities for councils. DELWP funding for the planning and delivery of projects appears to be opportunistic. Release any funding for IWM projects in a systematic prioritised format to encourage councils to prepare for forums and to want to participate in forums by providing an incentive. Resources required by participating agencies We are pleased that DELWP has committed resources to support the forums. We are also supportive of water authorities leading the approach, given their specialist water management knowledge. Many councils are concerned they do not have enough staff, expertise or time to commit to participating in the forums. This is particularly true of regional / Articulate in the document that DELWP will outline guidance and information before the first forums to lay the groundwork in setting out expectations and what agencies need to bring to them. Provide a ‘water liaison planning team’ to support councils / forum groups to understand the opportunities and challenges within their region. There is an opportunity to provide further support to councils through the
Element of Framework Comment Suggestion for changes to the document Suggestions for implementation Implementation and maintenance Consideration should be given to delivery and ongoing maintenance requirements for projects. While this is not where the discussions should start, it can become a sticking point between organisations and is worthwhile developing material to support conversations. Develop draft template agreements that can be used to clarify implementation and maintenance arrangements. Monitoring and reporting Monitoring, reporting and evaluation is not strongly featured in the framework. The sample template in Appendix A has a ‘monitoring, evaluation and feedback’ section under project ‘implementation’, however the process for this to occur is not described in text and there is no mention of how the full program will be reported on across Victoria. It will be important to elaborate on this area within text to ensure that we: Build on expertise and knowledge, allowing lessons to be shared. Document how successful a project and /or the framework is working. Incorporate monitoring, reporting and evaluation into the process to evaluate process, projects, regional and Victorian outcomes. Develop transparent reporting processes that span across all forums to communicate the successes and challenges arising from the framework.