Environment Victoria

At the last River Peoples’ Forum in 2024, we heard directly from Traditional Owners about how they are caring for river Country – and what’s needed to deliver long-overdue water justice across the Murray–Darling.

This year, Brendan Kennedy and Grant Rigney from Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN) return to take the conversation further – sharing what’s next in the fight for water justice, and how we can all play a role ✊🏾✊🏼

Reserve your place at the 2026 River Peoples Forum now - tickets are free but limited: https://envict.org/riverforum

💧 River Peoples' Forum 2026
📅 Friday 19 June
⏰ 9:00AM – 6:00PM
📍 The Lower Murray Inn, Swan Hill / Wadi Wadi & Wamba Wamba Country

URGENT CALL FOR HELP from Friends of Nyah Vinifera Park ‼️

Jacquie Kelly and others have been camping at the gate of Nyah-Vinifera Park for a week now in a last-ditch effort to stop bulldozers and machines destroying wildlife, wetlands and Red Gums in this iconic Murray floodplain forest.

Earlier this month, Friends of Nyah-Vinifera Park and Environmental Justice Australia lost their case in the Federal Court to stop the Victorian Government’s dubious wetland engineering Justice Australia lost their case in the Federal Court to stop the Victorian Government’s dubious wetland engineering scheme there.

Now, they’re calling on the community for more support.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

📰 Stay up to date with what’s happening on the ground. Follow Friends of Nyah Vinifera Park on Facebook.

✊🏼✊🏿 If you can, head down to Nyah-Vinifera Park to find out what’s happening and show your support.

📣 Call your elected representatives. Demand they stop the wetland engineering works at Nyah-Vinifera Park.

☎️ Call Murray Watt, Federal Environment Minister: (02) 6277 7920

☎️ Call Jacinta Allen, Victorian Premier: (03) 9651 5000

As the cost of polluting energy skyrockets, investment in local clean energy & battery storage is bringing bills down 😎

Can't blockade the wind, can't run out of sunshine!

Full story here https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/26/power-bills-drop-fall-australia-energy-default-market-offer

On Saturday, 170+ activists, local leaders, environmentalists and comrades came together in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs for the Climate Convergence.
We are incredibly proud to have been part of this movement-building event, demonstrating that people power here in Victoria is alive and well.
We had workshops, skill sharing, delicious food, dancing, and importantly, energised each other - knowing we are all here, working towards the same goal: bold climate action this election.

We have so much more to say, but for now, we want to say THANK YOU to each and every person who gave their time and energy to the event.

The Climate Convergence was hosted and run by many amazing partner organisations, including: Asian Australians for Climate Solutions , Lighter Footprints, Friends of the Earth Melbourne, Geelong Sustainability, Gippsland Climate Change Network, Real Deal for Geelong, Jewish Climate Network - Australia, Chisholm Climate Action Network - and many more!
Together, we built solidarity, and it fills us with hope for what we can achieve when we work together.

Ps. if you need a sign, or are inspired to get more involved, consider joining our Action Network to start working on climate solutions in your local community. https://environmentvictoria.org.au/action-network/join/

📷 by Julian Meehan

It’s National Volunteer Week this week, and we want to say thank you to every single person who gives their time, energy and care to this movement and our work.

Environment Victoria is built on people power. From community stalls to phone banking, office support, events, data entry, organising, and campaigning, none of this work happens without volunteers.

Today we want to shout out our incredible office volunteer team, who help keep everything running behind the scenes.

"Together they bustle, chat, and cheer,
A team that brightens the atmosphere.
From piano notes to wilderness calls,
Their spirit echoes through office walls.
Five volunteers, each one a star -
Showing how brilliant our vollies are."

Their work supports our staff, campaigns and the broader environmental movement every single week.

Thank you for everything you do. This movement is stronger because of you ❤️.

A big thank you to the 1000 people in our community who made a submission to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review 💧

This is a huge year for the future of Australia's largest river system, with both the Basin Plan and Water Act Reviews taking place.

It's people like you that give a voice to the river – and all the fish, frogs, plants and birds that call it home 💙

Together let's keep speaking out!

Victoria is facing a feral deer explosion, yet this desctructive species remains protected under the state's Wildlife Act.

Farmers, communities and wildlife are paying the price for this policy failure. People like Karin Ruff, who owns a 4 hectare block at Yanakie in South Gippland:

"Recreational hunting is being prioritised over primary producers and the bush.

We need deer declared an invasive pest so parks, councils and landholders can actually work together.”