The Albanese Labor Government is investing $3 million to improve habitat for platypuses and Queensland lungfish in the Bremer, Woogaroo and Brisbane catchments.
Funded under the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program, the project will include tree planting and bank stabilisation across nine priority sites, supporting healthier waterways and the recovery of local populations of aquatic species.
The project will also support increased resilience of the Brisbane and Woogaroo catchment to flood impacts, as well as providing the Ipswich community with better access to nature.
Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek said the project was part of the Government’s $200 million investment in projects that help community groups, non-governmental organisations, councils and First Nations groups clean up and restore their local rivers and waterways. This includes activities like planting native species along creeks and building small-scale wetlands to improve water quality.
“We want to leave nature better off for our kids and grandkids, and that means repairing damage to our environment and better protecting it for the future,” Minister Plibersek said.
“That’s why we’re investing $200 million in projects to revitalise our urban rivers and creeks. We want to support the groups on the ground who understand the needs in their community and are working to better manage and restore their local environment.
“Nearly half of all nationally listed threatened animals and a quarter of our threatened plants occur in urban areas. We need to act now to protect them.”
Member for Blair Shayne Neumann said Ipswich City Council’s waterways monitoring had shown the devastating impact of the 2022 floods on the city’s platypus populations with DNA traces confirming the once strong platypus population in creeks and waterways across Ipswich was now on the brink.
“This funding will be crucial to cleaning up Ipswich’s rivers and creeks. Efforts to improve water quality, preserve natural habitats, reduce sediment entering our waterways and counter erosion will benefit not only platypuses but the entire waterway’s ecosystem,” Mr Neumann said.
“The $3 million investment delivers on my election promise to support the work of Ipswich City Council for flood recovery and resilience projects along the Bremer River and its tributaries.
“Works will improve water quality and conditions for our native species such as the platypus, fish and birdlife, with projects at sites along the Bremer, Brisbane and Woogaroo catchments.”
Rehabilitation projects are planned for works on the Bremer River, Brisbane River and Woogaroo, Bundamba and Ironpot Creeks.
