Related Links

reduce text increase text email friend print
Home > Water in the Environment > Have Your Say - Waterway Survey

Have Your Say - Waterway Survey

More than 6000 Victorians have had their say on local waterways in world-first research.

The survey, which was open to all Victorian adults from June - October 2009, is closed.

The survey is part of the Victorian River Health Social Benchmarking project - world-first research, looking at the social importance of waterways on a large scale.

The findings will be used to inform waterway management throughout the State.

Victoria University and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) are leading the project, on behalf of the Department of Sustainability and Environment. Melbourne Water and catchment management authorities have been involved in its development.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the My Victorian Waterway Survey?

The survey is part of the Victorian River Health Social Benchmarking project – world-first research into the social importance of waterways, including lakes, rivers, creeks, wetlands and estuaries.

The project will build strongly upon our waterway managers’ knowledge of community expectations, attitudes and behaviours towards waterways and their management.

This knowledge will inform waterway management practices and policy, including the Victorian Strategy for the Health of Rivers, Estuaries and Wetlands, currently being developed to replace the 2002 Victorian River Health Strategy.

2. How long was the survey available for?

The survey was available online from June until early October 2009. 

3. Who participated in the survey?

The survey was available online for all Victorian adults for more than four months. Researchers also sent more than 20,000 surveys to stakeholders, including people living beside waterways.

Back to Top

4. Who is running the research?

The survey and broader Victorian River Health Social Benchmarking Project is coordinated by the Department of Sustainability and Environment, in conjunction with Melbourne Water and catchment management authorities. It has been developed by working with Victorian social scientists, Victoria University and Queensland University of Technology.  

5. Will the survey results be made public?

All individual survey responses remain anonymous.

Overall, reserach findings will be shared with Victorians once the data has been compiled and assessed. The research will be used to inform waterway management practices and policy. In particular, it will be very important in the development of the Victorian Strategy for the Health of Rivers, Estuaries and Wetlands, currently being developed to replace the 2002 Victorian River Health Strategy. A draft strategy is due out for public comment in 2010.

6. Why is a Queensland university (QUT) involved?

The Victorian River Health Social Benchmarking project is coordinated by the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne Water and catchment management authorities. It has been developed in conjunction with Victorian social scientists, Victoria University and Queensland University of Victoria (QUT).

The two universities were engaged because they could provide the specific expertise needed by this world-first research project. Both universities have social science experts with a specialised understanding of community evaluation of waterway health. Also, they both ran the successful 2007 pilot of the project in three Victorian catchment management areas.

7. Why is it ‘world-first research’?

Worldwide, there is not much research into the social importance of waterways and there is no known research of this scale or depth so far.

Victoria is the national leader in monitoring and managing the physical health of our waterways but until now, nothing of this scale has been done to understand their social importance.

8. Where can I find more information?

Contact the Department of Sustainability and Environment’s Customer Service Centre to have your query directed.

Back to Top

Last updated 12/10/2009