28/10/2026
Thanks team!!
At the end of October we farewell the remaining members of the Drought Employment Program after a pretty big 12 months of activity with the CMA.
This Victorian Government-funded program was designed to help people whose employment or income had been adversely by the drought conditions in southwest Victoria find meaningful employment locally, and offered to upskill them for greater opportunity of employment in the future.
A total of 8 people have been employed by the CMA through the program delivering 382 days of work.
Over that time, 15 training events have been provided to develop skills of participants across the areas of farm chemical usage, chainsaw operation, fencing, safe 4wd driving, first aid and tree falling.
The crew have been put to work assisting a number of signficant natural resource management projects delivered by the CMA including projects on the Victorian Volcanic Grasslands, Land Health Soil sampling, Estuary opening management, work in the Lower Glenelg Ramsar area, Rivers of Warrnambool Flagship Waterways Project, projects on the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, as well as the Grampians Bushfire Recovery Program, Skipton-Streatham Bushfire Recovery effort and other regional works.
There have also been 8 Landcare and Community Land Management Groups that have received assistance from the crew.
This incredible work and training effort has resulted in the following on ground results;
· 24,000 plants planted and counting ... they are continuing to round out their time with us on sites this week!
· 52 hectares of native vegetation established.
· 55 hectares of woody w**d control.
· 5 landholders assisted with refencing and stock containment in the wake of the Skipton Streatham bushfires.
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
Landcare Victoria
Agriculture Victoria
Victorian Farmers Federation
