“Hooray”, we’ve reached 3,000 signatures.

Thank you to all who have signed the petition and helped to keep it going.

At this point, I’d like to return to an earlier petition Update titled “Western Port Country”, for therein lies the spirit of this petition.  See the Petition Update: 6 November 2024.

In raising the Western Port Country concept with MPs and suggesting there is more to Western Port than just its coastal ecosystem, I’ve tried to expand their vision to take on board the concept that they are dealing with a bioregion that encompasses the Western Port water catchment area.

It extends from Mount Dandenong along the southern slopes of The Great Dividing Range to San Remo.  Its western area includes Phillip Island and follows through the centre of Mornington Peninsula.

According to The Integrated Water Management Forums, this landscape varies from agricultural areas, parks, natural woodlands and sandy beaches, to densely populated and expanding urban areas on the fringe of Melbourne.

The region includes the four councils bordering Western Port: Mornington Peninsula Shire Council; City of Casey; Cardinia Shire Council; and Bass Coast Shire Council and while they are autonomous, under a legislated regional strategic management plan, their efforts could be coordinated as a way of sustaining the region’s biodiverse and economic future.  

There is a precedent for the regional approach: “One Gippsland”.  It is the peak regional advocacy body representing the Gippsland region.  “We aim to connect the dots between government, business and community, while collectively working together to champion the interests of our region and our people.”  See: https://onegippsland.org/

I think we can do the same for Western Port Country: a region defined by its environment rather than its current administrative boundaries and parochial thinking.

Photo: FreeImages