2 November 2023
The Minister for Planning has released her assessment of the environmental effects of both the Vinifera and Nyah floodplain restoration projects under the Environment Effects Act 1978. The Minister’s assessment completes the environment assessment process for these projects, and has been provided to the proponent and statutory decision-makers.
The Minister’s assessment concludes that both Vinifera and Nyah would result in some significant adverse impacts during construction, however both can also achieve an overall improvement to biodiversity in these floodplain environments, subject to further analysis and measures in accordance with the assessment.
The assessment also concludes that while residual environmental impacts can be acceptably managed, that is contingent upon effective implementation of key mitigations and an environmental management regime consistent with that endorsed by a standing inquiry and advisory committee and refined through the assessment.
Vinifera and Nyah are two of the nine projects forming the wider Victorian Murray Floodplain Restoration Project (VMFRP). The VMFRP aims to return a more natural inundation regime, post river regulation, across 14,000 hectares of high-ecological-value Murray River floodplain in Victoria.
The Minister’s assessment will inform the approval decisions required for each of the projects to proceed, including the Commonwealth approval decisions under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Read more about the environmental assessment process undertaken for the projects.
Page last updated: 30/11/23