Section 1: Introduction

The role of the Birrarung Council as the voice for the River

The Birrarung Council is mandated through the Yarra River Protection (Wilip-gin Birrarung murron) Act 2017 (the Birrarung Act) to be a voice of Birrarung (Yarra River).

Wilip-gin Birrarung murron means 'keep the River alive' in Woiwurrung language, and these words guide the actions of the Birrarung Council as we provide independent advice to the Minister for Water on how the River and its lands can be cared for.

Our members are appointed by the Minister for Water and include requisite Indigenous representation from 2 Traditional Owner groups (Appendix 1). The traditional rights and interests of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and the Bunurong Peoples are recognised in the lands through which Birrarung flows.

This is the fourth annual report of the Birrarung Council. Since our first report there has been significant progress in the development and implementation of Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo: Yarra Strategic Plan 2022–32 by the 14 responsible public entities led by Melbourne Water as designated ‘lead agency’ by the Minister for Water.

This progress has included increasingly detailed reporting by the lead agency and so this year, our Birrarung Council report has deliberately left out details already covered in the lead agency Annual Report which is also tabled in Parliament.

The level of collaboration between responsible public entities and progress being made on priorities highlighted in previous Birrarung Council Annual Reports has allowed us to focus attention on some more strategic and less operational aspects of Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo implementation.

In 2024 we committed to calling Birrarung by its correct, ancestral name wherever possible, as a way to strengthen and prioritise the River as a living entity.

In 2025, we take this personifying language a step further, by removing the word ‘the’ when addressing Birrarung, demonstrating how language can empower the living entity.

We are informed by the knowledge of Traditional Custodians of Birrarung and its lands, as well as advice and feedback from other stakeholders (Appendix 2 for a summary of our activities).

Birrarung Council activities in 2024-25

One of the key priorities highlighted by the Birrarung Council in 2024-25 was the need to increase protections for Birrarung in the planning scheme.

In 2025 we celebrate the gazettal of part 2 of Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo, the land use framework, which significantly strengthens the River’s protection by amending the Victoria Planning Provisions to ensure regard is given to the statutory Yarra Protection Principles of the Birrarung Act. The Birrarung Council commends this significant development and welcomes the prominence this brings to these Principles.

We were also pleased to see the Reimagining Birrarung: Design Concepts for 2070 exhibition receive a 2025 Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) Victoria Award of Excellence for Research, Policy and Communications.

The Birrarung Council was a key partner with National Gallery Victoria (NGV) in developing this initiative, which spread the message of the River’s living entity status to a wide audience through an exhibition at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia featuring a design showcase bringing to life creative visions of a future Birrarung.

Similarly, the Birrarung Council was pleased to participate again in the Yarra Riverkeeper’s 2024 and 2025 Birrarung Riverfest programs, celebrating Birrarung and connecting with different communities across the catchment.

This year, we farewell Chris Chesterfield and welcome Uncle Andrew Gardiner as Chair of the Birrarung Council. We thank Chris for his dedication and passion chairing the Council since its inception. With Uncle Andrew Gardiner as Chair the Birrarung Council will fulfil its goal to have First Peoples leadership, a key outcome of our Walking Together Action Plan.

Yarning Circles

The Birrarung Council continued holding Yarning Circles with responsible public entities in 2025. This year we used a new format which brought senior leaders from multiple responsible public entities together to reflect on their role in implementing Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo and giving effect to the Principles of the Birrarung Act.

A key focus for this year’s Yarning Circles was our invitation to responsible public entities to prepare a statement describing their relationship with Birrarung.

Each organisation showed genuine commitment to this task, and the Birrarung Council was impressed with how these relationships were articulated. This different approach to these important conversations about the River has been positively received.

Yarning Circles follow established Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung protocols using a talking stick and an informal circular seating arrangement (see Appendix 3). These are welcoming gatherings with open, reciprocal communication designed to foster honest dialogue between the Birrarung Council and responsible public entities.

Senior leaders who manage actions or have decision-making responsibilities along the Birrarung can explore different themes and issues relating to the work of implementing Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo and share examples of how they are adapting their own governance, strategy and practices to give effect to the goals and Principles of the Birrarung Act.

Yarning Circles are valuable opportunities for Birrarung Council to observe how responsible public entities are undertaking their work as stewards of the River. Articulating their relationship to the River through their relationship statements is one way that responsible public entities can demonstrate their understanding of Birrarung as a living entity.

A second area of focus in 2025 was how well each responsible public entity is working with Traditional Custodians of the River, to recognise and empower them as planners, decision makers and delivery agents alongside local and state government.

The opportunity to calibrate these relationships both to the River and with Traditional Custodians are integral to the purpose of Yarning Circles and reflect key principles of the Birrarung Act and Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo.

What the Birrarung Council learned from the Yarning Circles in 2025

Responsible public entities approached the task of creating a relationship statement in a number of diverse ways. The Birrarung Council was impressed by the thoughtfulness of these statements, the dedication shown and clear shift in mindset and understanding articulated. Just as the statements were diverse, so were the approaches taken by responsible public entities.

Some responsible public entities chose to survey their organisations and build a collective impression of what Birrarung means to their staff in the context of their work, while others chose more traditional methods to articulate how their organisation interacts with Birrarung.

In some cases, responsible public entities told us their relationship statements were not ready to share and reflected instead on the steps they were taking across their organisations, recognising that different departments might be at different points in their thinking and action in relation to understanding Birrarung as a living entity.

The Birrarung Council is impressed with the commitment to deepening understandings of the foundational importance of Birrarung as a living entity. It also notes the shifts taking place within organisations to change how the River is understood in their work.

In some cases, the relationship statement was shared publicly by the organisation soon after they shared it at the Yarning Circle. We encourage organisations to do this where possible, as a way of broadening awareness of and engagement with Birrarung as a living entity.

Yarning Circles involve active participation and open and respectful communication that sits well outside the usual governmental approaches. They have the power to transform the way responsible public entities think about waterways and their lands.

The River forms a boundary for some responsible public entities, and this can hinder thinking about its care. Yet in responding to the challenge of creating a relationship statement, some of these responsible public entities connected with the role of the River as it wrapped around their geographical area in an embrace.

Others showed us they were open to new ways of seeing Birrarung as fundamental to the health of all living things, aligned with Traditional Custodians’ ways of being in relation with the living River.

At the core of many of the challenges in upholding the Birrarung Act we have observed some responsible public entities have a gap in perception and understanding of Birrarung as a living entity and we are committed to working with them to broach this gap.

The continued state of colonisation means we are all at very different stages of our learning about and understanding of First Peoples perspectives. We approach these gaps with respect and care, understanding people may not have had the opportunity to learn about Aboriginal culture and custodial responsibilities due to uneven approaches (both historical and contemporary) across all aspects of education.

We are committed to working together to illuminate what it means to be in relation to Birrarung, to know Birrarung as a living entity that we must respect, protect and empower for ourselves today and, importantly, all those who are yet to come.

Uncle Dave Wandin, in the Elder’s Foreword, notes the necessity of getting emotionally involved. He speaks to the ways in which anyone with a relationship to the River or decision-making responsibilities for its care, must consider seriously their own role as a custodian. Long-term, culturally grounded thinking like this is central to the purpose and intent of our Yarning Circles.

We are pleased to see some senior leaders returning for their third Yarning Circle, as well as new CEOs participating for the first time. We are heartened to see groups and individuals shifting their perspectives and embracing their role as custodians.

Partnerships between Traditional Owners and responsible public entities were the other major focus of Yarning Circles in 2025. The Birrarung Council has observed continued challenges facing responsible public entities in partnering with Traditional Owners and an emerging appreciation by responsible public entities of the importance of true partnerships led by self-determination.

As we observed in our 2024 Annual Report, appropriate resourcing and early engagement with Registered Aboriginal Parties at the inception of any project remains key.

A significant improvement in 2025 was that more responsible public entities are familiar with and are utilising the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Engagement Framework. They are also expanding their understanding of what respectful partnership can look like, especially from the perspective of relationship-building.

Report preview

In Section 2 Response, we describe Birrarung Council’s response to the lead agency Melbourne Water’s Annual Report, analysing progress and indicative trends. At the 3-and-a-half-year mark of Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo we highlight areas of success and areas of concern for the next phase of implementation.

In Section 3 Achievements and Improvement we provide our observations from Yarning Circles, highlighting what has been achieved and identifying areas for improvement and analysis of barriers to change. In the final section, The way forward, we set our conclusions and reflections on priorities for the next 12 months.

Download the full report

Page last updated: 21/11/25