L-R: Amy Crawford, Stephen Quilkey and Carolyn Hall at Peter’s Pond.

The Mulloon Institute’ CEO & Managing Director Carolyn Hall had the pleasure of hosting ministerial advisors at Mulloon Creek Natural Farms in April 2023, to provide a briefing on the Mulloon Rehydration Initiative.

Minister Tanya Plibersek’s water advisor Michael Wrathall was joined by key advisor Amy Crawford and Stephen Quilkey from the electorate office of the Hon Kirsty McBain member for Eden Monaro and Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories.

The group were treated to a tour of the MRI starting at the top of the hill at Duralla (MCNF) to see first-hand the lower Mulloon floodplain and the scale of the MRI project. From this vantage point there were able to observe the results of the landscape rehydration interventions that have reactivated flood runners on the floodplain and helped to restore the connection with the channel and hydrological processes on the floodplain. Carolyn also took the group to view a leaky weir on Mulloon Creek and explained the technical design process behind the intervention and the simplicity of the construction process.

The group discussed the various barriers to taking up of this kind of work across the country, due to state and territory based regulations which are more focussed on mitigating the impacts of development which exploits the environment than projects aimed at environmental repair.

Carolyn also explained the proposed outcomes based National Code for Landscape Rehydration as a pathway forward that has been developed by the Mulloon Law Committee. The National Code supported by standards is a way to empower farmers to take action while ensuring a high standard of environmental repair at the landscape scale.

We hope that the Ministers themselves will soon be inspired to visit Mulloon to see the results for themselves!

The Mulloon Rehydration Initiative is jointly funded through the Mulloon Institute and the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and is supported by the NSW Government’s Environmental Trust