Victoria’s water sector is set to benefit from new board appointments that better represent the growing diversity of the state and its regional communities, Minister for Water Harriet Shing said today.
The Minister (pictured) announced the appointment of 125 board members to Victoria’s 18 water corporations, nine Catchment Management Authorities, and the Victorian Environmental Water Holder, bringing new skills and perspectives into the water sector, making the total number of board members 227.
“Victoria’s water entities have a strong history of dedicated representatives and these appointments continue our work in establishing a culture of fairness, diversity, expertise and equity,” said Minister Shing.
“We expect a lot from our water sector organisations, and they deliver – with low water bills compared to the rest of Australia, efficient use of water resources, working with communities to restore and manage environmental values, and helping communities face challenges like flooding, climate change and bushfires.”
She said the selection process was overseen by an independent panel, who brought an increased focus on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse appointments to ensure the leadership of Victoria’s water entities better represents the communities they serve.
People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds now make up 19% of board appointments across the sector, in keeping with the growing diversity of our regions.
Female representation on water boards was as low as 38% in 2014. The appointments announced today mean that 57% of board directors – and 17 out of 28 chair roles across the sector – are now women.
The number of Aboriginal board members has also increased to 21, up from 11 in 2019 and 13 in 2021. With this increased representation, 19 out of 28 water sector Boards will have an Aboriginal board member.
Minister Shing said the new board members will be responsible for guiding Victoria’s water organisations through challenges such as climate change, a growing population and bushfire preparedness.
“These board appointments also put local people in local leadership roles, with 72 of the board members appointed coming from Regional Victoria, meaning Regional Victorians make up 55% of board positions,” she said.
For a full list of board members visit, water.vic.gov.au/about-us/how-we-work-with-water-corporations/governance-and-planning/water-corporation-board-appointments.
