 In September, the Victorian Government passed the Yarra River Protection, Willoughbyn Birorong-Marron Act, relating to the protection of the Yarra River. It seeks to, well, protect the Yarra River as a single living natural entity. It also seeks to set up the Birorong Council to be an important advisory committee to advise on the protection and management of the Yarra River. What's interesting about the Birorong Council is that it has a requirement for at least two traditional owner representatives on it. It's described in the legislation, this council is being the independent voice of the river. I think it's very exciting. Certainly having looked at the history of Victoria's water legislation over the years and the lack of recognition of the importance of traditional owner knowledge and experience and the need to include traditional owners in management, I think it's an amazing step forward. I guess the importance of this Act for traditional owners really was signified by the fact that the Wurundjeri Elders were invited to speak on the floor of parliament when it was first introduced. And they spoke about how important the Yarra River was to them and how important it was that this Act recognised how important the Yarra River was for them. And that itself, having the traditional owners speak on the floor of parliament as the traditional owners, was the first time that that had ever occurred in Victoria. There have been similar moves worldwide, particularly in New Zealand where the Wanganui River has been recognised as an indivisible living whole with a guardian to represent an independent guardian. As a legal entity you can sue and be sued. Obviously a river is non-human so it can't actually do that itself so it needs somebody to do it on its behalf and that would be the role of the guardian. And that's where some of the similarities with this legislation in Victoria emerge. There is a bit of a difference in that the actual river itself has been given legal personality with the guardian to represent it whereas in Victoria we have the Bureau on Council just advocating on behalf of the river but the Yarra River itself hasn't been given legal personality.