What Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority does

Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority (GHCMA) is a statutory authority established in 1997 by the State Government of Victoria under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 and the Water Act 1989, responsible for protecting and enhancing land, water, and biodiversity across 26,910 sq km of Victoria's South-West. One of ten Victorian Catchment Management Authorities, GHCMA holds delegated, exclusive powers for floodplain management, waterway management (Works on Waterways licensing), and environmental water management. Core service lines include floodplain management (flood investigations, flood advice, Community Flood Intelligence Portal), works on waterways licensing and advice, water for the environment (seasonal watering plans and environmental flows from Rocklands Reservoir into the Glenelg River), and estuary management across eight major estuaries supported by the Estuary Entrance Management Support System (EEMSS). Supporting programs comprise Citizen Science (Waterwatch, EstuaryWatch), Landcare support, grants administration, the Green Sheep Project for agricultural sustainability, and the Saving 17 on the VVP grassland conservation project.

GHCMA employs over 40 staff across three programs — Waterway & Catchment Health, Business & Finance, and Partnership & Investment — headquartered in Hamilton, Victoria, with a Board of nine community representatives appointed by the relevant Minister. The authority serves a 137,000-resident region plus year-round tourism, encompassing 220 km of coastline, 142,360 ha of marine environment, and 7,600 mapped wetlands (117,000 ha). It operates Platycam, the world's only livestream of platypus in the wild, and produces educational resources including the Pondcast podcast and monthly eNewsletter.

The business model is predominantly government appropriation from the Victorian Government (DEECA) supplemented by federal Natural Heritage Trust grants, with minor fee-for-service income from statutory licensing (e.g., Works on Waterways licence A$345.40 base fee, Waterway Advice A$207.20, Data Request A$1,122.60). Delivery relies on an ecosystem of partners: four Traditional Owner Aboriginal Corporations (Barenji Gadjin Land Council, Eastern Maar, Gunditj Mirring, Wadawurrung), 11 local government councils, Southern Rural Water, Wannon Water, BirdLife Australia, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Arthur Rylah Institute, and Landcare networks. Quantifiable outcomes include an 80% salinity reduction and A$34 million in estimated economic benefits from Glenelg River environmental flows.

Name

Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority

Legal name

Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority

Website

https://ghcma.vic.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority is a Victorian Government statutory authority that protects and manages land, water, and biodiversity across 26,910 sq km of south-west Victoria. It delivers floodplain management, waterway licensing, environmental water, and estuary management services to landholders, councils, Traditional Owners, and communities, funded primarily by government appropriation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catchment Management Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Flood Control & Protection Infrastructure (Levees, Floodwalls, Gates, Pump Stations) (EUANAEAI), Stormwater Management & MS4 Compliance Services (BPALAMAL), Water Quality & Watershed/Hydrologic Modeling (SWMM/HEC-RAS, Flood/Runoff/Nutrient) (EUAHAKAF)

Keywords

• Catchment management services
• Waterway regulation services
• Floodplain management services
• Environmental water management
• Biodiversity conservation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Core operational funding from Victorian State Government for catchment management, environmental water management, floodplain management, and natural resource management programs.
2. Statutory Fees and Licenses: Fee for service products including Works on Waterways licenses ($345.40 base fee), waterway advice applications ($207.20 base fee), flood advice applications, and data requests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority is a Victorian State Government statutory authority that protects and enhances land, water, and biodiversity across 26,910 square kilometres of south-west Victoria. It delivers integrated catchment management services including floodplain management, waterway regulation (Works on Waterways licensing), environmental water management, estuary entrance management, biodiversity programs, sustainable agriculture facilitation, and citizen science. It is funded primarily by the Victorian Government with supplementary federal grants and statutory fee income.

Product overview

Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority is a Victorian government authority providing environmental management services across 26,910 sq km of Victoria's South-West. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected services including floodplain management (flood investigations, advice, and the Community Flood Intelligence Portal), waterway management (Works on Waterways licensing and designated waterway mapping), environmental water management (seasonal watering plans and environmental flows), and estuary management. Supporting programs include Citizen Science initiatives (Waterwatch/EstuaryWatch), Landcare support, grants administration, and educational resources such as the Pondcast podcast and fact sheets. The organization also operates Platycam, the world's only platypus livestream, and delivers the Green Sheep Project for agricultural sustainability. These services collectively protect and enhance land, water, and biodiversity across the region's catchments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Platycam: World's only livestream of platypus in the wild, installed over the Grange Burn in Hamilton, Victoria. Showcases waterway health and platypus conservation.
• Green Sheep Project
• Saving 17 on the VVP

Products and services

• Works on Waterways Licence Statutory permission product issued to landholders, developers, councils and other parties who need to undertake construction or works activities in, on, or near declared waterways within the Glenelg Hopkins region.
• Waterway and Flood Advice Paid statutory advisory service providing waterway, flood, and coastal hazard advice to councils, landholders, developers, and other parties.
• Environmental Data Requests Paid service providing access to the Authority's environmental monitoring data sets to external requesters for research, planning, or compliance purposes.
• Environmental Water Management Services Planning, delivery, and reporting on environmental watering events to support waterways, floodplains, and wetlands in the Glenelg Hopkins region.
• Estuary Management Services Management of estuary entrances across the region, supported by the EEMSS (Estuary Entrance Management Support System) tool and operationalised under the Authority's statutory remit.
• Floodplain Management Services Floodplain management planning and delivery, including flood studies and warnings, to reduce flood risk for communities across the region.
• Waterwatch Program Community-based citizen science program that engages volunteers to monitor waterway health across the region, contributing to a long-term water quality database.
• EstuaryWatch Program Community-based citizen science program engaging volunteers to monitor estuary health across the region, building a long-term estuary dataset.
• Platycam Livestream Public 24/7 livestream of platypuses in their natural habitat, used for community engagement, education, and citizen science.
• Community Flood Intelligence Portal Online portal providing the community with flood intelligence, information and warnings for the Glenelg Hopkins region.
• Landcare Support and Coordination Coordination, funding and on-ground support to Landcare networks and groups across the Glenelg Hopkins region, delivered through Regional Landcare Coordinators.
• Sustainable Agriculture Facilitation Engagement service working with landholders to deliver sustainable agriculture outcomes across the region.
• Aboriginal Landcare Facilitation Facilitation service supporting Aboriginal people to be on Country and deliver Aboriginal Landcare activities across the region.
• Green Sheep Project Project delivered in partnership with landholders to improve biodiversity and revegetation on farms across the region.
• Pondcast Podcast Podcast produced by the Authority covering waterway, biodiversity, and catchment management topics for the community.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% reduction in salinity concentrations due to environmental water flows
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Barenji Gadjin Land CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraditional Owner group whose traditional lands and waters overlap with the Glenelg Hopkins region. Partnership for land and water management, cultural heritage protection, and Indigenous Protected Areas.
• Eastern Maar Aboriginal CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraditional Owner group partnered for managing Country across the region. Involvement in joint-managed National Parks, Indigenous Protected Areas, and private land holdings.
• Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraditional Owner group collaborating on land and water management. Associated with Budj Bim heritage and joint management of Country.
• Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraditional Owner group partnered for managing traditional lands and waters in the region.
• Southern Rural WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages water for stock, domestic, irrigation and commercial purposes; licenses for dams, bores, groundwater and surface water; water transfers. One of three key agencies managing water in south-west Victoria.
• Wannon WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages water collection, storage, filtration, delivery, and wastewater treatment. One of three key agencies managing water in south-west Victoria.
• Local Government Councils (11 municipalities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with councils including Ararat, Ballarat, Corangamite, Glenelg, Horsham, Moyne, Northern Grampians, Pyrenees, Southern Grampians, Warrnambool, and West Wimmera for natural resource management integration.
• Victorian Environmental Water HoldercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGHCMA works with VEWH to ensure water for the environment achieves the best environmental outcomes. VEWH releases Seasonal Watering Plan annually.
• BirdLife AustraliamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Recovery Project, coordinating the annual Red Tail Cocky Count with 218+ volunteers across the region.
• Royal Botanic Gardens VictoriamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in Adamson's Blown-grass conservation project, collecting and banking seeds of threatened grassland species.
• Woorndoo-Chatsworth Landcare GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Landcare partner for Saving 17 on VVP project, hosting Seed Production Area for threatened grassland plants.
• David Franklin's Grassland NurserymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner providing grassland nursery facilities and expertise for seed production area.
• Arthur Rylah InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting annual fish monitoring surveys and providing technical expertise for threatened species projects.
• Holbrook Landcare Network (NSW)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in national Green Sheep Project, one of four NRM organizations delivering the project across Australia.
• Southern NRM (Tasmania)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in national Green Sheep Project, one of four NRM organizations delivering the project across Australia.
• Wheatbelt NRM (Western Australia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in national Green Sheep Project, one of four NRM organizations delivering the project across Australia.
• Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government department providing funding through programs including Nature Fund, and policy guidance for catchment management.
• Australian Government (Natural Heritage Trust)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal funding partner for projects including South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Recovery Project and Green Sheep Project.
• Nature Glenelg TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in establishing new threatened plant populations as part of Saving 17 on VVP project.
• Department of Transport and PlanningmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in establishing new threatened plant populations as part of grassland conservation efforts.
• Portland Bay PressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner in Southern Bent-wing Bat project, contributing to outreach and engagement activities.
• SEA LandcareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner contributing volunteer hours to Southern Bent-wing Bat habitat improvement project.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority: Victorian CMA covering the Port Phillip and Westernport region; same legislative basis, comparable programs in floodplain management, waterways, and urban-adjacent catchment health.
• Mallee Catchment Management Authority: Victorian CMA serving the Mallee region with delegated powers under the same Acts; comparable scope (floodplain management, environmental water, salinity management) and similar reliance on State appropriations.
• North Central Catchment Management Authority: One of Victoria's ten Catchment Management Authorities, operating under the same legislative framework (Water Act 1989, Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994) with delegated floodplain, waterway, and environmental water powers across north-central Victoria. Closest structural peer to GHCMA.
• Wimmera Catchment Management Authority: Victorian CMA managing the Wimmera region with the same statutory mandate and government funding model; comparable staff scale and program portfolio across floodplain, waterways, and biodiversity.
• North East Catchment Management Authority: Victorian CMA for the north-east region operating under the same legislation; comparable floodplain, waterway, and biodiversity programs with shared State funding architecture.
• Corangamite Catchment Management Authority: Adjacent Victorian CMA covering the Corangamite region with shared boundary and overlapping stakeholder base; delivers the same statutory functions (floodplain, waterway, environmental water) and is governed by the same legislative regime.
• West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority: Victorian CMA covering West Gippsland with identical statutory mandate; peer in floodplain management, environmental water delivery, and Landcare/Traditional Owner partnerships.
• Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority: One of the larger Victorian CMAs operating under the same statutory framework; comparable functions (floodplain, waterway, environmental water) with an established track record in regional NRM delivery.
• East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority: Victorian CMA managing East Gippsland under the same statutory framework; structural peer in catchment-scale floodplain, environmental water, and biodiversity delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Murray-Darling Basin Authority: Federal authority overseeing water resources across the Murray-Darling Basin, intersecting with GHCMA on environmental water planning and basin-scale policy; broader scope but overlapping mandate on water resource management.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GlenelgHopkinsCMA
• Xx.com/GHCMA
• Facebookfacebook.com/GlenelgHopkinsCMA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority