Dear Minister Pastorelli,

Congratulations on your appointment as Western Australia's Minister for Water.

I am one of the more than 50,000 people who made a submission on the Draft Fitzroy-Derby Water Plan, calling for stronger protection of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River.

As one of your constituents, I am writing to ask you to make protecting this extraordinary river one of your priorities as Minister.

The response from Western Australians was overwhelming. WA recorded the highest participation of any state or territory, with over 10000 submissions. That means people in Western Australia participated at three times the rate of people in all other states and territories.

This shows how strongly people across our state care about the future of the Martuwarra.

As you begin your role, I ask you to listen to the community response and commit to the key priorities raised through the consultation process, including:

• Lock-in the commitment to no further surface water take and no dams 
• Significantly limit groundwater extraction to prevent largescale irrigated agriculture taking over
• Embed strong monitoring, enforcement and transparency
• Supporting Traditional Owners rights and involvement as partners, including supporting a genuine decisionmaking role
• Outline next steps of reform to deliver long-term protection of the river

The Martuwarra Fitzroy River is one of Western Australia's greatest natural treasures. As it flows through the Kimberley, it belongs in the hearts of all Western Australians.

Thank you for taking the time to hear my concerns as one of your constituents.