It’s time for the Yarra River to sue the people of Victoria for failing to protect it.

We call the Birrarung our river. Yet we’ve allowed it to become a dumping ground for our waste. Every piece of plastic we discard, every polluted drain we ignore, every year we leave the problem to someone else adds to the damage.

The Birrarung is recognised as a living entity under Victorian law. So what happens when that living entity decides to hold us accountable?

We propose joining forces with the Birrarung Council and Environmental Justice Victoeria to give the river a voice, and bring a case against the people who have failed to care for it. Us.

A cease-and-desist notice posted to the people of Victoria demands we stop using the Yarra for recreation or promoting it as an attraction until we commit to protecting and caring for our waterways. It turns a familiar environmental issue into a confronting public reckoning, asking every Victorian to consider their part in the river’s decline (and its recovery).