Severe weather event
Ms VALLENCE (Evelyn) (09:38): Today marks the one-year anniversary of the 9 June 2021 storms that ravaged communities right across the Yarra Ranges—floods in Yering, Yarra Glen and Coldstream and cyclone-like winds ripping 100-metre trees clear out of the ground across roads and properties in communities including Mooroolbark, Lilydale, Silvan, Mount Evelyn and Montrose, right up to Kalorama, Olinda and Mount Dandenong. The homes of around 80 families were utterly devastated that night. Tens of thousands of residents were cut off from power and water for weeks. I take the opportunity to again thank the tremendous efforts of all emergency services who responded, including volunteers at the Lilydale SES, the Emerald SES, the Kalorama CFA and many other local CFA brigades, and the Yarra Ranges police. Thank you to all members of the community who helped in whatever way—offered shelter, helped with the community foodbank, donated food or blankets or offered a hug as residents came to terms with the devastation. And thanks to Yarra Ranges council for continuing the recovery.
Twelve months after the disaster our communities continue to grapple with the long-lasting impacts. You only need to drive around the area to see the damage and the troubling levels of fallen trees and debris around the Silvan Reservoir, and we are still waiting for adequate disaster-relief funding to be released by the Andrews Labor government. However, we have listened to SES volunteers. We have announced that we will build a new SES unit up in the Olinda-Monbulk area. Only a Guy Liberal government will get it done, and I commend Gareth Ward, the Liberal candidate in Monbulk, for getting this done.