Wednesday, 8 February 2023

Floods

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (17:46): (24) My matter for adjournment tonight is for the attention of the Minister for Planning. We have seen very significant flooding events around the state, obviously in parts of country Victoria and in the Maribyrnong River Valley, with a terrible impact on many homes there. In the electorate that Ms Crozier and I represent there are some areas that face significant flooding impacts semi-regularly, but this recent outing is also a wake-up call for government to respond. The Elster Creek and the Elwood Canal run away from Port Phillip Bay, through Elwood, deep into the City of Glen Eira as far as Bentleigh and beyond. It is an area that has had significant flooding occur on a number of occasions, including recently. That puts homes at risk and leads to outcomes that none of us want to see.

With the density of development across Southern Metropolitan Region, particularly Glen Eira and the City of Port Phillip and indeed parts of Bayside – particularly those first two are relevant in this context – we see the replacement of larger, older established homes with large gardens and significant ability to absorb water with highly intense development that sees significant increased run-off occur. This intense development, including, I might say, some level crossing removals in Bentleigh and elsewhere, has exacerbated the tendency for flooding events.

What I am seeking from the Minister for Planning, who has in a sense got overall responsibility, although I accept that water and environment ministers and others have significant interests in this matter as well, is an overall strategy for this catchment and its tributaries to ensure that we have a long-term plan in place to protect the community so that we do not have these extreme flood events and so that development is staged in such a way that the run-off is not exacerbated and the flood events are not worsened by the development that is occurring. This is a long-term task and it requires a proper plan, obviously in coordination with councils and communities. In my view it is also an opportunity to ensure that there are additional parklands and additional run-off capacity, as it were, in place. If the minister can turn her mind to this particular matter I would certainly welcome that, and I think many – (Time expired)