Tuesday, 29 August 2023

Flood recovery initiatives

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (17:37): (431) My adjournment is to the Minister for Emergency Services and relates to the significant amount of red tape surrounding disaster recovery funding arrangements that is holding up flood recovery works in Northern Victoria. Local councils like Loddon, Gannawarra and Campaspe shires experienced significant flooding, covering up to half their land area, and floodwaters destroyed roads, bridges and infrastructure. These smaller rural councils have small populations, limited rate revenue and few staff resources, yet they are being asked to provide photographic evidence of the damage, supported by engineering reports, and can only apply for up to $500,000 at a time. Loddon shire need to submit over 90 separate claims, which will take significant energy and resources that they simply do not have.

Ten months after the floods, Loddon shire have used what funds they have to fix the roads, and they depend on reimbursement. As a result the majority of roads still need work, and local businesses that require road access to feed their stock or transport milk from the dairy are suffering. Unlike other states, Victoria only permits like-for-like funding, not betterment, so instead of rebuilding a road to a standard that can withstand future floods, councils are now rebuilding some roads for a third time. In Victoria the state government has remained focused on Melbourne’s Big Build and left regional communities, like Rochester, that were devastated by the floods to fend for themselves. Over 800 homes were destroyed, and hundreds of families are still living in tents and caravans.

Queensland suffered flooding at the same time, yet the state government there has taken action. After the devastation of the floods in local communities in Queensland, the Premier appointed Major General Ellwood, a leader in the Australian Defence Force, as the state recovery coordinator to oversee and inform the state’s recovery efforts. But in Victoria clear leadership has been lacking. Since the floods Queensland has been working with the insurance and building industry to develop a code of practice that prioritises the supply of building materials and tradespeople to areas impacted by natural disasters to get people back into their homes as quickly as possible. The Queensland government also secured joint funding with the Commonwealth for flood gauges and other flood warning infrastructure across the state. New cameras are being installed to monitor floodwaters remotely in real time so communities can be better prepared in future.

The upper house flood inquiry is due to report in June next year, and with water catchments at full capacity as we enter spring, locals are concerned that history could repeat itself. I call upon the Victorian state government to look to other states like Queensland and take action to assist with current flood recovery efforts and ensure that our state is better equipped to respond in a flood emergency. We need a coordinated flood response to prioritise the supply of building materials and tradespeople to areas like Rochester. We need to invest in early warning systems, rebuild levee banks and remove the barriers for local councils to access the funds needed to restore roads and infrastructure and build back better.