Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Ministers statements: flood recovery

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (15:16): I would like to provide an update to the house on last week’s official opening of the Rochester recovery hub, which coincided of course with the anniversary of the floods. On Friday I joined the Premier, the mayor for Campaspe, community members and service providers to officially open the dedicated Rochester community hub located in Mackay Street, right in the heart of Rochy. We all know very well that Rochester was significantly impacted by the October 2022 floods, with an estimated 988 homes impacted, which is a huge amount for a town of that size. In fact it is the vast majority of the homes there. After the water receded, support was informal and it was delivered within the community, and it has continued to transition from the Presbyterian church to the 4Rs and across the road at the Rochester Community House, but now it has a dedicated, fit-for-purpose home.

Rather than come in over the top of those community-led efforts, our focus has been on supporting what the community have asked for. Specifically – and you are always at risk of missing out on people ‍– Leigh Wilson and Amanda Logie are just stalwarts of that community, people that have been fundamental in supporting that community and a great support to me in relation to –

Members interjecting.

Jaclyn SYMES: That is why we continue to listen to what Rochester needs. When the floods hit and when people were impacted, we responded to what they requested and that was a temporary village at Elmore. We acted on that. We know that local knowledge is essential to help deliver what support is needed most. It is also best delivered in community, and the community recovery hub program exemplifies that idea. In partnership with the federal government, we contributed almost $2 million to the Rochester community hub, along with a further $512,000 for the Campaspe shire to have recovery offices in their communities. The recovery hub provides an accessible place for organisations offering support to work with and meet clients face to face. You can get mental health support; wellbeing advice; advice on finances, building and planning; or just someone to talk to.

Like in many, many communities, such as Maribyrnong, Echuca, Shepparton and Seymour, there remain significant recovery and rebuilding challenges, but this event marked a small milestone in the ongoing recovery efforts. I congratulate the Rochester community for their efforts, their resilience and their ability to continue to work with us on the best outcomes for their people.