Government responds to flood inquiry

Of the 73 recommendations, 16 are supported in full, 43 in principle, six in part, six are under review and two are not supported.

The recommendations fit into six categories: Victoria’s flood governance arrangements, planning and flood risk, flood mitigation infrastructure, flood emergency warnings, resourcing and response of the Victoria SES, and flood relief and recovery.

Recommendations that have been supported in full include:

Some of the recommendations that have been supported in principle are:

One of the recommendations that is not supported is the funding of a resilient homes program “to raise or retrofit residential properties at risk of flood inundation and which prioritises homeowners affected by the 2022 flood event”.

The report recognised the importance of submissions to the inquiry, including 58 from Echuca residents.

“The Victorian Government wishes to acknowledge the significant contributions of community members who made submissions and gave evidence to inform the final report, including those still feeling the flood event’s impacts,” it said.

“The recommendations from the final report are reflective of issues that are well-known to the Victorian Government.

“In many cases, they reflect issues that are relevant to all communities and all emergencies ... as a result, a substantial portion of the final report’s recommendations have activities under way to address key and underlying issues.”

State Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh criticised the response to the recommendations, labelling it “inadequate in the extreme“.

“Nearly 900 submissions were received by (the) Victorian Legislative Council inquiry into this flood event, and it held public hearings in flood-affected communities including Echuca and Rochester, where the town hall was packed out for the whole day,” he said.

“Yet the Labor government response to the recommendations made by the parliamentary inquiry shows nothing but callous disregard for the impassioned pleas from those making submissions and giving evidence for better preparation for future major flooding events by kicking real outcomes down the road.

“And let’s never forget, for many of those making submissions, this was their second devastating flood in 11 years.”

State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell also expressed concerns about the response, particularly to recommendations 49 and 57, which call for increased funding to Shepparton and Echuca Moama Search and Rescue organisations for volunteer training and improved response capabilities.

Both recommendations were supported in principle by the government, but the government’s response for recommendation 49 said funding would be subjected to standard budgetary processes, and for recommendation 57, the squads were able to apply for state funding through the Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program.

Ms Lovell pointed out that the VESEP only provided annual grants for new equipment, not ongoing operational funding, a potential obstacle to adopting recommendation 57.

“Despite the Allan Labor government leading the inquiry, and Labor committee members supporting the recommendations, Labor have abandoned Victoria’s two independent emergency services when it comes to implementing the report’s recommendations,” she said.

“The minister must ensure that Shepparton Search and Rescue and the Echuca Moama Search and Rescue get their fair share of funding from the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, along with all the other emergency services.”

A copy of the full response can be accessed at tinyurl.com/tabledfloodstudy