Campaspe Shire Council rolled out its heavy hitters at the Echuca public hearing for the Inquiry into the 2022 Flood Event in Victoria.
Mayor Rob Amos, chief executive Pauline Gordon and emergency services manager Shannon Maynard presented at the hearing, highlighting a raft of issues that hampered the various authorities’ efforts to effectively tackle the disaster.
Among those was a lack of role clarity and accountability, particularly in relation to the establishment of a temporary levee in Echuca.
The speakers said council had a lack of staff resources to support the many flood-impacted communities across the shire while also performing multiple roles for days without a break, and there was a lack of data sharing by the Victorian Government
They also said government red tape and blockages hampered council’s efforts to access funding needed to repair the extensive list of damaged infrastructure.
Council’s submission to the hearing told of a lack of clarity about the different roles and responsibilities between the Victorian Government’s Emergency Management Victoria, VICSES and council.
This lack of clarity not only led to confusion and misunderstanding in the community, but it also fuelled community angst and directed blame for decisions towards council, when these decisions were made by other authorities.
More than 40 per cent of council staff were directly impacted by the flood. Those who could, showed up every day to support the community, many juggling multiple roles and working for days on end, fatigued and without adequate breaks.
Despite the devastating impact of this event, council continued to deliver normal services, including libraries, maternal child health, childcare, waste collection as well as many other services relied upon by our community.
The government would not share data gathered from impact assessments it had conducted with some residents, and this caused a raft of problems for council and the community in terms of managing follow-up processes, such as building matters and determining rates relief eligibility.
No-one told council that the Valuer-General was going to use the impact assessment data for the valuation process. So, council had to send teams back into Rochester to conduct another round of impact assessments with residents.
Council said bureaucratic blockages, red tape and delays in receiving funding put undue pressure on council resources and budgetary processes.
Council has raised this matter at both federal and state levels, and while there is some acknowledgement of the concerns and frustrations, it said more certainty was needed about whether requested funding to repair the full scope of damaged assets would be honoured and provided in a timely fashion.