State Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh and State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell have responded to the final report for the Inquiry into the 2022 Flood Event in Victoria, released on July 30 by the Victorian Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee.
Mr Walsh believes that recommendation 34 of the report “cuts to the heart of the issue” when it comes to helping Rochester from another once-in-100-years inundation after it was hit by two of those in a decade.
The recommendation is “for future events that are expected to replicate high storage and high rainfall conditions, new temporary operating rules for water storage and release are developed. These new rules must take account of the interest of those who are affected by (Lake) Eppalock’s storages, including downstream landholders”.
Mr Walsh said this week there were still more than 200 empty houses in Rochester.
“There are houses for sale across Rochester which have not even been repaired since the flood. There are people who still have parts of their lives on hold in containers, sheds and in backyard caravans,” he said.
Another recommendation calls on the government, working with local councils, to establish statewide operating guidelines for emergency relief centres.
Mr Walsh said those guidelines should include protocols on rapid activation, streamlined communication and resource mobilisation.
He believes local councils should remain empowered to tailor protocols to meet local needs.
Rochester Community House manager Amanda Logie told the inquiry that “90 per cent of our community was inundated”.
“But 100 per cent of our community has been affected by this devastation,” she said.
Rochester Community Recovery Committee chair Leigh Wilson said early on there were volunteers sitting there on their laptops with a mobile phone — but there was no NBN or phone service — processing people’s paperwork to start getting insurance claims under way.
“People lost everything. They were going back to their homes and walking out with a couple of bags of belongings. That was it,” he said.
“There just were not the boots on the ground.”
Mr Walsh also backed the recommendation that the government plans and resources recovery hubs, including online access, sufficiently to fulfil their role in long-term community recovery and resilience building.
“Sandi Marsh, who lives at Strathallan, says her farm was flooded and they lost everything, but the only compensation was a one-off grant of $25,000,” Mr Walsh said.
“That’s a story I have heard over and over, and the inquiry is urging for more efficient and empathetic disaster recovery assistance programs.
“It noted amidst the chaos of disaster, a cumbersome process requiring considerable time and paperwork hindered access to immediate aid.
“This is a clear and systemic failure, under various ministers, to fix the system before it all went wrong and provide the resources needed.”
Mr Walsh said that while natural disasters were a part of life, mitigation and protection systems could be put in place to better support communities.
“Governments are there to protect the people, to help the people,” Mr Walsh said
“I have had an endless queue of visitors to my electorate office seeking help in navigating the ridiculously complex support applications, or helping those who have no digital access or skills.”
Ms Lovell, who was part of the committee that conducted the inquiry and delivered the report, said the ball was now well and truly in the government’s court.
She called on the government to respond meaningfully to the findings and recommendations of the report and ensure that warning systems were enhanced, residents were educated for disaster preparedness and response, local governments were resourced to maintain updated flood plans, and emergency services got the training and support they needed to deal with future natural disasters.
“Communities across Victoria were devastated by the floods of October 2022 and it has been inspiring to see the courage and resilience of residents in flood-affected areas as they build back their homes and lives,” Ms Lovell said.
“The Victorian Government needs to take seriously the findings of the flood inquiry report and fund and implement the 73 recommendations in full.
“We are likely to face more floods in the future, so it is imperative that the government adequately resources local emergency services to attract and train volunteers to deal with future disasters.”
To read the final report, visit https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/inquiries/floodinquiry/reports