State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell has tabled a motion in parliament calling for a future sitting of the Legislative Council to be held in a regional area impacted by last October’s floods.
Ms Lovell’s motion on Tuesday, March 21 recognises the serious impact of last year’s floods in Victoria and would have the Legislative Council sit in a flood-impacted community in central northern Victoria for one day in October or November 2023.
If successful, the motion would also require the Legislative Council president and clerk to consult with the Mitchell and Campaspe shire and Greater Shepparton City councils, as well as other flood-affected local government areas in northern Victoria, to choose an appropriate date and specific location for the regional sitting to occur.
“It is important that members of the Legislative Council continue to visit communities that were devastated by the October flood event to hear first-hand what additional support is needed by people as they rebuild after the floods,” Ms Lovell said.
“A regional sitting of the council in a flood-affected LGA is an ideal way for this to occur, while providing an economic boost in communities still doing it tough.”
Ms Lovell said she moved a similar motion in 2020 that resulted in the Legislative Council sitting in Bright, a community that had been hit by bushfires, providing a significant boost to the local economy.
Ms Lovell said a sitting of the council in a flood-impacted area would focus the attention of MPs on the successful region, deliver economic benefits and provide the opportunity for local schools and residents to observe state parliament at work without the need to travel to Melbourne.
When the motion will be debated is unpredictable, but it could be put to a vote in the next sitting week, which is due the first week of May.