Council meets with Minister to advocate for flood affected communities
Published on 03 November 2023
Murrindindi Shire Council is advocating on behalf of flood-impacted communities, with Mayor John Walsh, CEO Livia Bonazzi and key staff meeting with the Minister for Water, Housing and Equality Harriet Shing MP today, to discuss advocacy priorities.
The October 2022 Floods caused devastating impacts across Murrindindi Shire, with many communities again dealing with more flooding in June and early October this year. Dozens of properties have been flooded three times in twelve months, which is clearly a concern.
Advocacy is one of Council’s important functions and is a crucial element in recovery, to ensure that our community has the resources, support and funding after an emergency, and to plan and mitigate against future disasters whilst building resilience and capacity in the community for future events. Since the October 2022 flood event, Council has been advocating to state and federal governments, and other relevant organisations on behalf of our community. The Minister acknowledged the advocacy work being undertaken by Council and the community regarding mitigating for future impacts.
A key plank of our advocacy concerns the operating rules in place for Lake Eildon as a water storage facility. Following strong community feedback, Council has corresponded with the Minister for Water and the Minister for Emergency Services, seeking a capped water level in Lake Eildon to help reduce flood risk. We have requested a review of the current rules which govern Goulburn Murray Water and its operations, including storage targets and release levels. The Minster today said that the Technical Assessment report on the operating rules for Lake Eildon will be released in March 2024, with any decisions or changes to operating rules being informed by the report recommendations and scientific evidence.
In addition, we are also seeking the urgent installation of live rain and river level gauges to help inform any response to future storm events. Without timely and accurate information, the incident control centres are left to operate blindly and unable to support impacted communities in a timely manner. The Minister confirmed an investment for the installation of further rain and river gauges across the state, with a river gauge being installed at Molesworth by December this year.
It was pleasing to hear of the Minister’s support for further investment in flood modelling across the State, to better inform planning and support resilience.
Council continues to advocate for repairs to major roads across the Shire. Council has responsibility for managing its own roads and assets while state roads such as the Melba Highway, Whittlesea-Yea Road, Maroondah Highway and Goulburn Valley Highway are the responsibility of the Victorian Government. While Council continues to roll out its own road repair packages, we call on the State Government to promptly make much needed repairs to its road network.
Mayor John Walsh said, “Discussions with members of parliament offer an opportunity to ensure state and federal governments are aware of the challenges we are facing, and I thank Minister Shing for visiting our Shire and hearing the key concerns impacting our communities. Our advocacy efforts so far have had some success, however more is needed to support our community with recovery. Whilst we are committed to continuing our advocacy efforts on behalf of our communities, individuals can also play their own part in advocacy activity. This can include supporting Council’s advocacy activities and by contacting your local members of parliament, responsible government department or agency”.