Wednesday, 29 May 2024

Floods

Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (12:18): (543) My question is for the Minister for Water. Over the past 20 years residents of Kensington Banks bought their homes based on advice from Melbourne Water that they were above the flood level. But recently revised modelling has deemed them a high risk for flooding. Current estimates are that this has reduced the value of these homes by up to 15 per cent, not to mention that people are worried about their homes flooding and insurance premiums increasing. The recent independent Pagone report indicates that the construction of the flood wall around the Flemington Racecourse raised flood levels. It also found that 240 residential lots were affected by the 2022 flood that would not have been impacted had the wall never been built. In your role as water minister, will you support the affected community by advocating that the Flemington Racecourse flood wall be taken down?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:19): Thank you, Dr Mansfield, for that question. The floods that occurred in 2022 caused so much devastation across a number of local government areas in Melbourne and indeed around the state. They were exceptionally challenging for so many people in so many different ways, from the way in which information was provided in the immediate aftermath of the floods to the early warning systems, the work that was undertaken in often swiftwater rescue situations and the relief and recovery efforts that took place, again, not just in the middle of Melbourne but all over the state. What we have seen in the Pagone review is a careful analysis of the factors involved in that flooding event and the way in which homes were inundated and affected.

Melbourne Water has done modelling to better understand the nature of risk, and there are three stages, as I outlined at PAEC last week, that are relevant to the way in which the response is developed and implemented. In the first instance, the modelling indicates a risk of effect, whether that is some form of inundation in and around the edges of a property right through to underfloor flooding or indeed overfloor inundation. Melbourne Water is in the process of talking very carefully with residents about the impact of that modelling and how it is that a one-in-100-year event, as distinct from what occurred in the flooding event, may affect them. This includes thousands of conversations, discussions, letterboxing, calls, emails and responses to customer requests, alongside a community webinar that occurred just last week and further conversations to occur to make sure that people know the extent to which the flood model –

Sarah Mansfield: On a point of order, President, I would just draw the minister back to the question, which was about the flood wall. She has not mentioned the flood wall at all yet.

The PRESIDENT: I call the minister back to the question.

Harriet SHING: Thank you very much. Dr Mansfield, your entire question is premised on the impact of the floods, and what I am talking to is the impact of the floods. What Melbourne Water will be doing in its discussions with residents is making sure that people can make the right decisions for them. That is an important thing for me to put on the record, as I did last week at PAEC. As far as the flood wall itself, the impact of infrastructure goes – whether it is a bridge, a railway tunnel, large-scale population growth or other infrastructure – it needs to be understood against the backdrop of changing risk, whether that is drought, flood, fire or storm. As Minister for Water my responsibility relates to making sure that Melbourne Water as a statutory authority is acquitting its obligations around modelling and is making sure that residents have the information that is based around the most current standards and information – (Time expired)

Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (12:22): I did not really get a clear answer about the flood wall, but I will take you up where you left off around the advice that Melbourne Water provides. There are over 900 families and households who bought their homes explicitly on the advice of Melbourne Water, one of your agencies, that they were above the flood zone, and now that advice has changed pretty much overnight. Will the government take any action to support these affected households, such as additional mitigation or compensation to support them during this difficult time?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:23): Dr Mansfield, to assume that we live in a static climate and environment ignores the realities of the impact of a variety of different factors. When Melbourne Water updated its modelling, it used large volumes of topographic data. It collected flood data from the floods in 1974, 1983 and 2022, and it tested the model against five historic events to better understand the way in which inundation would occur. Importantly, when we look at climate volatility and we look at the impact of large volumes of water inundating areas in and around waterways, which is a natural consequence of water going to where it naturally goes, we see that the impact is changing over time. When we combine that with the impact of population growth and increases to density, we can see that the variables are changing. For us not to have contemporary information for people to rely upon would be ignoring the obligations that we have to our community, and that is why this data – (Time expired)