An upper house motion to establish the inquiry passed unopposed on Wednesday, February 22 after the Coalition and Greens teamed up to expand its scope.
The Melbourne Water review is analysing the Maribyrnong River floods, but the parliamentary inquiry will have a statewide focus.
The Avoca, Barwon, Broken, Campaspe, Goulburn, Loddon, Maribyrnong and Murray rivers will be among the catchments and floodplains assessed.
Other areas to be put under the microscope include causes and contributors to the flood event, the effectiveness of early warning systems, and resourcing of the State Emergency Service and adequacy of its response.
In addition, the opposition agreed to pass Greens’ amendments to specifically examine the government’s approval of the controversial Flemington Racecourse flood wall and planning decisions.
The Melbourne Water review will look at the impact of the racecourse levee and flood modelling, but emergency flood warnings and mitigation measures won't be assessed under its terms of reference.
Shadow Water Minister Tim McCurdy said the Victorian Government’s original flood inquiry “was nothing more than a positive PR exercise that didn’t deliver answers for Victorians”.
“This inquiry will shine a light on the shortcomings of Victoria’s current preparedness for devastating floods, as well as a review into the October 2022 floods,” he said.
“Victorians want answers, and the Liberals and Nationals are ensuring they will have their voices heard and questions answered.”
The Environment and Planning Committee will report back with findings and recommendations by June 30, 2024.
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