“The expectation is they’ll be flooded at some point by the river that snakes through the city,” the program said.
The claims were aired in a brief segment, wedged between coverage of the catastrophic Taree and Rochester floods, which contrary to Shepparton’s experience submerged their communities in metres of water.
Cr Sali strongly rejected what he described as the misleading and factually incorrect claims. He said council was never contacted for comment.
Climate Council economist Nicki Hutley told 60 Minutes, “The only way for the city this size is to adapt — we have to find engineering solutions,” which she said “will cost a fortune”.
“Unfortunately, we have ignored the warning signs for too long,” she said.
“People have dismissed climate risks, they have not taken into account planning properly.
“We have to mop up now for these incredibly bad policy decisions of the past.”
In fact, just 80 houses were destroyed in the 2022 flood and around 900 homes partly damaged by the slow-moving floodwaters.
All of the houses damaged in 2022 were built before the flood level planning controls that were introduced in 1995. The controls required that all future floor levels should be 300mm above the level of a one-in-100-year flood (a one per cent flood.)
The mayor said the program’s claims failed to acknowledge the significant, proactive and ongoing efforts undertaken by regional agencies, council and the community to bolster community resilience and address insurance challenges.
He said events such as the October 2022 flood event actually demonstrated the strength of planning controls that have been in place since the 1990s.
The mayor’s comments reflect growing anger at what critics describe as unfounded and sweeping statements made by groups such as the Climate Council and Insurance Council of Australia that bear no relation to local records and planning initiatives over the past half-century.
Greater Shepparton residents can access the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority’s highly detailed flood intelligence portal online to compare their individual property floor levels to the one per cent requirement, to river gauge levels and historic flood levels.
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