Flood inquiry chance to ask questions

A VICTORIAN Parliament inquiry into October’s flood emergency needed to look at the adequacy and effectiveness of early warning systems, Northern Victoria MP Region Gaelle Broad said.

The Legislative Council’s Environment and Planning Committee will report on the preparedness and response to the floods.

Ms Broad told Parliament: “Evacuation orders were issued for towns like Seymour, Shepparton and Rochester.

“But in other areas people wrongly as- sumed that the water levels would not get higher than the 2011 and for some it was too little, too late.

“There were night evacuations in some areas, and in the inquiry we will ask why. I heard that there were restrictions on text messages for community meetings. You could send them for bushfires but not in the case of the floods.

“We also need to consider the emergency response. Certainly the experience of the 2011 did assist the understanding and re- sponse this time around. We need to look at the mitigation measures. We should consider the benefits of ring levee programs for regional houses outside of country towns to help protect those areas.

“The committee will be able to conduct a broad review of flooding and flood preparedness across Victoria and deliver findings and recommendations to improve our response by June 30, 2024,” Ms Broad said. “We need to hold committee hearings in northern Victoria in the towns that were affected.”

Fire risk remains

CFA volunteer firefighters still faced significant grassfire risk across the state with grasslands completely cured in most areas, chief officer Jason Heffernan said last week at the release of Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Autumn. “Grassfires travel faster than you can run and can threaten lives and property. We ask community members to continue to monitor conditions, be aware of the fire danger rating.”

Off road three months

A 21-YEAR-OLD Boort man has had his licence suspended for three months and been fined $601. Police said the man was detected driving at 134km on a 100kmh speed limit section of the Boort-Wedderburn Road last Wednesday.

Leadership talk

LODDON Mayor Dan Straub, Cr Gavan Holt and shire CEO Lincoln Fitzgerald spoke on leadership to this year’s Wedderburn College student representative council members last week. SRC members were later presented with their badges by Cr Straub.

Final dips

LODDON swimming pools will have their final season opening on Monday. The long weekend forecast should see two days good for a dip.