Last updated 23 July 2024
Recent flood re-modelling by Melbourne Water has re-classified over 900 homes in Kensington Banks as a flood risk. Residents are now deeply concerned about the risk to their homes and the associated financial burden. I’ve been working with the community and advocating for answers and compensation.
Here is an update on the actions we have taken recently.
My actions in Parliament
- I moved a motion to refer the issue of Kensington Banks to the Ombudsman for a special inquiry. The Ombudsman, who is independent from the state Government, will now be required to undertake this work, including public hearings. This will give us a good platform to use to push for lasting solutions for our neighbourhood. If you wish to, you can read the transcript of the debate here, and see where all political parties stood. Join our mailing list (see below) for updates on this inquiry.
- I asked the Premier to take action on Kensington Banks in Parliament which you can view here. The Premier is required to respond in writing to my call for action within 30 days, I’ll share it when I get it!
- My colleague, Sarah Mansfield, asked the Minister for Water whether the government will take any action to support Kensington Banks residents. You can read her response here.
- I am pushing for the Federal Parliamentary Inquiry into insurance and climate risk to come to Kensington for public hearings, to put further spotlight on our neighbourhood.
- I wrote to the Minister for Water, Harriet Shing. You can read her response here.
- I wrote to Kensington’s Federal MP, Bill Shorten. He has helpfully arranged a meeting for the both of us with the National Coordinator-General of National Emergency Management Agency to talk about mitigation. Given that the Federal Government will likely be involved in any mitigation measures, I hope this meeting will be a useful chance to understand their views. You can read his response here.
- I met with the Ombudsman to discuss the inquiry into Kensington Banks and to give her a sense of the issue. She has informed me there will be a chance for local community members to have their say and share their experiences as part of the inquiry, but this process has not opened yet.
Melbourne Water
I recently met with Melbourne Water and asked a lot of your questions from the community meeting. Read Melbourne Water’s answers to your questions here.
Here is some of the information I thought residents may be particularly interested in:
Flood Modelling:
- Melbourne Water will be reviewing the models every 5 years and update them every 10 years. Any major flood event experienced within this timeframe will also trigger a review of their flood modelling.
- If you haven’t already received your minimum and maximum depth levels for your individual property, you can request this information for free from Melbourne Water (although they’re still not paying for surveyors to translate this information to determine whether your house is at risk of over-floor flooding. I’m still pushing for this!)
- In terms of the Planning Scheme Amendment Process for the Maribyrnong River, Melbourne Water say this process will provide an opportunity for the community to review proposed new controls and make a submission. Melbourne Water will advise when this commences.
- Melbourne Water say they will not be conducting further modelling of the impact of the Flemington Racecourse Flood Wall. They are focused on modelling the whole catchment and understanding the catchment wide response.
Mitigation:
Now that Melbourne Water is investigating mitigation options for our area, they say the community will be invited to participate in the development and assessment of options later this year. You can register your interest in the mitigation study by completing Melbourne Water’s short survey here. I will of course keep a close eye on this process and let you know when the community can and should get more involved.
Compensation:
Unfortunately Melbourne Water say they’re still not considering buybacks. I’m still pushing the State and Federal Governments to consider what compensation measures might be appropriate and fair for Kensington Banks, and definitely encourage you to write to your Federal MP (Bill Shorten) as well as your Upper House State MPs and Ministers/Premier if this is something you feel strongly about, because the government needs to hear your voices.
Communication:
- Melbourne Water is encouraging anyone with further questions to contact them 131 722 or email: [email protected]
- Melbourne Water are also sharing updates and responses to FAQs on their website here.
Media
- ABC’s 7.30 covered the issue. Watch it here.
- The ABC published an article here.
- I spoke to Ali Moore on Drive radio. Listen here (skip to 1:56:00)
- The Age also published an article about Kensington homeowners being forced to find out how much their home will be flooded, and my call for this cost to be covered by Melbourne Water. Read it here.
How to take action
- Call or email key decision makers
– Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan [email protected] (03) 9651 5000
– Your Upper House Labor member, Sheena Watt [email protected] (03) 7008 6588
– Your Upper House Liberal Member, Evan Mulholland [email protected] (03) 9651 8242
– Your Federal MP, Bill Shorten [email protected] (03) 9326 1300 - Take the survey for the Federal Parliament’s Inquiry into Insurance. Share your story and concerns, particularly as they relate to your worry or experience of increased insurance premiums due to the flood re-modelling.
- Sign and share the petition to take down the Flemington Racecourse flood wall.
– Sign and share the digital petition here.
– Download a printable petition to collect signatures on here. - Class action
Kensington resident, Diana, is following up with law firms to determine whether pursuing a class action is an option for impacted residents. If you’re interested in being involved in this process, please reach out to Diana: [email protected] - Join the Kensington Flood Zones Facebook group
Join the mailing list
Please send an email to [email protected] and ask to be added to the Kensington flood zones mailing list.
