‘Build back better’ after floods

By Lachlan Ellis

A body representing communities across rural Victoria has called for major Federal roads funding reforms, in the wake of recent devastating floods.

Rural Councils Victoria (RCV) represents communities across Victoria’s 34 rural council areas – including Moorabool – and has made a submission to the Federal Parliament’s ‘Inquiry into the implications of severe weather events on the national regional, rural, and remote road network’.

In its submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport RCV has called for:

• An ongoing review of road engineering and construction standards to enhance the resilience of future road construction.
• Greater Federal Government funding for local roads to ensure that roads and road assets are built back to an appropriate higher standard.
• The use of waterproof products in road construction.
• Review of the Commonwealth’s role in road resilience planning to ensure infrastructure can be built back to higher, climate-change-resistant standards as a matter of course.
• Creation of a proactive mitigation assessment fund so small rural councils have the resources to provide recommendations relating to disaster-prone infrastructure.

RCV has also recommended that the Federal Government provide funding for detailed, localised flood mapping for each council area, the construction of new culverts and expansion of existing culverts, and clearance of weeds and other obstructions to flood channels.

“Our submission calls for what is in effect major but entirely practical and logical reforms to federal roads funding for rural, regional and remote areas,” RCV Chair Cr Mary-Ann Brown said.

“The recent floods have demonstrated that rural, regional and remote communities are resilient but also extremely vulnerable. The Commonwealth – along with local and state government – has a vital role to play in minimizing the impacts of natural disasters on rural communities. Let’s build back better – these are some practical suggestions to achieve that and so we don’t have to keep rebuilding the same infrastructure into the future.”

Moorabool Shire Council CEO Derek Madden said Council appreciated every dollar it gets from the Federal Government for roadworks – but it’s never quite enough.

This has been especially evident with the costs incurred from floods and storms over the past few years.

“Council is appreciative of the Federal Government funding it receives for roads. Like everything though, it’s never enough to undertake everything that is required, so Council supports reform that includes additional funding for local roads,” Mr Madden told the Moorabool News.

“We particularly support the RCV submission around funding associated with storm events and natural disasters to make for a more resilient road network.”

To view the RCV’s full submission, head to www.ruralcouncilsvictoria.org.au/news/ and click ‘RCV calls for major federal roads funding reforms’.