More than 30 people joined the public gallery at yesterday’s monthly meeting with three speakers from the community addressing a public forum.
There was no descension among councillors who all agreed the current situation was unworkable and the impact on Mulwala devastating to business, families, tourism and lifestyle.
Federation Council is seeking legal advice to understand if there are any avenues available to not apply the proposed new floor heights of 500mm above the 1% AEP flood height, as outlined in the study.
In his report to councillors, general manager Adrian Butler said while the study had been adopted, it was not yet part of the council’s formal planning.
Mayor Cheryl Cook told the gallery there had to be a better solution than what was currently on the table.
“We need to push back,” she said.
“This was regulated; council had to follow guidelines set by the NSW Government, but the result is what we have to deal with.
“But we are very aware of the angst and the anger you're feeling right now.
“This is future economic impact, crippling builders, developers, real estate agents, exorbitant increases in insurance costs, significant increases in building costs, loss of land value.
“We are very worried.”
As councillors discussed potential for flood mitigation, Cr Pat Bourke urged the public to get behind the council as they fought to find a solution.
“We feel as bad as you do,” Cr Bourke said.
“No matter what we have to do … we will do what we have to do and look under every rock to make this work.
“We’ll go our hardest, but we need your support to make this happen.”
There was a feeling among councillors that risk aversion was overtaking commonsense and it was time to push back or, according to Cr Derek Schoen, Mulwala was destined to become a ghost town.
“I'm getting rather disheartened with the amount of red tape that Australia is succumbing to,” Cr Schoen said.
“We are having this absolute risk adverse mentality to everything in this country.
“We may as well shut the doors and go home.”
Cr Andrew Kennedy raised the motion of notice to urgently pause the implementation of the new flood heights at Mulwala.
He told the meeting that the biggest flood in 1975 didn’t even reach the one in 20 year flood height supporting comments from the public forum that there has been no significant flood in Mulwala in living memory.
“I'm willing to go to the city, to see the Planning Minister, to sit at his desk and say ‘mate, what is going on here?’,” Cr Kennedy said.
“Let’s go there and see what we can do about minimising the risk.”
According to Cr David Bott, the whole process has been appalling and created uncertainty which was eroding confidence and the “very fabric of how a good, functioning community should work”.
“We need to speak to the authorities that are looking to impose this upon us.
“This is Chicken Little syndrome, we must as a community, push back against it.”
Deputy mayor, Rowena Black said councillors needed to make sure they were making common sense decisions for the community and not being forced into making a decision purely because bureaucracy and legislation had no appetite for risk.
“I can see the absolute devastation in the Mulwala community,” Cr Black said.
“It’s just bureaucracy that is overlaid to ensure that we are protected to the nth degree.
“Life is not like that; we all live in risk.”
Council unanimously adopted the motion moved by Cr Derek Schoen that given the complex nature of the development controls and flooding along the Murray River system and the significant impacts of the heights imposed by the Corowa, Howlong and Mulwala Flood Study 2024, Council seek further advice and consider this further at an Extraordinary Council meeting to be held on May 6, 2025 at 9.30 am.
