Lovell seeks reassurance on levee banks

By Gabriel Garcia

May 12, 2023

Seeking answers: Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell wants details from the state government regarding levee bank maintenance.

State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell is requesting details from the Victorian Government on how it plans to maintain and manage levee banks across Victorian communities.

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Speaking during a recent adjournment debate in state parliament, Ms Lovell directed her adjournment matter to Water Minister Harriet Shing, requesting clarity on which authority was responsible for maintaining the state’s levee banks, alongside details regarding how the government would ensure that levee banks could cope with future flood events.

“The devastating October 2022 floods that impacted many areas of Northern Victoria raised questions as to the condition of levee banks that are so important in protecting communities,” Ms Lovell said.

Ms Lovell said levee banks were integral in ensuring private, commercial and government property and infrastructure remained protected in the event of a major flood.

Ms Lovell said the minister had an obligation to ensure levee banks were constantly maintained, rather than rely on land holders.

In response to questions by The Courier, a Victorian Government spokesperson said not all flood levees were managed by the government and that many of the more-than 4000 flood levees built in Victoria over the past 100 years weren’t built to any design standards.

“Some of Victoria’s levees are formally managed, typically by local councils, and are built to a high standard, aiming to protect local communities. The remaining levees aren’t formally managed,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the Andrews Government was doing its utmost to ensure communities were protected from floods like the ones seen in October 2022.

“Following the 2022 floods, we funded catchment management authorities to partner with local government and VICSES to work with local communities to conduct strategic assessments — helping them identify critical levee structures and plan for their future management,” the spokesperson said.