“Unfortunately, we’re the sacrificial lambs out this side and we’ll have to wait and see what happens to us,” he said.
A 65-year-old man was found dead in floodwater near an unoccupied tractor, at Nathalia, north-west of Shepparton, on Wednesday. It was the second flood-related death in five days, after a 71-year-old man was found dead in the backyard of his home at Rochester.
The flooded centre of Seymour. Jason South
Outgoing Nationals MP for Euroa Steph Ryan criticised the failure by state and local governments, after revelations that the Mitchell Shire Council voted unanimously two years ago to abandon a proposed levee wall along the banks of the Goulburn River in Seymour, amid a community backlash. The proposal had attracted $5.8 million in state and federal government grants when the council dumped it in June 2020.
“Modelling showed if the levee was built it would have reduced insurance premiums for flood by 30 per cent, and that would have meant many businesses could have obtained flood insurance,” she told The Australian Financial Review.
”It’s a huge killer for these businesses that they haven’t been able to obtain insurance … the insurance premiums have been so high they’ve been out of reach.”
On Tuesday the Financial Review highlighted the plight of Seymour real estate agent Chris Bender, who opted against paying for flood insurance because it was going to cost him at least $10,000 to $12,000 a year.
“I’m not insured … no one here is because it’s too expensive,” he said.
Outgoing Nationals MP for Euroa Steph Ryan has also hit out at the failure by state and local governments. Jason South
Asked about the unaffordable premiums, the Insurance Council of Australia admitted the challenge but pointed to warnings on the need for government to act on flood mitigation strategies.
The February warning on floods by the council in its Building a more resilient Australia report built on another recommendation by the Productivity Commission in 2014 and called for $400 million to be invested each year over the next five years.
“Floods are one of the most expensive type of natural disaster in Australia, with insured losses estimated at $20 billion,” the corroborating report by consultants Finity warned.
“Flood-prone LGAs for consideration by the Local Infrastructure Fund could include … Shepparton [and] Seymour,” among nine high-risk areas across the country, it said.
Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner, Andrew Crisp, has also been forced to defend growing criticism that the evacuation warnings for the residents in Melbourne’s Maribyrnong came too late.
Future floods covered
The Albanese government confirmed a $200 million Disaster Ready Fund in September. But that was too late for the February floods in New South Wales and Queensland – estimated to cost more than $5 billion in insurance claims – or the crisis in Victoria.
The scheme was designed to elicit matching funding by the states. In February, Queensland announced its $746 million Resilient Homes package. NSW is also expected to announce its response soon. However, the Victorian government was yet to respond, the Insurance Council said.
”Insurers stand ready and willing to work with the Victorian government on where land planning use should be reviewed, building standards improved to include resilience and the funding urgently needed for infrastructure to protect existing communities,” the council said.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced a further $73.5 million package on Wednesday to deliver grants to help farmers and business owners clean up their properties, after the issue was highlighted by The Australian Financial Review on Tuesday. He promised more money to come.
Grant applications from 16,000
The premier said 16,000 people had applied for the earlier announced $2000 grant payments, which was a “good proxy” for the number of people forced out of their house by the floods.
Mr Andrews announced the $19.5 million Primary Producer Flood Relief Program will deliver a one-off $10,000 payment. Primary producers whose properties have been directly hit are also eligible for concessional loans of up to $250,000 to restore or replace damaged assets.
Small business owners will also receive a one-off payment of $5000 through the $54 million Small Business Immediate Flood Relief Program to support clean-up, safety inspections, repairs, equipment and stock to get back in business as quickly as possible.
“This is the food bowl of our nation and we’ll stand with every farmer, every primary producer, everybody in the agriculture supply chain at this really difficult time,” Mr Andrews said.
“Small businesses as well are central to so many of these regional communities. They are at the heart of those communities and we’ll stand with them as well at a very difficult time. We will continue to work with the Commonwealth government, with local communities, with small businesses, to look at further support that we can provide.
“This is all about immediate relief, clean-up, repurchasing of stock, repair of equipment, replacement of equipment. Again, an initial payment – there will be more that will come at a later point.”
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