LAST week marked the release of the final report of the Inquiry into the 2022 Flood Event in Victoria, held by the Legislative Council’s Environment and Planning Committee.

The inquiry received 880 submissions, of which 608 came from northern Victoria.

The flood inquiry examined pre-flood risk planning, emergency readiness, early warning systems, rapid response strategies, and resourcing of local emergency services, as well as the resourcing of recovery efforts.

The report makes 90 findings and is critical of the standard of emergency preparedness in Victoria prior to the floods.

The report also makes 73 recommendations to the State Government to improve community readiness to react to imminent disasters and respond more effectively in their wake.

The recommendations call on the government to build infrastructure back better and improve early warning systems, among others.

Communities across Victoria, particularly in the north, were devasted by the floods that swept across the state in October 2022.

Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell, a member of the committee that conducted the inquiry, called on the State Government to implement all 73 recommendations.

“We are likely to face more floods in the future, so it is imperative that the government adequately resources local emergency services to attract and train volunteers to deal with future disasters,” she said.