East Gippsland Shire Council was invited to present at the Legislative Council Environment and Planning Inquiry into Climate Resilience in Traralgon on Tuesday, with Mayor Cr Tom Crook and General Manager Assets and Environment Stuart McConnell telling the inquiry that there is critical work to be done, and local government needs support.

“East Gippsland knows and is experiencing the impacts of climate change, and we are keen to work with all levels of government to strengthen our approach,” Cr Crook said.

“If we do not invest in preparing for the impacts of climate change, our communities will be impacted more significantly and for longer by climate related events – delaying recovery, increasing the need for support and increasing economic and other impacts.”

The committee is inquiring into the main risks facing Victoria's built environment and infrastructure from climate change and the impact these will have on the people of Victoria, including how the Government is preparing for these impacts, the barriers to upgrading infrastructure to become more resilient to the impacts, and the preparedness for future climate-disaster events.

“We know we have a significant challenge associated with the impacts of climate change on Council-managed infrastructure – whether that be the impact of heat and drying, more intense storms, coastal inundation, fire or more,” Cr Crook said.

“We have also commenced a significant climate risk assessment for Council-managed infrastructure in East Gippsland to guide our decision making re future design and investment.”

Cr Crook asked for the Victorian Government to provide critical assistance by developing standard guidance, models and methodologies and support for design work for councils and government agencies to use to better understand risks and then respond to them promptly with more resilient infrastructure.

The Mayor also spoke to the following themes:

• Strengthening community resilience and preparedness
• Planning for climate change
• More resilient infrastructure

“Already, we are investing in more resilient designs for our roads most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,” Cr Crook said.

“Critically where infrastructure is damaged through disaster events, councils must be supported to build back better – for example to raise the height of a bridge to avoid damage in the next flood.

“While there has been some movement over the past 12 months, the joint State-Commonwealth Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements still have a presumption against betterment. There should in fact be a presumption in favour of betterment that reduces the risk of that same infrastructure being damaged again.”

Council also asked that the Victorian Government:

• Recognises and invests in strengthening community resilience and preparedness to manage the inevitable effects of climate change.
• Supports local government plan for climate resilience through a non-competitive fund. This fund would support councils design and upgrade non-road infrastructure (drainage, community halls, footpaths) vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Cr Crook said the climate resilience themes explored at Tuesday’s inquiry all had a common thread across our critical advocacy priorities.

“Our critical priorities as a Council and community include digital connectivity, National Disaster Recovery Funding reform, asset management, climate change mitigation and adaption, and state-wide flood mapping integration. These are all central to building climate resilience and giving our communities the best opportunity to thrive.”

Public hearings are being held across the state until early December.

‍Learn more about the inquiry.

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