Motions

River Murray Flood

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. N.J. Centofanti:

1. That a select committee of the Legislative Council be established to inquire into the 2022-23 River Murray flood event including the preparation, response and recovery, with particular consideration being given to—

(a) roles and responsibilities of:

(i) state government and federal government agencies;

(ii) local government;

(iii) non-profit organisations, and

(iv) public and private utilities;

(b) review of communication between key stakeholders;

(c) river flow management and modelling;

(d) effectiveness of mitigating infrastructure including but not limited to levee banks and stormwater;

(e) review of flood response funding, its utilisation and effectiveness;

(f) government (local, state and federal) grant process, eligibility and uptake;

(g) river restrictions methodology, communications and operation;

(h) impact of planning decisions on property inundation;

(i) insurance industry response and responsibilities;

(j) planning and mitigation for future emergency events; and

(k) any other related matters.

2. That this council permits the select committee to authorise the disclosure or publication, as it sees fit, of any evidence or documents presented to the committee prior to such evidence being presented to the council.

(Continued from 28 June 2023.)

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (21:19): I rise today briefly on behalf of the Greens to speak in support of this motion. The 2022-23 River Murray flood emergency was the worst recorded flood since 1956. Emergency Services Minister, Joe Szakacs, estimated that 4,000 properties were inundated by floodwaters and spoke to the media earlier this year in January and was quoted as saying:

It is entirely reasonable to say this will be one of the most—if not the most—significant natural disaster in the state's history.

Following the 2019-20 bushfires, the state government undertook a full independent review into that catastrophic event, looking into how the state responded and recommendations for future bushfire seasons. We do need to ensure that we are best placed to respond to natural disasters in the future and, given the state of Europe and the United States after an El Niño summer, there is no doubt that those events will come.

We need the government to be accountable for their actions and committed to transparency and open communication. I note the words of the Hon. Nicola Centofanti in moving this that, by openly evaluating the government's response to a flood, it helps build trust and confidence among affected communities. The Greens support this inquiry and support those comments not because we believe there is someone to blame but because we know there is room for improvement in our processes. Given the government has ruled out an independent inquiry, this is the next best step forward.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (21:21): I rise to say that SA-Best will support the motion of the Hon. Nicola Centofanti in relation to the events of the River Murray flood. The terms of reference are very comprehensive and are important and need to be addressed. It is strange that the government would not conduct its own inquiry into what happened. I think a parliamentary inquiry is certainly required here, just as it probably should have been done for the Covid response.

But to get back to what has happened on the River Murray, I have been there twice now in recent months speaking to locals and also to local government representatives about the aftermath and what is needed to fix some of the problems that have arisen as a result of those floods. Some problems did arise that were really not expected and in the least expected places as well, with drainage and other issues, and also some major infrastructure sorely needs to be fixed, particularly in Renmark.

I viewed the Twentyfirst Street Bridge in Renmark a few months ago. It was a significant conduit for the highway that was used by trucks ferrying a lot of produce and other goods in and out of the Riverland. It still remains closed because it needs, I believe, speaking to the Mayor while were in the Riverland last week, something like nearly $10 million to rectify. That work needs to be done urgently, but there are other works in other towns that suffered some damage and they are only starting to find problems that need to be addressed.

Should the motion be passed, I hope this committee will be able to look at the responses to the flood. I will compliment the Malinauskas government for the speedy response they did make when it was realised that this was going to be quite a significant flood. They allocated funding to many people in communities on the river. There were also incentives to try to get people back on the river and get the local economy up and running.

There are still some hiccups along the river. I was only talking to a houseboat operator last week who said that, despite the fact that the river is looking magnificent, as we all saw, and quite picturesque and appealing for a holiday-maker, people are still reluctant to go there and there is also a reluctance for people to go on houseboats because they are unsure about the flows and some of the hazards being spotted there. As a result of that, some houseboat owners are finding that their houseboats remain moored and they only have limited bookings for some of the busiest times of the year.

The government has offered a second round of travel incentives and these have been taken up. I will be interested to see how many are actually used and how much money is pumped into the economy. I am sure that this inquiry will be quite beneficial to the government. A lot of information will be gleaned from it, a lot of suggestions, and perhaps some planning and mitigation issues can also be addressed as a result of that, and also we will be able to hear from those river communities themselves that have been impacted in a way we have not seen publicised previously.

I will say that a good friend of mine has lost his caravan park, and a significant amount of damage was caused there—something like a quarter of a million dollars will be required to fix it. Now an obstacle has been put in his way, in that zoning and planning changes have been made that will make it very difficult for him to find the resources and capital to bring back that caravan park, and he is facing a substantial loss.

There are others along the river who would also have suffered losses, and there are other issues with irrigators and what happened there with power being turned off—a lot of issues that need to be discussed because this is an important area to South Australia. It really is the food bowl of the state. I have to say that it was quite distressing when we went through there back in April/May to see a large number of grapegrowers leaving their grapes on the vine.

When we were there last week and returning from a committee meeting, we went through the same area again and again there was the sorry sight of the vines with those dried grapes still there. The growers had not even bothered to go out and prune their vines because it looks like they will not be ready to go back into the growing season. There are also predictions that up to 25 per cent of the vines will be pulled up in the Riverland. This is Australia's largest wine region in terms of the amount of grapes produced there. We know there are now some significant problems facing a lot of the growers up there.

This inquiry is much needed, and I am sure it will provide valued information for the government to act upon and give those communities and others affected by it an opportunity to really explain what impacts it did have on them and what we can learn from it in the event that this happens again, and it is likely that it will happen again. It could happen in the not too distant future. In fact, I think the levels have risen slightly as a result of other floods up the river, but it certainly will not be as it was last time. Nonetheless, we need to be ready for the next occurrence of a flood like that. I commend the motion.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (21:29): I stand up on behalf of the government to oppose this motion. Government always reviews its response to major emergencies, including work done within the agencies that are the operational leads. The consequences of the flood are still being felt in river communities. The government continues to roll out economic stimulus programs and invest in rebuilding the areas and communities affected. Operational achievements during the flood period included multiple river rescues conducted, 4,400 properties doorknocked, over a million sandbags distributed and over six kilometres of temporary flood barriers deployed throughout the River Murray to protect critical infrastructure and high-value community assets.

The government has announced a $194 million flood assistance package, including emergency accommodation, clean-up, road repairs and industry support, as well as assistance to local government in the region. The work of staff and volunteers on the frontline was exceptional and continues today. On any fair-minded assessment, the collective response to the state's worst flooding event has been highly effective.

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet has also separately appointed PEG Consulting to conduct an independent review of the Emergency Management Act 2004. This will include public consultation by YourSAy later this year before a final report is handed down to government in June 2024. The Emergency Management Act establishes the legislative framework and principles for coordinating activities before, during and after emergencies, assigns key accountabilities and enables necessary authorities to effect response and recovery operations for the management of emergencies in South Australia.

A comprehensive review of the act is required to ensure that the legislation empowers South Australia to prepare for, respond to and recover from emerging hazards and extended events. The objective of the independent review is to make recommendations to support the strategies and systems required to effectively manage all stages of emergencies, while considering the unique challenges presented from recent protracted emergency events and emerging hazards. We do not believe there is any necessity for a select committee into this issue.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (21:32): I would like to initially thank the Hon. Tammy Franks and the Hon. Frank Pangallo for their contributions this evening and their indication of an intention to support this motion today. I would like to thank the Hon. Russell Wortley for his contribution but indicate my disappointment that the government are not able to bring themselves to support this motion, which river communities have really been calling on now for several months.

It is time to bring this motion to a vote. South Australia deserves a committee to review the 2022-23 South Australian flood event. That event affected and continues to affect many people living and working along the banks and the flood plains of the River Murray. We the opposition have been calling for an independent review or an inquiry since that event occurred. It is unfortunate that the government has continued to stall on this matter and, this evening, is still failing to support the establishment of this committee. It is extremely disappointing.

We know it was the worst flood recorded since the 1950s. We know that the state's emergency services minister himself labelled it the most significant natural disaster in South Australia's history. We know that the State Emergency Service's general manager noted that she expected a government review would take place. We know that the Premier stated their financial package around the flood response was the largest the state has ever seen. Everyone in this place acknowledges these facts, so let us say that it is indeed an event worthy of a review. Again, it is extremely disappointing that the government does not support that view.

My own Riverland community and other regional communities up and down the river came together in support and with the spirit to assist one another during the flood event. An estimated 4,000 properties were inundated across the flooding period. During the ongoing recovery phase, those same communities continue to work together.

I will emphasise that this is not a finger-pointing exercise, as the Hon. Tammy Franks stated earlier. This is a review. This is to improve where needed, to congratulate where applicable, and we expect there to be a broad picture incorporating government and non-government views and statements. It is common best practice to hold a review after such an incident. In fact, we the opposition would argue that it is incredibly strange that the Malinauskas government does not want to hold a review. Both Victoria and New South Wales governments have their own independent inquiries underway. Our river communities in South Australia I think deserve to be afforded the same attention and consideration.

I acknowledge that the recovery process is still underway, and there will be elements of the recovery process that will take years, but I truly believe that an inquiry now could actually assist with that continual recovery process as it may bring light to areas and issues for further consideration, but until we get all those stakeholders together and hear what they have to say, we are potentially missing vital clues and information.

I repeat that a review is truly best practice. It is about accountability, trust and future improvement, and it is about respecting the voices of our regions. Before I commend this motion to the chamber, I would just like to take the opportunity to extend once again my thanks to all of the emergency service workers and volunteers who assisted in my community and other river communities between November 2022 and February 2023, the height of the event. They absolutely and truly embodied the spirit of the regions, and they should all be proud of their contributions. I commend the motion to the chamber.

Motion carried.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (21:37): I move:

That the select committee consist of the Hon. J.S. Lee, the Hon. R.B. Martin, the Hon. F. Pangallo, the Hon. R.P. Wortley and the mover.

Motion carried.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: I move:

That the select committee have power to send for persons, papers and records, to adjourn from place to place and to report on 29 November 2023.

Motion carried.