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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-06-15 Daily Xml
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River Murray Flood

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (14:17): Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water. Can the minister update the house on the progress of the government-led River Murray flood clean-up?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water) (14:17): As members of the house may well be aware, the portfolio agency inside climate, environment and water—Green Industries—has been activated for some time as the functional lead agency for managing the waste clean-up and the debris arising from the flooding event.

On 3 January 2023, as part of the continuing River Murray disaster relief program, co-funded by the commonwealth and state governments, $60 million was provided by this government for waste management and other clean-up. That forms part of $120 million of joint funding.

In late March, we appointed Disaster Management Australia of the Johns Lyng Group as the principal contractor to coordinate and manage the disaster waste clean-up program with local suppliers. In fact, I enjoyed sharing the podium with the manager of that company recently and talking to people about their shacks and what they can expect in the clean-up process.

The program is now well established. It includes a number of concurrent phases. There is the site and structure assessment, hazard reduction and removal, removal and disposal of flood-affected waste, demolition where required, other waste management (such as displaced materials that have come down the river) and, of course, sandbag removal. It's not too late to register for assistance, and I would like to encourage all affected property owners to do so through the government hotline, and I am sure that the relevant local members are well acquainted with that.

The scale of the clean-up program is difficult to fully appreciate, but there are some statistics that can guide the extent of it. There have been nearly 1,800 properties registered for assistance under the clean-up program; 576 people have indicated that they no longer actually require assistance due to the damage being less than expected, and using the vouchers that have been provided through Green Industries to conduct their own clean-up, or perhaps because they have received confirmation of coverage from their insurer; 1,720 free disposal vouchers have been distributed with 710 thus far redeemed, and they have been extended until the end of July to complement the broader clean-up program; and 398 property assessments have been completed with 128 assessment reports issued to property owners.

Currently, there are 44 properties going through the relevant approvals required for demolition, two of which are caravan parks; 10 properties have received volunteer muck-out assistance, and that is where people are not in a position themselves to be able to get in and empty their shacks or their houses, and people have volunteered to go in and do that for them, another example of the extraordinary resilience and generosity of our community; and 5,558 tonnes of material have been collected in total, and about 30 per cent of that has been able to be diverted from landfill.

Also, 49 contractors have been onboarded after completing full induction. What is important is that, although the primary contractor that has been employed is an interstate firm doing the same work in Victoria, they are required to attempt to have local contractors and have been making earnest efforts to ensure that they are able to do that. Over 500 items have been identified during a detailed river survey, and you can go on the internet and see that river survey and look at each of the hazards that have been identified. We are talking about things like large rainwater tanks, fridges, pontoons and, indeed, houseboats that have washed up on properties. Both Green industries and DIT are working together to determine and prioritise items that may need to be removed by government.

There is also the organisation Disaster Relief Australia that has joined the program to provide volunteer support for individuals. As members of this house will be aware, this is a not-for-profit organisation and people should be encouraged to assist them if they have that capability.

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