By AIDAN KNIGHT

 

AS the state races to deliver new homes in the housing crisis, Victoria’s regional leaders warn that failing to plan for flooding risks could leave communities at a loss, and extra planning measures should be taken.

Speaking at the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) Regions Rising forum at Federation University Gippsland, state Housing Minister Harriet Shing said housing solutions had to be sustainable.

“Everyone likes to live close to a waterway… until the floods,” she told the audience.

“The more you develop, the more you see impact in the way that water moves in and around natural landscapes.”

The 2022 floods offered a harsh lesson, forcing the state to deploy 70 emergency dwellings at short notice, adding strain to an already tight housing market. Traralgon in particular, is the most densely populated town in Latrobe City, from the Traralgon Creek, which has flooded seven times since 1978.

The urban areas of Traralgon have experienced major flooding from Traralgon Creek in 1978, 1993, 1995, 2011, 2012, 2021, and 2022. The last of which saw a late-issued evacuation that led to the death of a 57-year-old woman and her dog, who were whisked away by the water in the flash flood event.

The Moe River also flooded at Darnum during this time, and exceeded the major flood level on the fourth day. This highlights how quickly local waterways can swell and the pressure this places on housing and infrastructure.

Minister Shing’s argument was that houses could not be built in areas prone to these events without taking extra measures to ensure their longevity. The 2022 floods forced the state to deploy 70 emergency dwellings, which added strain to an already tight housing situation, something that has only worsened since.

In Bass Coast Shire, where waterways converge, flood studies are now considered essential before development can proceed. Infrastructure costs are also climbing.

Water infrastructure costs are skyrocketing, with Melbourne Water contributions expected to increase by 140 per cent over four years, adding $40,000 per housing lot. This dramatic cost increase threatens to price out regional development entirely, making flood-resilient planning not just environmentally necessary but economically critical.

“Getting it right now means that we don’t have to retrofit later,” Minister Shing said, pointing to the spiraling costs of retrofitting flood protection in places like Fisherman’s Bend as an example. This area saw the retrofitting occur after development, a much more expensive endeavor that saw government, and ultimately taxpayers, having to pay for land at an inflated price to add infrastructure to the community.

The RAI’s event saw speakers and panelists share ideas that dictated what legislation should be put in place to make for effective housing in flood-prone areas like Tarragon, which saw an emergency flood warning inquiry in August last year in response to the two previous events. Two months later, Moe Morwell and Traralgon all suffered flash flooding again.

Key strategies proposed by panellists included:

  • Drainage, stormwater, and flood modelling are built into every new development;
  • Elevated housing designs that remain affordable and liveable;
  • Wetlands and basins doubling as natural flood protection and community spaces, and,
  • Updated flood modelling that reflects climate change, not just past events.

Success requires coordination between all levels of government, with local councils playing a crucial role as “the interface between people’s experience of liveability and large-scale policy decisions”, according to Minister Shing. This means ensuring flood studies, drainage planning, and housing targets work in harmony rather than conflict.

Regional Australia needs homes that will still be standing and liveable decades from now. This was all to say that local government cannot solve the housing projects on their own, and the state cannot fill the gaps without consulting the areas where they declare houses will be built.

Ms Shing saw it that if successful case studies were shared between regions to make evidence-based decisions, and the state aligns housing targets with flood management from the outset, regions like Latrobe would be able to house adequately without the work washing away.