municipal recovery action plan 2011, completion report · 2014. 12. 9. · recovery works. by april...

Greg Little

Municipal Recovery Manager

5/8/2014

Municipal Recovery Action Plan 2011, Completion Report

Northern Grampians Shire Council Municipal Recovery Action Plan 2011 Completion Report 2

Table of Contents Introduction: ...................................................................................................................................... 3

Map of flood impact from the three major floods. ........................................................................ 4

Oversight of the Municipal Flood Recovery program. ................................................................ 5

Acknowledgment of committee representatives: ..................................................................... 6

Flood Recovery Team ..................................................................................................................... 6

(MRAP KRA 1.1: Develop a Recovery Structure for Northern Grampians Shire) .............. 6

Community engagement ................................................................................................................. 7

(MRAP KRA 1.2: Engage with the Northern Grampians Community throughout the recovery effort) .............................................................................................................................. 7

Government liaison and advocacy ................................................................................................ 8

(MRAP KRA 1.3: Work with State and Federal governments in the delivery of recovery actions)........................................................................................................................................... 8

Social Recovery .............................................................................................................................. 10

(MRAP KRA 1.4: Provide a Recovery Centre for as long as required).............................. 10

(MRAP KRA 2.1: Personal Support and Counselling) .......................................................... 11

(MRAP KRA 2.2: Community Event and Projects) ............................................................... 11

(MRAP KRA 2.3: Material Aid and Volunteer Coordination) ............................................... 14

(MRAP KRA 3.2: Public Health- to control hazards to public health that have arisen as a result of the floods) ..................................................................................................................... 16

Infrastructure Recovery ................................................................................................................. 17

(MRAP KRA 3.3: Re-establishment of council property and other public assets) ........... 17

...................................................................................................................................................... 20

(MRAP KRA 3.4: Re-establishment of private property) ...................................................... 21

(MRAP KRA 3.5: Planning permissions and processes) ..................................................... 22

Natural Environment ...................................................................................................................... 22

(MRAP KRA 4.1: Erosion & Waterways Management) ........................................................ 22

Economic Recovery ....................................................................................................................... 25

(MRAP KRA 5.1: Assess the direct and indirect impacts on local business and employment) ............................................................................................................................... 25

(MRAP KRA 5.2: Provide support to the Tourism Sector) ................................................... 25

(MRAP KRA 5.3: Identify major projects and business to stimulate the local economy) 25

(MRAP KRA 5.5: Provide support to the agricultural sector) ............................................... 26

Awards and Recognition ............................................................................................................... 28

Conclusion: ...................................................................................................................................... 30


Introduction: The floods that swept through Victoria in September 2010, and January 2011 will have a lasting impact on the Northern Grampians community. Each of the towns within the municipality was affected by the extreme events, either directly or indirectly. The Shire suffered mass road closures and widespread property damage on Saturday 11 September 2010 and then again on Thursday 13 January 2011. Most communities within the Northern Grampians were isolated on Friday 14 January 2011 due to the significant overnight rain. In addition 192 Landslides and a huge loss of infrastructure would be identified in the Grampians National Park, forcing much of its closure. In short this meant a loss of revenue for small business and economic downturn amongst tourism operators, homelessness and hardship for property owners, delayed heavy vehicle access for farmers, degradation in the quality of grain, issues around fly strike, animal welfare and fencing. The floods also meant that essential community infrastructure such as roads, bridges, culverts, public halls, recreation reserves, playgrounds, sporting venues and open spaces were damaged, thus undermining peoples capacity to access, participate, reconnect and enjoy the fabric of what makes up our communities. Compounding the events of the 13 January 2011, a prediction of significant rainfall on the weekend of the 5 February 2011 created a high risk of flooding and landslides in Halls Gap. This led to emergency services ordering an evacuation of the west side of Grampians road in Halls Gap from the Halls Gap Caravan Park to Lake Bellfield. The Northern Grampians Shire Council again activated a MECC and a relief centre, although the predicted rain and landslides didn‟t occur. The storm and floods that swept through the Upper-Wimmera catchment areas of the Northern Grampians Shire and Pyrenees Shire on Sunday 18 December 2011 caused devastation that was significantly worse than the earlier floods for the farming communities in this district. Coupled with significant property damage, most of this area was isolated due to a series of extreme downpours of rain, people in some areas measuring more that 125mm within one-two hours. This created flash flooding of creeks and tributaries of the upper Wimmera River catchment, notably the Six and Seven Mile Creeks, Mt William Creek and the Wimmera River itself, destroying farm fences and sweeping away livestock. There were mass road closures in the district and widespread property damage. For the townships, including Stawell, the storm water systems could not cope with the 1:200 year event, roads and lanes became streams, water storage dams and lakes breached and flooded private properties. Many business and homes suffered damage. The cumulative impact of each of these events on the welfare, resilience and livelihood of these communities could not be ignored. The Northern Grampians Shire Council response to the flood and weather event was guided by the Northern Grampians Shire Council Municipal Recovery Action Plan which provided a structure for delivering the recovery actions, and specific actions to address the social, environmental, economic and infrastructure recovery in our communities. The cost of the response and recovery to the floods could not have been borne by the Northern Grampians Shire Council and its communities. Funding for the flood recovery activities were primarily provided through the Commonwealth and State Governments through the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) and other specifically targeted flood recovery grants amounting to over $31.5million.


Map of flood impact from the three major floods1.

Major damage 294

Medium level damage 811

Minor damage 376

Flooded, not damaged 133

Crown Lands

Note- 139 Properties were flooded on three separate occasions, 720 properties flooded twice

1 Source: Northern Grampians Shire Council Flood Recovery Team (FRT) Impact Assessment data base as at March 2013.

It is important to note that people had no obligation to report any damage to Council, and while the FRT attempted to contact every property owner it is probable that this data is not the total of damage in the municipality.


Oversight of the Municipal Flood Recovery program. The Northern Grampians Shire Council established an Inception Period Organisational Action Plan in the first month after the January floods. This document provided the organisational framework to establish a dedicated flood recovery team, the governance offered by the Council and Municipal Recovery Committee, and the impetuous to seek the resources necessary to deliver the necessary recovery works. By April 2011, Council had adopted the Municipal Recovery Action Plan 2011 (MRAP). The MRAP included the terms of reference for the Municipal Recovery Committee, and the Natural Environment, Infrastructure, Economic and Social Recovery Sub-committees.

The Municipal Recovery Committee was chaired by the Mayor of the day, and attended by the CEO, Council Directors, the Municipal Recovery Manager, and senior officers of relevant State Government departments, Community Organisations and Emergency Services. In total the MRC met 19 times throughout the recovery timelines. As the flood recovery works progressed, the makeup of the committee varied, however the senior Council membership remained constant. It became difficult to attract representation from State Government when the impact of the floods was right across the whole Grampians region and it became more appropriate to deal with the State on a direct needs basis and communicate general recovery issues through the Regional Recovery Committee which was also operable. The Sub-Committees provided the community input into the delivery of the MRAP. The smaller Sub-Committees were made up of self-nominated or targeted community members and groups, FRT officers, Councillor representation, and relevant statutory bodies. Having a focus on one area of recovery need- the environmental recovery, infrastructure recovery, social recovery or economic recovery meant that issues could be addressed, task delegated, and community liaisons established. These committees met on 58 occasions since January 2011, the last meeting was of the Infrastructure (built environment) recovery Sub-Committee on 17 June 2014.


Acknowledgment of committee representatives:

Municipal Recovery Committee: Cr. Ray Hewitt, Cr Kevin Erwin, Cr Dorothy Paton, Justine Linley, Samantha McGill, Greg Little (NGSC), Jill Miller (GCH), Brian Hamer, Katherine Gillespie (DHS), Bruce Taberner, Terry Lewis (DPI), Darcy Prior (DSE), Graham Parkes and Dave Roberts (Parks Vic.).

Natural Environment: Greg Little, Ewan Letts, Kath Gosden, Sanjay Manivasagasivam, Mandy Smith (NGSC), (NGSC), Leigh Blackmore (Project Platypus), Greg Barber and Daniel Mudford (North Central Catchment Management Authority), Aaron McGifford (Aboriginal Affairs Victoria- Department of Planning and Community Development), Geoff Miller (Department of Sustainability and Environment), Clare Wilson (Wimmera Catchment Management Authority), Kevin Spence (Buloke & Northern Grampians Landcare Network), Luke Austin (Wimmera Catchment Management Authority).

Built Environment: Jim Nolan, Greg Little, Lyle Tune, Ashleigh Dark, Sanjay Manivasagasivam, Leah Ramsey, Nic Murphy, Bruce McClure, John Main (NGSC), Colin Coates (VFF), Daryl Sinclair (VicRoads).

Economic Environment Committee: Samantha Magill, Nicole Tehan, Greg Little (NGSC), Lyn Hughes (RDV), Dave Roberts (Parks Vic), Chris Marshall (Centrelink), Chris Burchett (Grampians Tourism), Don Calvert (Halls Gap Tourism), Rachel Matthews (StawellBiz), Merilee Reid (SCAN), Hugh Russell (Harbergers), Cecelia McDonald (ANZ Business Banking), Leonie McGuckian (Norval), Ron McPherson (Stoney Creek Stores), Alan Green (Grampians Produce)

Social Recovery: Cr. Barry Marrow, Greg Little, Peter Bigmore, Melissa Mair, Leah Ramsey Dianne Stewart (NGSC), Katherine Gillespie (DHS), Danny Stone (EWHS), Tony Dark (NGSC), Lyn Hughes (RDV), Maryanne Ross (DPCD), Jill Miller (GCH), Carolyn Wright (Salvation Army), Catherina Ripper, Mavis Fitzgerald (Halls Gap), Margaret Sylvester (Glenorchy), Peter Bullock (Great Western), Dawn & Keith McKay (Navarre), Marg Batters (St Arnaud), Peter Jackman, Colin Coates, Kevin Jess (VFF), Ewan Letts (Landcare), Ash Wallace (DPI), Bob Wallace (Project Platypus)

Flood Recovery Team

(MRAP KRA 1.1: Develop a Recovery Structure for Northern Grampians Shire) The Flood Recovery structure that was put in place to deliver on the MRAP consisted of: Executive Management Team- Justine Linley (CEO), Jim Nolan, Sanjay Manivasagasivam, Vaughan Williams, Samantha Magill (Directors) FRT: Greg Little-MRM-Flood Recovery Manager, Paul Brumby- Resource Officer, Peter Bigmore- Flood Recovery Officer, Melissa Mair- Flood Recovery Officer, Dianne Stewart- Flood Recovery Officer, Leah Ramsey- Recovery Communications, Lyle Tune- Recovery Infrastructure Project Coordinator, Peter Horwood- Infrastructure Recovery Works Supervisor, John Main- Flood Recovery Engineer, Kandee Balasingha- Infrastructure Recovery Engineer, Ewan Letts-Volunteer Coordination/Natural Environment Recovery Officer, Ashleigh Dark- Infrastructure Administration Officer, Carly Vokes- Contracts Officer, Kerry Pahl, Jenny Turner, Bianca Bulger- Administration. Additional support was provided through all Directorates of Council, and in particular Human Resources, Finance, Customer Service, Economic Development, Information Technology, Records, Governance, Environmental Health, Local Laws, Infrastructure and Building and


Planning. Officers who were relied upon frequently and greatly contributed in delivery of the Recovery Program include Kym Ryan and Mandy Smith- Creditor payments and contracts management, Mandy Silk, Jay Petty, Julie Baxendale and Julia Smith- Finance, Libby O‟Callaghan and Des Martin- GIS, Sharon Link and Edith Rickard-HR, Nic Murphy and Jason Lewis-Infrastructure, Murray Backus and Simon Beelitz- ICT, Michelle Wood- EHO/Deputy MRM, Amy Rhodes and Beth Gibson (contractor) - communications, Shirley Rickard- Events. During the response and relief actions at the time of the flooding events many officers and Councillors undertook additional duties to work on the emergencies- Amy Rhodes, Ann-Maree Sheard, Cr Barry Marrow, Carole Ford, Coby Coenen, Chelsea O‟Callaghan, Des Martin, Denise Beelitz, David Todd, Dianne Hodder, Daryl Schuyler, Cr Dorothy Patton, Gavin Keilar, Greg Little, Jacob Seeary, Jason Lewis, Jim Nolan, John Kindred, Joss Field, Justine Linley, Hayden Harvey, Kath Gosden, Karen Little, Cr Kevin Erwin, Kym Ryan, Kristie Neilson, Kerry Pahl, Leigh Edwards, Libby O‟Callaghan, Nic Murphy, Maddie Tapscott, Mandy Smith, Marc Brilliant, Malcolm Styles, Melissa Mair, Mick McQueen, Michelle Wood, Murray Backus, Nicole Tehan, Pauline Coates, Peter Bigmore, Petra Neilson, Cr Ray Hewitt, Samantha Magill, Sanjay Manivasagasivam, Sarah Parker, Siva Sampasivam, Tony Dark, Tracy Gavaghan, Vaughan Williams, Wayne Eastwood. Depot personnel who worked on the response to the floods were: Barry Hoye, Bill Ezard, Colin Forster, Chris Stephens, Durken Cutchie, Daniel Walsh, Daryl Goodinge, Glen Rose, Glen Yanner, Gavin Keilar, Hayden Harvey, Jeff Sibson, Kevin Mason, Kevin Mackley, Ken Hermann, Deane Grainger, Mick Horsburgh, Mel Hermann, Neal Cator, Norm Smith, Neil Medlyn, Peter Woodhouse, Paul Whelan, Peter Horwood, Peter Mcswain, Peter Todd, Ray Pulley, Stephen Scilini, Visitor Information Centre staff and volunteers, Cr Wayne Rice, and Wayne Taylor The Response, Relief and Recovery Process was supported by external organisations from the event through to its conclusion, in particular, Victoria Police, Dept. of Human Services, VicRoads, Ambulance Victoria, CFA, the North Central, Glenelg Hopkins and Wimmera Catchment Management Authorities (CMA), Ararat Rural City Council, Moyne Shire Council, SES, Grampians Community Health, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Wimmera Uniting Care, University of Ballarat, GWM Water, and Parks Victoria. The Yarra Ranges Shire Council (YRSC) offered expertise in recovery management, support personnel, and equipment at the start of the January 2011 recovery process. Led by YRSC officers Kate Seibert and Grant Jack and supported by a team of Yarra Ranges staff, this offer was incredibly valuable in enabling Northern Grampians Shire officers to have some respite from the event, provide the structure for the recovery plan, and assist with the initial assessments and data collection.

Community engagement

(MRAP KRA 1.2: Engage with the Northern Grampians Community throughout the recovery effort) The FRT made particular effort to have the community involved in the recovery process. The first recorded community meeting was held immediately after the Glenorchy floods on the 14 September, and 41 subsequent meetings over three years were held throughout the shire at Glenorchy (5) Halls Gap (5) Great Western (3), St Arnaud (1), Dadswells Bridge (2), Joel Joel (5), Wallaloo (1), Mt Dryden (1), Traynors Lagoon (1), Campbells Bridge (2), Kooreh (2), Carapooee (1), Stuart Mill (1), Navarre (2), Gooroc (1), Marnoo (1), Wal Wal (1), Banyena (1), Gre Gre (1), and Stawell (4).


Community meetings were well planned and scripted. They were deliberately designed to be at a place and time that best suited the local community, often breakfasts or after dinner. Locations were chosen so that all people had at least one meeting close to their home. A partnership approach was taken with recovery stakeholders and regular attendance, depending on the location or need, was by a Councillor of the Northern Grampians Shire, all members of the FRT, representatives of Grampians Community Health (GCH), Rural Financial Counselling, Centrelink, the CMA‟s, Dept of Human Services, Red Cross, SES, Parks Victoria and GWM Water. Catering of the events was provided by local communities, often through the CFA brigades, in a measure to invest back into that community and to also ensure local attendance. The meetings were more than just being informative, the intention was to obtain from those present the issues and impacts that were occurring as a result of the floods. Property maps were taken to each meeting and people were engaged one on one to demonstrate the damage to their assets, and local road and bridge damage. This also enabled people to talk privately on the impact on themselves and their families in a non threatening manner. Much of the data obtained was collected from these meetings, outreach, personal support and referrals to services were initiated and progress was monitored at later meetings. It also provided the foundation of what advocacy was required for government assistance. The Northern Grampians Shire FRT model of community engagement after the floods was acknowledged by the Australian Emergency Management Institute as best practice and the Recovery Manager was invited to be a keynote speaker on this topic at an AEMI conference in June 2013. In an attempt to enable every flood affected resident the opportunity to tell of their impact and get the appropriate services, FRT members and the Red Cross undertook a property by property door knock of areas that there was little information on. The Outreach program passed on recovery information, collected damage assessments and made referrals for assistance. Recovery communication practices dictate that information needs to be disseminated in many different fashions. Council‟s website had dedicated pages on flood recovery progress, issues and necessary information. Council Communication officer Amy Rhodes was on hand in the MECC during the event to prepare media releases and community information material. Amy Rhodes and Beth Gibson (Punch PR) prepared the first flood recovery newsletters. In May 2011, Leah Ramsey (Language_Lynx) joined the FRT as a part time Flood Communications Officer, and prepared 19 editions of the flood recovery newsletter that was funded by the State Government‟s Community Recovery Fund and distributed online and though newspapers, retail outlets and customers service centres. Media interest in the flood events and municipal recovery was high. Local and regional print, television and radio news regularly ran flood recovery news items, stories of celebrations, emerging issues, progress and events. This became a strong and deliberate medium to use, the media partnering with Council in informing the community and providing a significant advocacy tool. The FRT also made it a point to be present at the Wimmera Field Days and Agrifest to provide recovery information and to enable another opportunity for people to tell their story and seek assistance.

Government liaison and advocacy

(MRAP KRA 1.3: Work with State and Federal governments in the delivery of recovery actions)

The Department of Human Services are the lead State Government agency for the coordination of recovery activities across the State. With the scale of these events, and the impact on State and Commonwealth Government budgets and services, a State Government Departmental Secretaries group was established to provide the oversight for the response and recovery progress. Council provided regular reports through DHS, RDV and DPI to the Secretaries meeting on the impact, progress and emerging issues.


The three floods were each declared natural disasters under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) which provided for individuals personal hardship and distress assistance, Emergency Grants to meet immediate basic needs, temporary living expense grants, and re-establishment grants for repairs to structural damage to a residence and to replace essential household contents such as furnishings and electrical goods. For the Council, business and community organisations the NDRRA provided funds to assist with the restoration of essential public assets, clean up and restoration grants, extended concessional loans to businesses, primary producers and not-for-profit organisations. The State Dept of Treasury and Finance (DTF) administered the NDRRA funds. It would not have been possible for Council to fund the response cost, let alone the cost of the recovery. DTF provided advances of funds based on estimated expenditure and then acquitted this against actual expenditure claims. Neil Maher of VicRoads was the appointed Council‟s liaison for pre-approving infrastructure repairs and cost associated with the project management, and also auditing the claim through physical inspection of the works. Neil‟s advice and experience along the recovery process was invaluable, as was Brian Tooth and Donna Kennedy of DTF. Regional Recovery Committees were established comprising of senior State Government department representatives, community organisations, and Council officers. VicRoads chaired the Infrastructure / Environmental Recovery Committee, while DHS had the lead on the Social / Economic Recovery. These committees proved valuable in making decisions on resourcing across the widely impacted region, and in being able to advocate as a regional group on emerging issues. From the very first event in September 2011, elected representatives of Government were keen to be present in the community to gain an understanding of the impact and provide support were possible. The Hon. Jacinta Allen MP, and Member for Rippon Joe Helper held a meeting at Glenorchy after the September floods with the local community. From this meeting a commitment was made to renew the Glenorchy Hall, and undertake a research study into the impact of the floods on houses in Glenorchy and the potential mitigation measures. Navarre was also able to secure funding for upgrade work at the Recreation Reserve. A change of government in Victoria occurred in between the 2010 and January 2011 floods. Jacinta Allen, now in a shadow Ministry portfolio again visited the Shire after the January floods to obtain first hand information from the community representatives. During the January floods the Member for Western Victoria David O‟Brien MLC and the Member for Rippon Joe Helper visited the Municipal Emergency Coordination Centre (MECC) during the January event, and Mr O‟Brien and Member for Northern Victoria Damian Drum MLC were present again in the MECC after the December floods, and remained strong advocates for our communities recovery throughout. To gain an understanding of the impact on the Grampians and Halls Gap the Tourism Minister the Hon. Louise Asher visited in January 2011. Also demonstrating a direct interest in our communities flood recovery was from the Victorian Government the Hon Peter Walsh, the Deputy Premier the Hon. Peter Ryan, The Hon. Hugh Delahunty, Simon Ramsey MLC for Western Victoria, and from the Australian Government the Member for Mallee John Forrest MP, his successor Andrew Broad MP, and the Hon. Warren Truss (as Deputy Opposition Leader). State Government departments and authorities were key partners in our recovery- providing advice, funding, local services, working in partnership on projects to avoid duplication of work and unnecessary community angst. The Department of Primary Industry (DPI), VicRoads, Dept of Human Services (DHS), Dept of Business and Innovation (DBI), Dept of Treasury and Finance (DTF), Regional Development Victoria (RDV), Dept of Justice (DoJ), Dept of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), Parks Victoria (PV), Dept of Planning and Community Development (DPCD), State Emergency Service (SES), Country Fire Authority (CFA), Tourism Victoria, the Wimmera and the North Central Catchment Management Authorities, Rural Financial Counselling, Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water, Grampians Tourism, Regional Development Australia, Municipal


Association of Victoria, Wimmera Development Association, neighbouring Municipalities , and also Commonwealth departments including Centrelink, the Attorney Generals Department and the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development It was not without concern that there was uncertainty in the days leading up to the end of the financial year 2012/2013 that the NDRRA funds would end on the 30 June 2013. Considerable lobbying and communication with State and Federal Government departments was rewarded with a Government announcement on 26 June 2013- four days prior to the program being due to finish that an extension would be granted until 30 June 2014. Although the Northern Grampians Shire were able to continue works in flood recovery until 30 June 2014 based on the December 2011 flood damage, this would have meant reprioritising and potentially concluding some works early. For many other municipalities this could have meant that important recovery work was not finished at all. The Victorian Auditor General‟s Office (VAGO) tabled a report on the effectiveness and efficiency of the State‟s relief and recovery arrangements during and in the aftermath of the 2010-11 floods. VAGO spent three days in Stawell during March 2013 seeking information and documentation on the flood recovery program. The tabled report was complimentary of the range of work that has been delivered by local governments, however was consistent with feedback provided by the FRT on the responsiveness of State Government departments immediately after the events and the complexity of reporting requirements.

Social Recovery

(MRAP KRA 1.4: Provide a Recovery Centre for as long as required)

The floods in January 2011 occurred on a Thursday afternoon, a relief centre was opened that night to cater for evacuees, tourists and the travellers who were forced to seek safe haven through the flood risks or road closures. The Relief Centre had 120 people stay overnight, that many again attended the centre but did not stay. The relief centre closed on the following Sunday. It was decided to open a Recovery Centre at the Stawell Health and Community Centre (SHACC). Grampians Community Health (GCH) made available to the Council two consulting rooms and a dedicated recovery phone line where the Recovery Centre Manager (Melissa Mair) with some administrative support was able to engage with people in person or over the phone, take their details, provide initial information on what supports were available to meet their needs. Centrelink staff, and DHS staff provided staff to be in attendance, and people were able to be referred directly to them for grant assistance. GCH services such as personal support counselling was dedicated to the Recovery Centre and people were able to have an immediate support service provided. The Recovery Centre as a physical space in the SHACC closed after two weeks however GCH continued to provide space for a static display of information in the foyer, reception staff to take enquiries and request attendance from an FRT officer, and transferred the dedicated phone number to the FRT administration officer within the Council offices. In effect this meant that the Recovery Centre continued to operate for the duration of the recovery period.


(MRAP KRA 2.1: Personal Support and Counselling) Information obtained from the Relief Centre, Recovery Centre, grant provision, outreach program, and community meetings provided accurate data relating to people affected by the floods, their status and their plans. This enabled support to be made available to those who identified themselves as requiring assistance, but also enabled contact to be made and the offer of services given to those who were demonstrating the need for assistance but not yet seeking it. Material Aid such as food hampers, clothing and personal effects was distributed to people and families who were impacted by the floods by The Salvation Army. Under the arrangements in a long standing MOU between DHS, Northern Grampians Shire Council, GCH and Wimmera Uniting Care (WUC), GCH took the lead in providing personal support and counselling services, WUC providing secondary support services. DHS provided psycho-social support funding to GCH to provide the service, and $5000 was provided to the FRT for any cost incurred in supporting personal support, such as hosting events including Dr Robert Gordon community meetings and Beyond Blue. Jill Miller CEO GCH, as part of the Municipal Recovery Committees met with the FRT to determine options for personal support and counselling. Experienced counsellor John Hastings was employed by GCH in a role dedicated to Flood Recovery support. John worked closely with Flood Recovery officers Peter Bigmore and Melissa Mair, often undertaking joint visits as a way of introduction with community members. The cumulative impact of repeated natural disasters on people was apparent. GCH reported that it was not necessarily the impact of the last flood that was taking its toll, but the impact and losses from earlier fires and disasters in addition to the floods that had led people to seeking assistance. GCH continues to provide support to some people as required today, becoming part of their ordinary business rather than a recovery response. The partnership between GCH and NGSC in supporting our communities and also each other following the floods was recognised by the MAV and VCOSS, when in 2014 Greg Little (NGSC) and Jill Miller (GCH) co-presented at an MAV/VCOSS forum on community services in emergency management (MRAP KRA 2.2: Community Event and Projects) Community recovery events and functions were provided in most areas of the shire and were determined by the community representatives on the Social Recovery Committee as to what would best work for each community and demographic. Many of the activities were already identified in various township Community Plans as being important to the communities progress. The majority of these events were funded by the State Government Community Recovery fund, and facilitated by the FRT. Flood Recovery Officers Melissa Mair, Peter Bigmore and Dianne Stewart had the lead role in ensuring the events were planned, managed and delivered. The events had many tangible benefits. They provided some respite from the troubles caused by the flood, they enabled the FRT and agencies to mingle in a relaxed environment with the community to share information and gain an understanding of some of the localised issues. It provided an opportunity for communities to come back together, to reform again after the floods had changed the community dynamics and capacity to be involved. It provided an injection of funding into small communities and skills in event management. It was also a chance for people to have fun together, celebrate any good news, achievements, the completion of work or a move on to the next stage of recovery.


The events provided include: the Governor of Victoria visit to Halls Gap and Joel Joel May 2011, Great Western Mothers Day 2011 High Tea, Lights & Sirens Ball July 2011 recognising the work of the response agencies during the floods, Keeping It Bushy weekend events at Halls Gap Oct 2011, Northern Grampians Road re-opening Nov 2011, Army Cadets „Big Hand „at Joel Joel June 2012, Halls Gap Botanical Gardens re-opening June 2012, St A bowling Club new surface opening Sept 2012, Stawell Steps dedication Nov 2012, Silverband Falls Rd re-opening Dec 2012, Great Western Toilets commissioning- Dec 2012, Cato Park party March 2013, Banyena Tennis Courts April 2013, Landsborough West Tennis Oct 2013, Navarre Hall and Museum opening Oct 2013, Halls Gap, St Arnaud and Stawell Christmas tree light up nights Dec 2013, Concongella 140 year celebrations Sept 2012, Black Range Trivia Night Nov 2012, Max Walker and Antoinette Danaher Business Breakfast series April 2013, Rotary Club flood impacted children‟s trip to the MCG Footy July 2011, Marnoo Community Football trip, May 2011, St Arnaud North T20 Cricket trip (thank you to the Melbourne Stars cricket team for providing free tickets), Stawell Regional Arts Youth Talent on Tap April 2011, The Australian Welsh Male Choir June 2011, Glenorchy Hall Big Night Out official opening June 2013, Stuart Mill recognition [bench tables and chairs in the reserve marked with a community celebration] Mar 2012, St Arnaud Community Event- „Survive The Dark‟ party in Market Square Feb 2012, Ladies Mystery bus to Halls Gap Nov 2011, Christmas in July dance in Glenorchy Hall Aug 2011, Halls Gap Residents rock climbing weekend Dec 2011, Banyena, Kooreh and Wal Wal hall openings, Joel Joel Christmas Carols Dec 2012 (12 month flood anniversary), festive season celebrations at Navarre, Pomonal, Halls Gap, Great Western, Callawadda Summer 2011, Ladies Pamper day Aug 2012. In delivery of the events acknowledgement is made of the contribution of Stawell Regional Arts, Marg Batters, the Lions and Rotary Clubs of Stawell and St Arnaud, the Halls Gap and Grampians Historical Society, Grampians Community Health, DPI, Parks Victoria, VicRoads, and the local community organisations that have been instrumental in delivering events in their communities

Glenorchy Hall Opening June 2013


Adam Brand- Live at Joel Joel

One of the most audacious events planned was bringing Aria Award winning performer Adam Brand to the Joel Joel Hall for a concert as part of his Australian tour. The December 2011 floods came during the Joel Joel Christmas Carols- the night the whole community generally comes together and celebrates, so it was important to try and provide an event that would bring the community together again before the next Christmas Carols. The community was involved in the decision making and encouraged to think big. Funding of $8,000 was sourced through the States Community Recovery Fund to provide an event at Joel Joel that was dedicated to local flood impacted people and would give a boost to the communities of the upper Wimmera Catchment district. A phone call to promoter Duane McDonald of Regional Touring came up with one real possibility- Adam Brand and that Duane would ask Adam to do the gig within our budget. A few phone calls later and Adam along with his support band was booked. The problem then became how to put on this show. All local community members were invited so the attendance would be a bit over 200, the hall wouldn’t hold this many and the stage wouldn’t do Adam justice. Between the FRT and the locals the answers were found. Robbie Kilpatrick supplied a truck trailer for a stage, the ‘Floodmate’ program cleaned up outside the hall, Craig Stewart set up a tent for a change room, the Joel Joel ladies made sure everything was in place, the Marnoo Navy Blues group cooked up a storm catering the dinner for everyone, and the FRT ‘stage managed’ the event including the promotion, portable toilet hire, ticketing, traffic management, and Master of Ceremonies. It was a hugely successful night, It was a packed house, Adam was brilliant but almost upstaged by his support act, Buddy Goode. The event went off without many hitches, Adam immersed himself during the day with the locals getting a firsthand look at the impact of the floods and bringing a lot of smiles to a lot of faces.


(MRAP KRA 2.3: Material Aid and Volunteer Coordination) Volunteering during the flood event was witnessed widespread across the Shire, particularly when there was time and opportunity to help with sandbagging and evacuations. Visitors to townships worked alongside the local community in trying to protect property. It is also acknowledged that the SES and CFA are predominately volunteers and their dedication and actions during the floods was given with the highest level of commitment imaginable. During and immediately after the floods, the Visitor Information Centre‟s in St Arnaud and Halls Gap remained open as long as possible to become a pseudo information and recovery centre for local residents and tourist alike. The Recovery Plan identifies that Council is not in a position to accept donations or distribute material aid to the community in the event of a disaster. In the period during the event and into recovery the Salvation Army provided this support through goods and vouchers for people most in need. The Red Cross held a state-wide appeal for money to be donated. Red Cross, under the administration of Ron Walker, distributed the funds towards people whose homes had been inundated and those who had to vacate their homes. There was also an allocation made to a community project from the Red Cross appeal funds. In the Northern Grampians Shire, this significantly contributed to the construction of the spillways as a part of the Stawell Steps structure at Cato Park. Blazeaid, a volunteer fencing organisation, based themselves in Charlton and Inglewood, however were able to do fantastic fencing restoration work in the north east of the Shire around Gower East, Kooreh, and Coonooer Bridge . Approaches were made to Blazeaid to set up a base at Marnoo however they didn‟t have the manpower to be able to provide an additional program. The Dept of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) made available to the FRT funds to appoint a volunteer coordination officer. Ewan Letts was appointed to this role and his focus was predominately supporting individual volunteers and groups on farm and property security, and fencing and the clean-up of community assets. Volunteers included the Pajero 4x4 Club of Victoria, WestVic Recyclers, the Australian Army Cadets, the Stawell Secondary College, Project Platypus, Buloke and Northern Grampians Landcare Network, Landcare groups, the Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs, Apex Club, CFA, and Red-Cross. Feedback from people and communities who received volunteer assistance was that it was not only the work that was completed that was valuable, it was also the demonstration of care, the social support and community engagement that provided a tangible benefit. The Stawell Farmers Market made available equipment to assist the work of the volunteers. Neighbourhood Watch branches from Stawell, as well as Moyhu and Whitfield in the Ovens Valley, donated $1,000 to help five hall committees - Joel Joel, Great Western, Banyena, Campbells Bridge and Navarre - purchase essential safety equipment as part of their facilities' restoration after the floods. A volunteer recognition event was held in March 2012. The FRT with the assistance of the Halls Gap and Grampians Historical Society and Kathy Matic sought video and still images from across the Shire of the floods and created a DVD, and Leah Ramsey created a flood story booklet. Titled „Rain Hail or Shine‟ this documented history of the floods was launched at an event at the Stawell Town Hall at which community members who had voluntarily and significantly contributed to the response and recovery of the floods were formally recognised and presented with a certificate of appreciation.


The Australian Army Cadets Big Hand Weekend.

An approach was made by Carl Manka, a unit Leader from an Army Cadets unit in Avoca that he had heard about the flood of December 2011, and that perhaps the Australian Army Cadets (AAC-young people aged 12-18 who join a youth development program based in a military setting, auspiced by the Australian Defence Force) would be able to help. Ewan Letts and Greg Little met with Carl and a plan was hatched to bring a number of the Victorian AAC units to help clean up farms in the upper-Wimmera catchment area. Before long the coordination of this became bigger that a local unit, and the FRT were liaising with the Commander of the AAC and a full military operation was planned for a weekend in June 2012. Seventy Army cadets from units across Victoria arrived on Friday 15 June and set up an army camp at the Joel Joel Hall. The young cadets in full army field kit were easily mistaken for adult soldiers so professional were they in their discipline, respect for the task at hand and the people they were helping, attitude to being involved and the work they performed. Stawell Captain (AAC) Chris LeGassic was the field commander and worked closely with Ewan Letts and Greg Little to coordinate the ‘field deployment’ and task allocation. 693 man hours of work was undertaken on 18 properties, some of the work as menial as clearing a paddock of sticks and debris so that the farmer could cut pasture or work the soil, other tasks bigger such as clearing debris and broken wire from fence lines. The weekend was concluded with a parade at the Joel Joel War Memorial, and the community put on a thank you lunch for the Cadets. The work was incredibly valuable to the farmers, but the other benefits included the social interaction between the farmers and local community with the young people, and the knowledge that people cared enough to want to help them get ahead of the work required to get their business going again. For the Cadets they had a real life experience in a post disaster environment, put their AAC training in place but also for some of the metropolitan and urban based Cadets got to experience farm and rural life and the work that has to be done. A lot of mutual respect for each other’s roles and capacity was established. An acknowledgment must also be made of the particular efforts of the Stawell-based 303 Army Cadet Unit, Captain (AAC) Chris Le Gassick and Aaron Croft, Carl Manka for initiating the project, Victoria Australia Army Cadets Brigade Commander, Lieutenant Colonel (AAC) Don Shearman for facilitating the weekend, and the Joel Joel Hall Committee, and the FRT officers who gave up their weekends.


(MRAP KRA 3.2: Public Health- to control hazards to public health that have arisen as a result of the floods) As well as dealing with immediate issues such as flooded septics, homes inundated with flood water, stagnant or pooling residual flood water, lack of drinking water, mosquito outbreaks, the Environmental Health Officers were instrumental very early on in the flood recovery program in providing the post impact assessments into the flood recovery team. The environmental health recovery activities were led by Michelle Wood, and assistance provided by Robert Jehu from Moyne Shire, Gillian Tattersall from Ararat Rural City, and officers from the Yarra Ranges Shire. During the January floods and landslides at Halls Gap the towns water supply line was damaged and GWM provided a temporary potable water cart for local resident use. The Council purchased 30 water containers for free distribution at the time to residents who needed one. Even when the supply line was re-established the water quality was not potable and a boil water notice from GWM was in effect for a short while. Flood debris was a significant issue. Large skips were provided at Glenorchy, Banyena and Great Western for flood debris, and were emptied and replaced as soon as they were full. Council made arrangements with the local landfills and transfer stations to accept flood debris free of charge. Over time mould became a significant issue. While information was given out early on how to dry out buildings, homes that had been heavily inundated or had poor ventilation and airflow became subject to mould on the walls, furniture and fittings. This posed a significant health risk if not treated and the FRT initiated an awareness campaign and localised support was provided to the community. Coming on the back of the 2006 fires and the lengthy drought, already distressed trees were impacted by the floods and storms. The Depot works department, John Hunt and his work team and contracted arborist worked quickly to identify, remove or rectify all trees that were a risk to public safety. The December 2011 flood was extremely heavy and the amount and velocity of the flood water caught everybody by surprise. Farmers in the upper Wimmera catchment had no time to prepare and 1783 sheep and other livestock were swept away. While some of the animals were found and repatriated, the FRT sought advice from DPI to construct a stock disposal pit. It is estimated that 839 sheep were buried.


Infrastructure Recovery

(MRAP KRA 3.3: Re-establishment of council property and other public assets) The most obvious, lengthy and costly aspect of the recovery program was the restoration of damaged community infrastructure. The Council‟s Infrastructure department and Depot works teams were magnificent in the response phase of recovery in clearing debris from roads, assessing damage, and making the asset usable as soon as they were able immediately after each of the flood events. Under NDRRA rules though the restoration of assets could not be undertaken internally and contractors were required to do the work so that Council was able to claim the expense. The September 2010 floods placed Council in a strong position to act quickly when the later floods occurred. Sanjay Manivasagasivam, then the Infrastructure Manager had already tendered the contracts for flood recovery road works and engaged road contractors for the September flood repairs. This was an advantage when the January floods occurred as these same and additional contractors were able to be extended to the combined total of the flood damage works. This also meant that other municipalities were going through the process of procurement while Northern Grampians Shire infrastructure recovery work was well underway. Lyle Tune, an experienced civil engineer was employed as part of the FRT to lead and coordinate the infrastructure repairs, his team expanding to include another design engineer, a works supervisor, a project manager, contracts officer and administration. Originally the Infrastructure recovery program was based at the Council depot in Stawell, however the relocation to the University of Ballarat building meant that it was based within the whole recovery team. This provided for direct interaction and involvement with the other FRT members, and meant that the community, environmental and economic benefit of the infrastructure recovery was addressed at the same time as the actual repairs. While unintended at the time it occurred, in hindsight it was one of the key reasons why the Northern Grampians Shire recovery was successful- the four elements of recovery were being addressed as a whole rather than separately and it was seamless and coordinated for the community. Apart from the FRT and the Infrastructure departments initial assessment of damage, feedback from community meetings and direct individual interaction was important. This provided the background information on the road and bridge network damage, community priorities and business use of the roads, and was taken into account when prioritising work. The priorities and works program was then well communicated back to the community through newsletters and direct engagement so that people could understand why different roads were being prioritised and when local impacts were planned to be addressed. Later it was reported back to the FRT that the correct prioritisation of works had made a huge difference in community functioning- school bus routes, access to farms for heavy vehicles and machinery were critical for restoring community capacity. Not counting some minor work or initial response activities, 765 roads, 125 major culverts and drop structures, and 122 bridges and floodways were repaired after the floods, some had recovery work undertaken on them in numerous sections, some also had work more than once due to the repeated events. While betterment was not permitted to mitigate against future floods, there is no


doubt that rebuilding the road heights and grades and reconstructing floodways and bridges has meant that these roads must be in a better condition than what they were prior to the floods. Seven contractors were engaged to undertake the repairs to bridges, culverts and associated drainage and water storage structures and road repairs work, which provided a three year period of continuous and additional work for the contractors. The commitment from the contractors to add to their plant and staff to make sure the works program was completed was a key to the recovery process. The FRT managed 45 significant public and private community asset recovery projects. Council had a number of its own civic space assets that were damaged. The Stawell Leisure Centre required minor repairs after being used as a relief centre, but also had water tanks and shedding damaged in the December floods. Taylors Gully Children‟s Centre flooded in the December event and had to have a significant cleanup, the sub-floor dried, some flooring replaced and soft fall and matting reinstated. Stawell Gift Hall of Fame required some minor repairs and the Marnoo Wetlands - Access Path had to be restored. A grant was received to replace the toilet block in Great Western, which had been a wish of the community through its community plan, but became necessary when the old toilets flooded. The biggest project on a Council controlled asset was the North Park Athletic complex repairs. The drainage had been eroded and required redesign and replacement, the athletics storage shed had flooded and damaged the foundations requiring a new floor, and significantly the old athletic track became unusable and required a complete rebuild. This work was undertaken by international track consultant Bob Jones as project manager, with WM Loud engaged to do the work over eight months. The work on the track, drainage and shed brought the facility up to a standard consistent with its original design intentions and at current athletic track standards. Some recovery activities became shared projects between Council and NDRAA. A report after the floods in December was obtained that indicated the foundations of the 1960‟s extension to the Western Highway Offices were impacted on by the floods and was damaging the original building. This wasn‟t able to be determined until the effects of the moisture on the building were known, meaning the remedial work was not commenced until late 2013, and Council is completing the work that was not able to be attributabed to NDRRA. The D‟Arcy Street open drain behind the Taylors Gully Childcare Centre was badly eroded by the December floods. Rather than just reform the open drain, a joint project to improve the drain and the surrounding park was commenced where Council sourced pipe and cover material and NDRRA funded the contractors. This means that the area is safer, less likely to flood and provides for more open space and future opportunities. Cato Park was a sea during the January and December floods resulting to damage to the inlets and banks. The work to repair the drains and inlets and the undercutting of the banks on the east side of the lake was justifiable under NDRRA, however Council provided additional edging stones to complete most of the bank edge, making it a much prettier and safer space. The Cato park spillway project- Stawell Steps- was the epitome of a joint project, with a partnership between 11 organisations, funding from NDRRA, State Government, local business and community donations, Council, and Monash University, to create more than a functional spillway and boardwalk, and has become an iconic Stawell location. Public Halls are generally under a local committee of management structure and there was limited capacity to assess, advocate, obtain grants and project manage this work from people who were often dealing with the recovery to their own property and businesses. The FRT with the blessing of the DSE undertook to repatriate flood damaged public halls on behalf of the community. Civil engineer Neil Povey was engaged to assess each public hall for damage and make


recommendations on its repair. Most of the damage was limited to water damage of the linings and fitting of halls, some minor swelling of floor boards and damage to outside toilets. Minor repatriation work was undertaken at the Campbells Bridge Hall, Joel Joel Hall, Navarre Hall, and Wal Wal Hall. More significant work often included pulling up the flooring and removing damp subfloor soils and leaving it to dry out before a new floor could be built. The Great Western Hall supper room, kitchen, ceiling over the stage, and historic tollgate area was damaged from the floods and roof leakage and required a new floor and cabinetry. The Kooreh Hall and Banyena Hall were similar in that they both had water inundate their buildings, requiring new floors, ventilation, furnishings and fit-out. The Glenorchy Hall escaped the September floods with only minor damage, however the January floods meant that additional work to the grant funded extensions that were approved in December 2010 were required, the stage, the walls and roof were virtually the only areas that weren‟t renewed. A continuing concern is the flooring at two of the repaired halls, the variations in the sub-floor moisture has meant that with some of building techniques employed it has created excessive gapping to occur in boards in the dry weather. This is being addressed at the time of the report by the builder and will require longer term monitoring. Tennis Victoria and Sport and Recreation Victoria were concerned at the capacity of local tennis clubs to repair the tennis courts not only in our Shire but across Victoria. All tennis courts in the shire were assessed- even those at Dadswells Bridge which were originally thought to be part of Horsham Rural City Council-and approval was given to undertake work depending on the community need. This was taken to mean that if a club or a regular competition was played on the courts prior to the floods they could be restored to competition standard, if it was irregular or social use then a standard suitable for that purpose was provided for. Work at Campbells Bridge consisted of a new asphalt surface, furniture and fencing, Glenorchy was considered not to have been useable prior to the floods, however a separate grant was sourced to rebuild the courts to a regular social use level. Banyena, Marnoo and Dadswells Bridge had active tennis clubs and were without facilities because of the floods. Their respective courts required complete new rebuilds of the sub-surface structure, playing surface, court furnishings and fences. This work was contracted to and completed by AS Lodge. Landsborough West Tennis Courts were subjected to fast flowing flood water tearing across the surface during the December 2011 floods, resulting in cracking of the asphalt. Surplus artificial grass surface material was obtained and installed on these courts tennis courts. Public open spaces and recreation areas were included as essential community assets under NDRRA. Federation Park walking path and bridges were reinstated, as was the Heatherlie trail bike path. The spillway at Teddington Reservoir, a public place as well as the Stuart Mill water supply was repaired and made safe. Halls Gap Recreation reserve and the links to the botanical gardens and caravan park required a range of treatments from new retaining walls, a replacement bridge, footpaths and walking tracks.


Understanding the 2011 Grampians Natural Disaster Council and other stakeholders were successful in obtaining a grant to determine the social and economic impact on the Landslides on Halls Gap and the Grampians region. This research: “Understanding the 2011 Grampians Natural Disaster, addressing the risk and resilience” was undertaken by the University of Ballarat (Federation University). The report made a number of recommendations including:

In conjunction with key emergency and recovery agencies, ensure that external funding is sought to (a) develop better predictive models for disasters in the Grampians region and (b) continue to establish better weather and flood warning systems for the Grampians region.

Affected communities continue to prepare and plan for all natural disasters, including major natural disasters, to reduce their vulnerability to future disaster events. Preparation should include development of individual emergency plans for residents and business owners similar to, but not confined to, bushfire preparation plans. This will need the support of emergency and recovery organisations.

To support local businesses within the Grampians region to undertake greater planning for major natural disasters to better protect local business and ensure the safety of staff and customers during future natural disasters.

That the current Erosion Management Overlay (EMO) be extended to include statutory planning controls for the landslide susceptible regions of the municipality. The EMO should adopt the methods of the Australian Geomechanics Society national Landslide Risk Management framework.

That longer-term research projects into the likelihood of future landslide events and the consequences of these events on the natural environment are undertaken. These projects should be considered as collaborative opportunities with land managers, government agencies, emergency services and research institutions.

The social impacts of the Grampians Natural Disaster on individuals and residents were very different to those of the infrastructure and emergency services organisations – and of businesses and community organisations. The report acknowledged that the events of January 2011 did not lead to any loss of life or major injuries, the reported impacts to health and wellbeing of those agency staff members involved in the response and recovery phases was an area of some concern. The events of January 2011 directly and/or indirectly impacted on all the participants in this research. It became apparent that for most participants, the magnitude of these impacts appeared to be largely dependent on the scale of damage to property and business and of their „experiences‟ this event suggests that the community is quite adaptable and resilient to natural disasters. A total expenditure of approximately $140 million by all agencies, plus operating budgets stretched in order to place more resources in the Grampians, Impacts on individuals and residents in terms of their finances suggest minimal to moderate costs were incurred. In identifying the impact of costs during the recovery of the flood/landslide event, there was no, or very little, financial impact to them and even indicated that employment opportunities were created during the recovery. The intangible cost that frustrated residents, to the extent that local councils assumed responsibility, was insurance covering private property. The approximate $140 million construction work undertaken in the recovery phase produced employment and skill enhancement not available prior to the event. The output benefits from this work were modelled to multiply out to $304 million, outweighing the tourism losses calculated by ten times. Yet only a small amount of this assisted the tourism sector economy, which was significantly impacted. In contrast to residents, the majority of businesses and community organisations were negatively or very negatively financially impacted. The financial costs incurred primarily related to loss of income through reduced tourist activities. Businesses and organisations identified the greatest impact being the loss of earnings/no earnings, none or few „sales‟, and loss of normal trading. Finally, there is only limited evidence of the legacy of this emergency being recognised, honoured and commemorated. The exception was the work undertaken by the Northern Grampians Shire Council in showcasing recovery efforts to

locals.


(MRAP KRA 3.4: Re-establishment of private property) While private property is not covered directly under the NDRRA arrangements, the FRT had a legitimate role in working with the community and individuals on recovery of their assets. There were 199 flood affected homes that the flood recovery team was aware of in the Northern Grampians Shire. Farm fencing and security was also an important issue with 1670km of damaged agricultural fencing being reported. More than half of this was able to be restored through the „Flood-mate‟ prisoner team, other prison teams, Project Platypus, Blazeaid, the Catchment Management Authorities and Conservation Volunteers. In a number of instances it was as a result of the effect of flooding of Council or public infrastructure that led to damage on private property. For example a road where its drainage had directed the flood water to a driveway or private access, and this has caused it to wash out then the FRT acknowledged a responsibility and repaired the damage. Council open drainage in both Stawell and St Arnaud exceeded capacity and in places damaged the properties that abutted them. In other instances the storm water drainage wetland retardation network broke its banks and flooded private properties in Stawell and damaged other public infrastructure. The repairs to these properties were all achieved under the flood recovery programme. Advocacy on behalf of private property owners was a considerable role for the FRT. NDRRA Category C clean-up grants were not available to individuals, however following the January 2011 floods they were for businesses and community organisations. This required working with the businesses and groups to evidence the damage and the repair cost and make an application to Rural Finance. Some groups who applied were successful, however it was not always on the first lodgement and they had to argue their case. While tracking the individual impact assessments the FRT became aware of some difficulties people were having with claiming insurance. There were a few good stories of quick settlement on insurance claims by individuals, however there were also many that had their claims denied, were poorly compensated/paid out, or had lengthy battles to achieve a result. Issues that presented included disputes over whether it was flood or storm damage, riverine water or storm water, the condition of the property prior to the floods, proof of losses, and slow responsive to review requests. The Recovery officers supported individuals who requested advice, assistance or evidence for their claims as requested. The FRT brought the Insurance Ombudsman to the Shire to discuss one-on-one with people their insurance concerns and have an open information session at Navarre. The FRT also made a submission on behalf of the Council to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on the „Actions of Insurance Companies Following a Natural Disaster‟, and Greg Little and Peter Bigmore provided evidence when the Committee hearings were held in Charlton. Council also had a role in advocating for grants for repairs to private and community owned assets. Projects including the Navarre Historical Museum, Stoney Creek restoration, the Stawell Speedway Track, Stawell Gun Club, the Botanic Gardens Walking Track (Halls Gap), Stawell Golf Club, St Arnaud Bowling Club, Glenorchy Tennis Courts, Stawell Bowling Club, Glenorchy Hall, and the Navarre netball courts and timekeepers box were each private property work which was planned, administered and project managed in partnership with the community groups to complete the work. Smaller projects under the Community Recovery


Fund and the „Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal grants were also project managed by the FRT. These included a playground and BBQ area and playground adjacent to the Glenorchy tennis courts, air conditioning and solar panels at the Joel Joel Hall, Picnic tables and seats at Stuart Mill, water tank and plumbing at the Wal Wal Hall, air conditioning at the Marnoo Hall, cladding and painting at the Paradise Hall , the Stawell Historical Society funding for the Glenorchy heritage signage which is part of the Glenorchy Community Plan, Navarre Historical Society received funding towards the museum upgrades of windows and doors, the Banyena Hall Committee obtained a projector, screen and PA system, and painting and restoration was undertaken of memorabilia at Kooreh. (MRAP KRA 3.5: Planning permissions and processes) The floods and landslide brought with them new risk understanding and overlays that needed to be considered when people wanted to rebuild or replace lost infrastructure. It was determined in the MRAP that this should not be a barrier in encouraging people to rebuild and develop flood damaged properties. Council‟s Planning and Building department were tremendous in supporting people to navigate through the planning processes so as to avoid delays where necessary. The Landslide Susceptibility Policy was extremely well communicated to the Halls Gap community and directly impacted property owners. While this had a potential impact on people‟s ability to reside or do business in areas susceptible to landslide, it was acknowledged that knowing the risks meant that people could better plan for the possible scenarios.

Natural Environment (MRAP KRA 4.1: Erosion & Waterways Management) The key focus early in recovery was for the development of the landslide contingency plan for the Halls Gap and the Grampians. This plan has now been widely communicated to the community and to emergency response agencies as an appendix of the Municipal Emergency Management Plan. To support the plan, two applications were made to the Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner, one for research into the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the Landslides in Halls Gap, the other for automated weather monitoring devices for Halls Gap. There was concern that the flooding to private property had been made worse by siltation, a build up of vegetation and debris in the creeks and rivers. While the hydrology assessments of the CMA indicated this was an unlikely significant contributor to flooding, there was a willingness from the CMA to issue permits for the removal of new flood deposited debris and silt and much of this work was undertaken by the FRT. To raise the awareness of the need to avoid spreading pest plants and soils, and damaging already fragile roadside vegetation areas, Peter Horwood and Ewan Letts took the initiative to spend time with the contractors work crews providing information and works procedures. Six Council dams and a number of private dams were damaged by the floods and required repairs, one dam in St Arnaud was decommissioned. The drainage system capacity was not designed to cope with the amount of water run-off from the unprecedented events, and understandably failed and in some instances were damaged. Twenty three drains required repair, the major projects of these were the St Arnaud and Stawell Main Drains, Patrick Street drain, Tandara Road drainage, and the D‟Arcy street drainage. In repairing some of the urban drains approval was sought to repair to current design standards, which therefore additionally provided some improvement to the drainage functionality.


The access to the Roses Gap Recreation Centre was destroyed when the crossover culvert was eroded by the floodwater, leaving a two metre ditch. The Northern Grampians Shire Council and Parks Victoria were able to negotiate funding and repair the damage to have the access restored. Local Landcare groups and Project Platypus were instrumental in the recovery of the riparian zones. This also provided assistance to farmers whose fencing and property as well as the conservation and rehabilitation zones that were destroyed along the creek and river frontages. The NDRRA eligibility only extended to essential community assets, in effect meaning that restoration of public and private land and waterways from erosion was not covered unless it could be justified that the area had a necessary community function and benefit. The limit of erosion works therefore became the table drains that connected to bridges and culverts, road edges, recreation ponds such as Cato Park, Marnoo Wetlands and the Queen Mary Gardens, and water storages. The Stawell „Storm Water Alternative Natural Solutions-SWANS‟ catchments and wetlands exceeded capacity in the upper reaches around Maude St and Cato Park Lake. Both of these lakes required significant repair from erosion. In repairing these dams the overflows and outlets were rebuilt to take into account the lessons learnt from the hydrology of the floods so that water could be directed more efficiently into the drainage system and at levels to avoid impact on neighbouring private property. Inlets and outlets at Cato Park Lake were formed to direct the water flows at a higher rate, and a joint project between Council and NDRRA was undertaken to repair the undercut lake edge with stone. However the most significant work, and what has become a symbol of the flood recovery in Stawell was the construction of two spillways, a brick tactile viewing area and a boardwalk at Cato Lake, known as Stawell Steps/Monash Steps.

Roses Gap Recreation Centre entrance January 2011


Stawell Steps/Monash Steps

Stawell Steps/Monash Steps was a jointly funded project, funded in part by NDRRA, the Victorian Flood Recovery Appeal funds, DPCD, and Council. Significant and valuable contributions were also made by Krause Bricks in Stawell, the MAV/Rural Councils Victoria, the Country Education Project, and the Wimmera Development Association. Stawell Steps/ Monash Steps really became much more than a spillway when a partnership between the funding bodies and 20 Monash University architecture students, was set in motion. The Monash Architecture School was searching for a project to work on as part of its annual Design / Make Studio, which shows students the practicalities of building a structure they have designed. Artisan bricks from Stawell brick manufacturer Krause Bricks were their material of choice and so the location became evident. Working with Monash artist-in-residence and Japanese architect Hiroshi Nakao, the students designed the 25-metre-long stepped structure made from brick that was incorporated into, around and over the spillways, with accessible platforms for fishing, bird watching, reading and relaxing. The students then spent six weeks on site building the steps with local tradesmen John Lyons and Des Pickford and Council staff- particularly contracted engineer Ian Mitchell, Engineers Nic Murphy and Jason Lewis, and Recovery Officer Dianne Stewart. Stawell Steps / Monash Steps was completed in November 2012, and is now a unique feature of Cato Park and the Lake.


Economic Recovery

(MRAP KRA 5.1: Assess the direct and indirect impacts on local business and employment) The direct loss estimates from the September and January floods for local businesses were that forty-eight businesses confirmed impact due to the flood event with direct damage and stock losses estimated at $175,500, and $80,000 in cancellations and refunds. A further $11 million in stock losses, lost income and damaged property was identified for primary producers. Economic modelling tool „Remplan‟ calculated that the economic impact to our Shire‟s economy of this is a total cost of $16.4 million. This is further compounded by the December event in which 19 businesses with losses of at least $161,500 was identified and primary producer losses of $3.71 million- a „Remplan‟ total cost calculation of $5,673,000. Much of the Economic recovery was delivered as add on functions to the work of the Economic Development team- Sam Magill, Nicole Tehan, Debbie Bach, Shelly Chalmers and Linley Hoilles, with support provided by the FRT and the Community Recovery Officers.

(MRAP KRA 5.2: Provide support to the Tourism Sector) Feedback from tourism operators in Halls Gap on support for their recovery, based on their experience of the 2006 fires was that to build resilience in individual businesses they needed to develop good business plans, sound contingency plans, and have a good business network and mentoring capacity. A range of monthly workshops were delivered for tourism businesses with a focus on finance, business planning and marketing to try and equip businesses with the right tools to succeed and cope with unplanned events. A Flood resource kit was developed with specific information for businesses affected in either the tourism or agriculture sectors. A series of marketing and promotional „recipe cards‟‟ designed to attract new residents and enhance tourism were completed for each town to add to an earlier series. Tourism Minister the Hon. Louise Asher visited Halls Gap in January 2011 and was presented with details on the impact of the floods on the Tourism Industry. As part of a package of support that was announced by the Minister, an industry development officer, funded through Tourism Victoria for 12 months, was employed by Grampians Tourism and commenced in July 2011. Council Business and Tourism officers worked closely with this officer. Through the tourism component of the DPCD Clean-up fund, all township and Shire entry signage (was updated to the new branding design or installed in places that were not signed). Event signage boards on the Western Highway at the entrance to Stawell and Great Western were installed.

(MRAP KRA 5.3: Identify major projects and business to stimulate the local economy)

Council maintained strong relationships with the Wimmera Development Association, Grampians Tourism, Halls Gap Tourism, Regional Development Victoria (RDV) and other Local Government Authorities to advocate for improved services and assets. RDV funded a position within Council for an Economic Partnerships Officer, a role designed to work across the Council departments to reduce barriers, provide information and stimulate development of business opportunities in the Shire.


A number of significant projects were identified in the MRAP as being important to stimulate the local economy. Many of these projects were already in the pipeline but gained increased importance following the floods. These projects included the Halls Gap Hub project, micro-site development, Great Western Future Plan, Lifestyle Cards, Industry Sector plans, Streetscape improvements and township entrance signage updates. A small number of local businesses who met the eligibility criteria were supported by the Economic Development team to successfully make application to the Victorian Business Flood Recovery Fund. The Fund was provided to flood-affected areas to create sustainable new jobs, additional business capacity that enhances employment, business and economic opportunities to restore and improve the capacity of areas of regional Victoria affected by the floods. This provided a valuable opportunity for these businesses to support the regional economy.

(MRAP KRA 5.5: Provide support to the agricultural sector) The Department of Primary Industries very early on recognised the extent of damage to the agriculture sector and provided funds for Council to employ in the FRT a Rural Flood Recovery Officer until December 2011. Peter Bigmore worked closely with individual farmers and rural communities and DPI officers to ensure they were aware of support that was available to them, and to ensure they had a conduit into the flood recovery program. In response to a shortage of volunteers and the high demand on prisoner labour to work on flood recovery projects, the FRT negotiated with DPCD and the Department of Justice (DoJ) to provide a dedicated prisoner work crew from the Hopkins Corrections Centre (Ararat Prison) to work on restoring farm fencing and farm clean-up in the Northern Grampians Shire. Ewan Letts coordinated the „Floodmate‟ program, identifying and liaising with farmers on their needs, availability and scheduling a program of works. Corrections Officers Graeme Dadswell and Shane Jenkins were in charge of the prisoner work team. Over a 15 month period, the prisoners were able to replace 250km of fencing and approximately $1million worth of labour value for a $100,000 investment in the prison program. Under a State Government program to provide short term work and income to farm employees, the North Central Catchment Management Authority established a team of workers. Kevin Spence of the Buloke and Northern Grampians Landcare Network coordinated work in the north of the municipality to address Landcare issues that had presented after the floods on both private and public lands. Rather than create new networks, the existing agricultural networks such as Farming in the 21st Century (F21) and Perennial Pasture Group were supported to provide flood recovery information, and also to grow to be more resilient. The FRT funded through the community recovery fund an update to the F21 website, contributed to „Agrifest‟ held at Overdale in Concongella in 2012 and a Marnoo F21 workshop. The FRT in conjunction with the DPI, Waratah Fencing, and Stawell Farm Supplies put on a workshop for farmers at Joel Joel called „Flood-Fencing- Farming‟. From this DPI officers were also able to establish a whole farm planning program. Without doubt one of the biggest challenges was supporting farmers (and other eligible groups) to access clean up and restoration grants under Category C of the NDRRA program. For the September and January floods these were announced and made available quickly, the difficulty


became in the complexity of the application form, the rules around claiming labour cost, what could be claimed as a legitimate expense, and the financial income criteria. For example, a farmer who had scale down his farming operations because of the drought, or who sought an off farm income was in some cases deemed not a viable farming enterprise or not earning the majority of income from the farm. In other cases a farmer who also did some contract fencing to supplement their income was unable to claim for his own fence repairs as it was said that was his own specialty business - even though they couldn‟t work for others when there was an abundance of fencing work because of the damage to their own farm. Fly strike became an issue however Rural Finance refused to recognise this as a claimable direct flood issue. Peter Bigmore and Greg Little and Patrick White from Rural Financial Counselling endeavoured to contact all farmers who may have been eligible for the grants, assisted famers to complete the forms, and advocated on behalf of the farmers, making direct representations to Rural Finance (the grant administrators) and elected representative of Government. The Northern Grampians Shire was reported to have the greatest number of claims and payment for these grants in the west of Victoria. The evidence of how vital these grants are to support the effected business and primary producers is that from the September 2010 and January 2011 grants program, 271 applications were approved for funding to a total of $2.7 million, which has the effect under „Remplan‟ of putting a value of $3.95million back into the Northern Grampians Shire economy, including about 19 jobs. A bigger challenge came post the December flood in trying to have the NDRRA recognise the impact of this event for Category C clean-up grants. The evidence of the impact that was collated by the FRT demonstrated that this event was far more devastating to primary producers, business and community organisations in the area identified as the „Upper Wimmera Catchment‟ which included the districts surrounding Landsborough West, Joel Joel, Greens Creek, Concongella, Stawell, Kirkella, Bellellen, Great Western and Deep Lead. With the support of the Council, direct representations were made to State and Commonwealth Members of Parliament for support, an orchestrated print (North Central News, Stawell Times News, Weekly Times, Herald Sun, and Wimmera Mail times), radio (ABC, 3WM and 3AW) and Win TV news media campaign was undertaken, dubbing the event the “forgotten flood”. The State Government departments were provided with regular impact damage assessments, all with the ambition of having the event recognised for grant eligibility. Colloquially, the FRT were like a „dog with a bone‟ and never gave up seeking the grant. Finally after 18 months of lobbying and providing evidence, the Category C status was awarded in June 2013, albeit at a reduced amount of $10,000 and limited to certain postcodes in the Upper Wimmera catchment area. On investigation this postcode issue also meant that because of districts having changes or having multiple postcodes, the severely impacted farmers at Greens Creek were not included. A further six months of advocacy by Council, the FRT, Greens Creek farmers, and the Member for Western Victoria Mr David O‟Brien MLC, was required before this anomaly was rectified and all known flood impacted primary producers were covered under the grants.


Awards and Recognition The most rewarding recognition was that which was received from the people and community groups that the Council and FRT was able to assist. The first of this feedback came from a letter sent from tourist from Amsterdam to thank the Council and relief centre staff for their work and care during the floods. Later messages would be received from community thanking the Council and acknowledging the work that had been done. It was evident at each community celebration or opening event for a repaired venue that the work had meant so much to people, and they appreciated that they would not have been able to achieve it without a lot of heartache, fundraising and time. Recognition by other Councils and emergency management peers also came through invitations to Councillors and Officers to present at state and national forums where there was an interest in the impact of the floods and Councils response and recovery. These included a display and speech at the Great Hall of the State Parliament house, the Municipal Emergency Management Enhancement Group, the Australian Emergency Management Institute, the National Environmental Health forum, Victorian Council of Social Services, and the Municipal Association of Victoria forums. The Victorian Governor, the Honourable Alex Chernov and Mrs Elizabeth Chernov, following their visit to Halls Gap and Joel Joel in May 2011, invited community members Ken and Cheryl Hall and Rupert and Helen Bibby, FRT members Greg Little, and Peter Bigmore, and their partners to a function at Government House Melbourne which acknowledged the work and resilience of the Victorian community after the floods. The National Awards for Local Government (NALG) are Australia‟s most prestigious awards for the work that is done by Councils, recognising excellence in the range of services and decisions that Councils make. In 2012 the Northern Grampians Shire Council was the “Land-use planning- addressing disaster risk and enhancing resilience‟‟ Category winner for small councils. This was awarded for Landslide Planning for the Halls Gap Township. This recognised the work undertaken soon after the landslides in Halls Gap in establishing an expert and community steering committee, and engaging geotechnical engineers Anthony Milner and GHD to investigate the area around the Halls Gap Township. This led to the development of the guidelines and an increase in knowledge and awareness by council emergency management staff, relevant emergency services personnel and the community about the potential triggers for a landslide. In the 2013 NALG, the Northern Grampians Shire Council was again recognised for two flood related projects. The Stawell Steps/Monash Steps project at Cato Park was a category winner for the “Innovative Infrastructure” category, however received grander kudos when it was also recognised as the overall Winner (small Council) of the NALG 2013 National Award for Excellence, which was presented in Canberra by the Prime Minister Julia Gillard. While not solely a flood recovery project, the flood recovery program played a significant role in the delivery of the „Stawell Steps‟ spillway at Cato Park by obtaining grants, working with the project team on the design and build, and facilitating the accommodation and community involvement of the Monash students. The „Women in Community‟ Category Winner was also presented to the Northern Grampians Shire Council for the work the FRT had undertaken with the Joel Joel women in their community through empowering them to lead their own communities long term recovery. This category award win for the Joel Joel women was not


only fantastic recognition of the work of the local Joel Joel community, it was a reflection on the investment the flood recovery team made into engaging with and empowering community groups to develop their capacity to recover and become leaders in their own right.

Similar recognition was gained for these two projects through the Resilient Australia Awards in 2013. These Awards are given to provide an opportunity to recognise and promote projects and initiatives that make our communities safer, stronger, more resilient and better prepared for disaster. Three Northern Grampians Shire Council flood recovery projects were nominated in the Local Government section of these awards at the State level- the Halls Gap „Community Website‟, „Stawell Steps/Monash Steps‟ at Cato Park, and the „Women of the Joel Joel community‟. At the ceremony in

November 2013, the Hon Kim Wells, Minister for Police and Emergency Services first awarded the Joel Joel women with a „highly commended‟ certificate- effectively the „runner up‟ recognition in the category, before announcing the Stawell Steps/Monash steps project as the State award winner. Invited then to the National awards ceremony in Canberra in December, the Stawell Steps/Monash Steps project was named as the winner of the National Resilient Australia award. This additional recognition was a reflection of the unique nature of the project that was made up not only of bricks, but particularly the partnership of community, Council, Monash University, Krause Bricks Stawell, the Country Education project, and a number of other significant contributing partners, to create a significant flood infrastructure outcome and community space. Stawell Steps/Monash Steps also received recognition through the Institute of Public Works Engineers Australia (IPWEA) Victorian Awards for Excellence as the winners of the Capital Projects Under $1M. Also the „Steps‟ received a highly commended result in the Heart Foundation‟s Healthy Communities Awards. This meant that overall the Stawell Steps/Monash Steps project was recognised for its innovative and functional structure, its capacity to build resilience in the community and mitigate against floods, and also how it could combine a broad demographic of age, location, gender, race and skills to create a shared vision and iconic and engaging outcome. The structure and design of the FRT to be a standalone project team, with Council and community as the key stakeholders and control group, was first recognised when it was presented as a finalist in the risk management category at the 2012 Institute of Public Administration Australia awards at Parliament House Melbourne. The LGPro Awards for Excellence in February 2013, an award judged by other Councils and Council Officers professional peak body however named the NGSC Flood Recovery Team Project as the Winner of the “Innovative Management Initiative Award. The „Floodmate‟ farm fencing restoration project of Council partnering with the Hopkins Corrections Centre in Ararat to utilise prisoners to clear and repair damaged farm fencing was recognised at the same LGPro awards ceremony as the winner of the „Special Projects Initiative‟ Award. The Floodmate project had also earlier in 2012 been awarded the „Runner-up‟ title in Correction Victoria‟s Community Work Partnership Awards, „Initiatives with Local Councils‟ category.


Conclusion: The floods, storms and landslides of 2010 and 2011 were an enormous task to respond to and recover from and exposed Council and its community to huge social, economic and environmental risks if it had not been responded to appropriately. Through the experience with past events of the CEO and Executive, Council and emergency management officers, and the good guidance and advice from other municipalities such as Yarra Ranges Shire and the State Government, the Council took the risk to establish a dedicated and resourced recovery team to ensure that these risks were addressed in a planned and accountable manner.

The MRAP was from the day it was adopted to the last day of June 2013 was the most important tool the FRT and Council had, it identified the structure required, mapped the risks and the objectives to bring the four environments of recovery to conclusion. Importantly it also justified to the Commonwealth and State the funding requirements, and that this Council had the capacity to deliver on this massive project.

The structure worked not only because it was the correct structure, but it also had the correct people in place to deliver it. The FRT members were a mix of experienced professionals brought in from outside of Council so as not to „rob‟ the other service areas of council of their key staff members, but it also provided leadership and development opportunities for some existing Council officers. This was important in having the Northern Grampians Shire culture instilled while also making sure that it was experienced officers who were dealing with the community at time when it was most fragile and disadvantaged. The team gelled strongly as well and supported each other. While each officer had a role, it was a shared response, each member contributing where they could to decision making and work tasks. The FRT had two mantra‟s- (i) we are only in this because of the community we represent, and (ii) you can‟t do normal business in an abnormal environment2, and these allowed for a focus on why and how we made decisions to do things.

While there may have been a dedicated FRT, it also would not have worked without the commitment of the whole organisation, from the Councillors, to the Management team and down to each of the staff. Although some individual Council Officers who were not involved directly in the FRT had a huge role to play in the flood recovery program , it is hard to think of any officer who did not have any involvement at all at some stage. That is why awards such as the National awards for Local Government triumph or the LGPro award win in 2013 are completely a reflection of the strength of this Council and how each of the people in the organisation contribute to the end result.

A strength of the model of the Flood Recovery Program that was implemented in this instance was that it could be scaled up or down as required- this means that in future natural disaster events it can be reapplied as it can be flexible again to cope with the scope of the work required and the funding available to deliver on it. When the MRAP was implemented it was not envisaged that we would have further floods in 2011, that the flood response and recovery costs would exceed $31m or that it the demand on contractors and resources would be so high. It was significant then that the Council allowed the recovery program to run its full course, closing chapters as MRAP objectives were reached but keeping the remaining work going until it reached its conclusion. In the end this came about the same time that the funds were expired.

Dr Rob Gordon suggests that following a natural disaster the community will diverge then reform differently to what it was before the disaster changed its fabric. The measure of a good recovery program is to not try to make the community as it was but leave it overall in a better position with greater capacity to deal with natural disasters in the future. Time and the community themselves will eventually be the judge of the success of this recovery program, but in the meantime there is a lot of pride that Council should take in the footprint it has left and evidence of recovery in each town and community of our shire since the first floods in September 2010.

2 Dr Robert Gordon

municipal recovery action plan 2011, completion report · 2014. 12. 9. · recovery works. by april...

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