About the review
The Maribyrnong River Flood Review is an independent technical review that will examine the causes and contributors to the flood event in the urban catchment, including:
- Any potential impacts of the Flemington Racecourse Flood Wall on the extent and duration of the Flood Event.
- Any impact of prior works or activities in the urban catchment on flood levels and extent during the Flood Event.
- Any other matters that may have significantly contributed to the Flood Event.
Independent Review Panel
Melbourne Water is committed to an independent and transparent review process and the Maribyrnong River Flood Review is being undertaken by an Independent Review Panel.
Former Federal and Victorian Supreme Court Judge Tony Pagone AM was appointed as Maribyrnong River Flood Review Lead. Mr Pagone is a highly respected former judicial officer and King’s Counsel whose experience includes serving as Chair of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety in 2019.
The Independent Review Panel's findings and recommendations
The Independent Review Panel has handed down its report. We would like to acknowledge and thank the Panel for their work and the community, key stakeholders and agencies who contributed to the Panel's work.
The report of the Independent Panel and Melbourne Water's response to the fifteen recommendations can be found below.
Melbourne Water accepts all the recommendations of the Independent Panel and we will work to implement them as quickly as possible.
The Independent Panel's Report and Melbourne Water’s responses are in the below documents. If you require these documents in an alternate format, or would like a hard copy posted to you, please contact us at [email protected] or on 131 722.
Please visit the dedicated project website on our online engagement platform to access the full document library.
Community participation
Consultation and submission stage
Community and stakeholders were invited to participate in the review over a two-month consultation period from 17 January to 17 March 2023. This stage of the review provided a vital opportunity for the community to contribute to our understanding of the flood event.
Contributions to the review were invited in two forms:
- Submissions: for the community and stakeholders wanting to provide input to be considered in relation to the matters included in the Terms of Reference of the independent flood review. A total of 63 submissions were received, which have all been provided to the Independent Review Panel for consideration and made publicly available online.
- Share your flood experience: for the community with information to share outside the Terms of Reference of the independent flood review, including personal experiences of the flood event. In total, 51 community members shared their stories, experiences and images, which have been collated into a Shared Experiences Report available online.
Community information sessions
To support the community to find out more about the review, a series of six community information sessions were held (2 online and 4 drop-in sessions). The drop-in sessions provided space and opportunity to speak directly with Melbourne Water staff and our partner agencies involved with the flood event on 14 October 2022. Over 110 people took part in the community information sessions. Recordings of the two online sessions are available online.
Engagement Report
A detailed report on the engagement activities undertaken to support and inform the public consultation and submissions stage of the Maribyrnong River Flood Review is now available online. It summarises Melbourne Water’s engagement approach, the community response, and the key themes observed throughout the public participation process.
Independent Review Panel public consultation sessions
From 17 to 21 July 2023, the Independent Panel held public consultations. The Panel heard from interested parties and members of the community detailing their experiences of the floods. Melbourne Water also attended and participated in the consultations, including speaking to our submission and hearing from flood affected residents.
More information
Melbourne Water will continue to work with the Panel to close out our questions of clarification. Melbourne Water will provide six and 12 month progress updates on implementation of the Panel’s recommendations.
Melbourne Water will keep the community updated throughout the review process via the dedicated project website on our online engagement platform, and further updates will also appear on this website.
If you would like to receive email updates please sign up.
If you have any questions, email us at [email protected].