VIC Govt “should compensate” flooded residents at TigCorp’s Rivervue village
“While compensation is not something we recommend lightly, in this case, it is the fair thing to do.”
Three years on from the Maribyrnong River bursting its banks, the full cost of the 2022 flood for one Melbourne retirement village is still being tallied – and now the Ombudsman has weighed in.
Victorian Ombudsman Marlo Baragwanath last week tabled in State Parliament her report into the impact of the flood, which caused more than $7 million in damage to Rivervue Retirement Village in Avondale Heights, 11km northwest of Melbourne’s CBD. The village is owned by David Thurin’s TigCorp.
The report, When the Water Rises, found that poor modelling by Melbourne Water in the early 2000s ultimately allowed the retirement village to proceed on land that was never suitable. Combined with mistakes in building plans, it resulted in vulnerable retirees living in a flood hazard area – failures the Ombudsman described as “recognisable and avoidable”.
Most of the report’s 13 recommendations – calling for better flood risk planning, factoring climate change into decisions, and helping communities make more informed choices – have been accepted by the Victorian Government. But Ms Baragwanath said the Government is yet to accept two key recommendations focused on compensating flood-affected residents and establishing a resilience program.
“The flooding of Rivervue homes stems from failures by the state,” she said. “Residents, through no fault of their own, are now left significantly out of pocket and forced to spend their retirement in a flood-prone area.
“While compensation is not something we recommend lightly, in this case, it is the fair thing to do.”
