02/10/2026
An issue for all of Nicholls electorate as well
With a Flood Watch currently in place, it is timely to talk about disaster preparedness. One of my most pressing goals is to provide fully resourced disaster preparation, response and recovery depots within the GV to build community capacity to cope with future emergencies and disasters. These would be funded by State and Federal governments and the fossil fuel industry.
Recent catastrophic events and projected climate forecasts suggest we should expect more frequent and unpredictable climate-fuelled disaster in our electorate.
We can no longer say that these occurrences are unprecedented.
In January of this year over $1 million worth of items and in-kind support was donated to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal by the local community.
A similar figure was donated in 2022 to victims of flooding around Shepparton, Mooroopna and Numurkah. This was on top of Federal and State government support packages.
Locally, there was a haphazard and often un-targeted reaction to the disasters, with the first response coming directly from NGOs and grassroots community groups that rallied to the cause while emergency response crews did the best job they could with the resources they had.
These efforts were mostly focussed on initial safety but the effects of such landscape-scale disasters can lead to homelessness, mental health issues and long-term reconstruction issues with complex insurance policies to navigate.
Building confidence and capability within the community will go a long way to creating social cohesion – disasters such as these don’t discriminate. Everyone in the community is affected in some way.
I will fight for a co-ordinated approach to disaster warning, preparation, immediate management and ongoing support for people who are disadvantaged or homeless after catastrophic events.
I will advocate for the implementation of places of refuge across the electorate, so that in extreme conditions, people can go to a home away from home, to be provided for respectfully, regardless of personal circumstance.
I will prioritise investment in flood resilience infrastructure and support planning legislation that protects homes, businesses and future generations.
Photo: Skate park and playground at Victoria Park Lake inundated during the October 2022 floods.
Authorised by M.Molloy, 10 King Richard Drive, Shepparton
