Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Peter Malinauskas visit Renmark, inspect flood preparations

Authorities are working around the clock as the height of the River Murray in SA surpasses 1974 flood levels. The PM has joined Premier Malinauskas in the Riverland to inspect preparations.

The height of the River Murray at Renmark has already exceeded levels experienced during similar flows in the 1970s – even though the river is still almost two weeks away from its first official peak.

The revelation came as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined Premier Peter Malinauskas on a tour of Renmark on Saturday.

Mr Malinauskas said the height of the river at Renmark was concerning, because the water flow into South Australia on Saturday was just 151 gigalitres a day, still nearly 25GL a day below its expected first peak of about 175GL a day around December 14.

Flow into the SA border in the 1974 flood was 180GL a day.

Joe Szakacs MP, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the SA Premier Peter Malinauskas at the levee built at Big 4 Holiday Park in Renmark. Picture: Morgan Sette

Renmark locals talk to Premier Peter Malinauskas, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other members of council, SES and police Picture: Morgan Sette

While the state government remains confident the flows will peak at a similar level, Mr Malinauskas said the disparity between that figure and the height of the river was a concern.

“This is something that we’re monitoring on a really frequent basis,” he said.

“What we’re seeing is a disparity in comparison to the last time this event occurred, which was in the 1970s.

“That is a function of the fact 50 years is a long time and a lot of building works have been done, including on private land, that are almost impossible to account for.”

SES chief officer Chris Beattie said hydrologists were traversing the river to gain a better understanding.

“There’s been significant infrastructure change and changing of the landscape that necessarily changes the way the river performs when it’s at peak flow,” he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Renmark by the Murray River in Riverland, South Australia. , , Dropped into Arrosto Coffee in Renmark with , @PMalinauskasMP, and , @TonyPasin, to meet locals and small business for the awesome coffee, Callum., Picture: Twitter/ Anthony Albanese.

Mr Albanese visited the hospital levee in Renmark on Saturday, where extensive work has been undertaken over the last six weeks to ensure the protection of the riverside community. The levee has been built to withstand 1956 flood levels.

He met members of the SES and Renmark-Paringa Council to be briefed on the current situation.

“The Murray Darling Basin is a great national asset. It’s an environmental treasure but with it comes, of course, with the third season that we’ve seen of additional rains, it is having an enormous impact,” Mr Albanese said.

Watch the press conference:

“What we’re seeing here is the best of planning … they know that there are challenges ahead, but this is a community which has spirit, and it’s been on display this morning.”

That planning has included a huge logistic exercise being undertaken by South Australia Police to doorknock 3600 properties that are expected to be inundated by floodwaters.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said officers had already visited more than 3300 properties.

“There are about 185 families who will require some sort of emergency relief accommodation which would equate to about 400 people,” he said.

“Work is now being undertaken to make sure that we have the ability to accommodate those people in the short term and then work out the medium-to-long-term solution for those individuals.”