‘Smacks of arrogance’: Bill Shorten lashes Melbourne Water not speaking at meeting
Bill Shorten has lashed Melbourne Water representatives after they failed to speak at a community meeting on flood reclassifications that have sent local home values plummeting.
Victoria
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The move by Melbourne Water representatives to snub residents by not speaking at a community meeting on flood reclassifications that have sent local home values plummeting has been labelled as “arrogance” by senior Albanese government minister Bill Shorten.
On Thursday, Mr Shorten, member for Maribyrnong and Minister for NDIS and Government Services, issued a blistering rebuke of the statutory authority, which had reclassified flood risk on hundreds of Melbourne homes earlier this year causing home values to plummet and insurance premiums to skyrocket.
“Melbourne Water was reluctant to join the meeting because they thought this was political. Of course it’s political,” Mr Shorten said.
“Why Melbourne Water think it’s beneath them to want to send someone senior smacks to me of arrogance and I’m filthy about it. And it’s just not the way I expect people to behave, especially when they’re the ones who sprung a surprise on us.”
A Melbourne Water spokesman said representatives attended the meeting to answer questions, but did not speak at the event.
“Now the new Maribyrnong River flood model is complete, and in accordance with the Maribyrnong River Flood Review Recommendations, we’re working on identifying and assessing all flood mitigation solutions for the area,” the spokesperson said.
“As part of this process Melbourne Water is committed to ongoing, transparent and comprehensive community engagement.
“To date, we have held several community sessions in Kensington since the release of the new flood models. We continue to offer the local community the opportunity to have meetings with Melbourne Water.”
Local residents including those in the Kensington Banks estate, 5km from the CBD, organised the event after being told the new flood zoning has caused home values to plummet and insurance premiums to skyrocket.
The estate was not flooded in the devastating 2022 flood yet was still reclassified as ‘at risk of inundation’.
Under the new modelling by Melbourne Water around 900 properties and roughly 2000 residents in Kensington Banks have now been designated as being at risk of flooding.
Melbourne Water have been approached for comment.
Originally published as ‘Smacks of arrogance’: Bill Shorten lashes Melbourne Water not speaking at meeting
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