REC217-1807

A revised Victoria Flood Management Strategy is needed and should clearly articulate the principles, roles and responsibilities for the ownership, management and ongoing maintenance of Victoria’s levees. Neither land tenure nor prior government involvement will dictate ownership of public levees:
• the beneficiary pays principle will determine ownership and management;
• outside Melbourne, the ownership of, and responsibility for, the management and ongoing maintenance of all urban levees, including modern urban levees created under formal schemes, is assigned to local councils;
• in all other non‐metropolitan areas, CMAs are confirmed as the responsible authority for the management and ongoing maintenance of priority rural levee systems, where such levees, (a) have clearly identified beneficiaries who are willing to fund ongoing maintenance, and (b) are located, at least in part, on public land;
• in situations where there is a clear benefit and the majority of stakeholders are in agreement, consideration should be given to a special charge scheme, as determined by the Water Act 1989 (section 196); and
• privately built rural levees on private land remain owned and managed by the landholder.