The Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, has taken the post-flood plight of the people from Tyntynder Flats to the Victorian Parliament.
Mr Walsh says the locals there have just lived through their second ‘once in a lifetime’ flood in the past 11 years.
And he says it was yet another flood event where the levee banks had not been properly maintained.
“Fortunately, this time, the Australian Defence Forces were nearby and the soldiers were trucked in and saved them with a major sandbag upgrade,” Mr Walsh says.
“Now, having got through the worst of the floods, the locals – understandably – are not looking forward to the next, inevitable, inundation without knowing what shape their frontline defences might be in,” he added.
“The people of Tyntynder Flats really want to see the Andrews government put in place a program where levee banks are maintained before there is an emergency.
“They don’t want to go through the stress of worrying about whether their houses are going to flood, whether their businesses are going to flood or whether the roads are going to be closed because there is no proper maintenance to those levees.”
Mr Walsh says he is urging the government to immediately address that issue on their behalf.
“With the levee banks there and in good shape, it would seem pointless to simply let them deteriorate when we know they will be needed again – and again.”