Past recovery events and programs

Council building and planning advice

Community are welcome to book individual appointments for specific advice on flood-related building or property development issues. Council’s building and planning officers are happy to meet with residents on-site by request. This is the best way to receive practical advice, whilst viewing a property together.

If you prefer to discuss your plans elsewhere, please request a time to meet our building and planning officers at the Maribyrnong Community Centre, or suggest a location that suits you. Normal fees which apply to this type of advice have been waived as part of Council’s Flood Recovery Program.

Our officers are committed to walking you through Council’s application processes and policies, as well as identifying if you may need to engage an independent building surveyor or planning firm.

Our teams are always available via our Customer Service number (03) 9688 0200. Choose the option to the Building and Planning department for a direct transfer. Should you need a translator to assist during these discussions, please let us know. If you prefer email, you can seek support via floodrecovery@maribyrnong.vic.gov.au.

See fact sheets from the Insurance Council of Australia below:

• Fact Sheet Complaints Process(PDF, 156KB)
• Fact Sheet Claims Process(PDF, 190KB)
• Fact Sheet mould and water damage(PDF, 162KB)
• Fact Sheet Expert Report(PDF, 596KB)

The Maribyrnong River Flood in October 2022 highlighted a number of issues and barriers for the community. Following the flood, we have heard about these challenges from community via a community survey in 2024, several door knocks, and input from the Community Recovery Committee. 

In response to this, Council is calling on the State and Federal government to:

• Implement measures to incentivise resilient rebuilding through schemes such as a GST refund on materials or delivery of a resilient retrofit program
• Introduce a federal government program to address the issue of insurance availability, rising premiums and improve case handling from insurance providers
• Invest in improvements to the Australian Warning System for emergencies
• Fund flood mitigation infrastructure
• Deliver an independent report on the economic impact of the 2022 flood.

For more information on Council's Advocacy Plan 2025-2028, visit: Advocacy - Maribyrnong.

View the advocacy poster(PDF, 13MB) here.

In the event of a flood the Maribyrnong Neighbourhood Flood Network developed a Community Emergency Management Plan to embed community voice in emergency management planning. 

The draft Community Flood Plan includes the following vision:

‘A connected, prepared and supportive community that thrives alongside flood risk, making Maribyrnong home.’

Feedback was sought from community on the draft plan via a survey, neighbour-to-neighbour conversations, and a workshop.

For more information about the consultation, visit Your City Your Voice.

The Neighbourhood Flood Network are finalising the draft Plan based on feedback received. Once finalised, the Plan will be presented to emergency services agencies involved in emergency management planning.

The Floods + Me Program was led by Victoria University and supported by a national team of researchers. It involved working closely with youth participants (aged 11 – 17) to tell youth stories of the October 2022 flood using art-based methods. Participants were considered youth researchers, with their ideas contributing to the national Floods + Me project. 

On 19 May, the Maribyrnong community celebrated the launch of the Floods + Me Youth Exhibition. This exhibition showcases the powerful artwork of young participants supported by Victoria University, exploring youth perspectives of the October 2022 flood. Through photography, video, and art, the exhibition brings their experiences to life with striking creativity and emotion.

Congratulations to the young people involved in the program.

Thank you to Victoria University and the National team of researchers who contributed to the project.

View the program video.

Late last year, a survey was undertaken to understand community sentiment on the Coulson Gardens public artwork (pictured below). Thank you to everyone that contributed.

The artwork was jointly funded by the State and Federal Governments and was delivered following a series of sessions held with members of the community.

The feedback from survey participants is captured here: Engagement summary(PDF, 122KB).

Based on the feedback, Council will:

• Install signage to explain the project context
• Install a bench seat away from the date
• Add additional colour later in the year, budget permitting.

If you would like to discuss the survey results, please contact Council at FloodRecovery@maribyrnong.vic.gov.au.

Opportunities identified:

• Community storytelling project (public artwork and/or children’s book to tell community stories)
•  Communication (channels and frequency)
•  Collaboration (with schools, state government, Moonee Valley City Council, other disaster impacted communities)
•  Social connection events (music event or festival, events at Anglers Tavern, river cruises, movie screenings)
•  Preparedness (preparedness and risk information, annual exercises, checklists, insurance guide/resource) 
•  Built environment support (local tradespeople available for quotes, built environment updates in Maribyrnong, more lighting along the Maribyrnong River)
•  Equine assisted therapy
•  Advocacy for:
  • Incentivising resilient rebuilds/GST refund on rebuilds
  • Report into economic impacts of the flood
  • Improvement to warning systems
  • Repurposing vacant land on Chifley Drive unsuitable for development for community use (e.g. community garden)
  • Response agencies to understand community needs

Where to from here?

At the November CRC meeting, members ordered the projects identified at the workshop by level of priority. This informed the CRC's development of the Recovery Plan: October 2022 Maribyrnong River Flood. 

An overview of the CRC projects is detailed in the table below:

Some projects will require involvement from other stakeholders.

In order to progress these projects, the CRC established project groups to collect community input in the design of these projects. Three project streams have been established:

• Preparedness, health and safety
• Social recovery and young people
• Financial and built environment recovery

The CRC welcome involvement from the broader Maribyrnong community in these groups to give insight. If you are interested in getting involved in community projects, email floodrecovery@maribyrnong.vic.gov.au or talk to a member of the Community Recovery Committee.

The recovery plan was finalised by the CRC on early 2026, and is subject to further updates in line with changing community needs.

Recovery Plan: October 2022 Maribyrnong River Flood(PDF, 3MB)

Council resolved on 18 June 2024 to continue rate support for eligible residents. Those with a dwelling that is still impacted by the flood can apply for 50% rebate off the Rates and Municipal Charge for the first, second, third and fourth rate instalments for the 2024/25 period.

Your application must include evidence of a dwelling on the property, along with evidence of the flood damage to the dwelling and that work is still required to repair that damage.

Property owners who were eligible for the above rebate but were required to demolish their dwelling, will be granted a rebate of 50% on the vacant residential land rates upon application, provided a Certificate of Occupancy is obtained within 24 months of the completed building demolition.

Please note the rebate does not apply for State Government Fire Service Levy.

To apply:

Complete the form below. There is an option to select all quarters on the form, and your application will be reassessed after each installment for eligibility. A 50% discount will be applied to each instalment if the dwelling is still impacted. We’ll communicate this via email. 

 If a resident opts to pay in full, the rebate will be applied for the entire year. We will contact them after the first instalment to request evidence, which will be the same for quarterly instalments.

We have removed the deferment option to prevent additional financial distress. Instead, we will offer assistance through the financial hardship option.

Once we have received your application, a member of our team will contact you to discuss your situation.

To complete the application, you will need your rates assessment number which can be found on your rates assessment notice.

Submit an application online 

Council undertook a door-knock of properties impacted by the floods to identify ongoing recovery needs, opportunities to provide support, and share information about recovery programs and initiatives. This took place between 28 August and 4 September.

Where possible, an information pack was left with information about recovery programs, support opportunities and more.

If you weren’t home or have not returned to your property, arrange an appointment with one of the team by email at floodrecovery@maribyrnong.vic.gov.au.

Alternatively, you can complete the post card in your information pack to request an appointment.

The Understanding our Community Post-Flood survey was designed to help us better understand the experiences and needs of members of our community impacted by the Maribyrnong River Flood in October 2022.

This feedback will inform ways to tailor our recovery program and assist Council to advocate to meet our community needs.

Thank you to everyone who provided comments; there were 65 responses in total.

The survey data highlighted there are still people unaware of the recovery support services available, and the need for Council to continue its advocacy efforts with external parties.

Key themes from respondents were mitigation/prevention, wellbeing, insurance challenges, communication, financial impact and warning systems/preparedness.

In terms of next steps, Council will:

• Develop an advocacy plan
• Host a community workshop for our community to continue to be heard as part of our recovery planning
• Door-knock flood impacted properties to assess recovery needs and provide information
• Extend the Tai Chi program until the end of 2024
• Create a recovery program card to collect feedback on recovery needs and how to meet them through the program.

To view the key findings of the survey download the Survey Summary(PDF, 104KB).

Community Recovery Committee Review

The Community Recovery Committee was initiated to enable Council to receive advice and support from community on recovery issues, barriers and needs after the Maribyrnong River Flood in October 2022. The committee was also established to advise on the development and implementation of recovery and resilience programs and strategies.

The formation of the Community Recovery Committee was endorsed at the Council Meeting on 7 February 2023 and the first meeting was held in April 2023.

An independent review of the committee was conducted after eight months of operation to ensure it was functioning as planned.

A report was produced as part of the review. The report and the amended Community Recovery Committee Terms of Reference were received by Council on 19 March 2024.

As a result of the review findings, Council is making a number of changes to the committee including appointing an independent Chair, reopening expressions of interest for new members, and inviting agency representatives from GenWest and cohealth to join the committee.

Please see key documents below: 

• Report: Community Recovery Committee Review(PDF, 1MB)
• Community Recovery Committee Review Frequency Asked Questions(PDF, 316KB)
• Agenda and Minutes - Council meeting 19 March 2024 

Donations via GIVIT

GIVIT continue to assist impacted communities with items and gift vouchers. If you require support, please reach out to us via: floodrecovery@maribyrnong.vic.gov.au

Anyone with goods they are wanting to donate to help flood affected families should visit the GIVIT website where offers can be lodged.

On 26 April 2023, Council unanimously endorsed a submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the 2022 Victorian Floods. The submission provides suggestions on key actions to be undertaken to minimise the impacts of future events:

• A review of warning systems to ensure it is accessible to all in the community and information is provided in a consistent way.
• Improved coordination between different government agencies to ensure that roles are defined.
• A clear framework and agreements between relevant organisations and agencies in respect of clean-up activities, management of volunteers and the roll out of funding support.
• An assessment of current flood management and land use planning framework to ensure they are fit for purpose and mitigate the risks and impacts of future flood events.
• A mitigation plan, including funding, must be developed for Maribyrnong to minimise the impact of future flood events.

Visit the Agenda and Minutes page to read the submission in full in the agenda for the City Development Delegated Committee meeting held on 26 April 2023 (page 155).

Maribyrnong City Council's submission to Melbourne Water's Maribyrnong River Flood Review

Council has lodged a formal submission to Melbourne Water’s Maribyrnong River Flood Review.

525 properties in the township were impacted during the October flood event with ongoing health, social and economic impacts still being felt.

In its submission Council seeks to challenge the narrow scope of the review, and in particular the specific exclusion of policy responses and mitigation measures.

It also addresses the impact of the event, noting rebuild and recovery processes are still underway, Flood Modelling and Warnings, the Flemington Racecourse Wall, Flooding and Land Use Planning, and Melbourne Water’s role in Emergency Management.

Council’s submission notes a number of areas where it believes the review needs to provide clear recommendations to ensure flood hazards and the impacts of future floods can be minimised.

Click here to read the submission in full in the agenda for the City Development Delegated Committee meeting held on 28 March 2023 (page 73).

Melbourne Water Maribyrnong River Flood Review 

For more information regarding the review visit Melbourne Water’s Maribyrnong River Flood Review webpage.

On Tuesday 25 October, Council held a community meeting where representatives from Council, EPA, Disaster Recovery Australia, Emergency Recovery Victoria and cohealth were in attendance to share information with the community and answer questions. 

The meeting was livestreamed, and a recording can be viewed below. 

On Thursday 15 December, we held a community meeting at Maribyrnong Community Centre with presentations given by Council, VicSES and Melbourne Water, facilitated by Victoria Police. 

View the recording of the presentations below.