Hearing: The day was led by inquiry secretary Dee Oxley and chair Daniel Mulino. Photos: Aidan Briggs
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
A federal inquiry into insurers’ behaviour after the 2022 floods came to Rochester last Thursday.
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A slew of residents and representatives from local organisations spoke about the effect on their community.
Dr Daniel Mulino, who chairs the committee leading the inquiry, said it was important to hear from Rochester as part of the inquiry.
“I think when you go to an urban area like Brisbane or Melbourne, (flooding is) extremely difficult for people, but there is something different about isolated regional communities like Rochester,” he said.
“There’s an extra dimension to that. I mean, there are all sorts of subtle differences, like the fact that water stays here for weeks or months, whereas in some other areas that the floods rushed through it was gone fairly quickly.
“These things matter in terms of people’s experience.”
Community voice: Rochester Flood Recovery Committee chair Leigh Wilson spoke about the town’s experience with Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell beside him for support.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
Rochester Flood Recovery Committee chair Leigh Wilson told the inquiry that significant issues had been affecting everybody across the town ever since.
“Even for those people that their house wasn’t flooded, typically their business was or their place of work. Almost everybody they knew was affected by flooding … that level of trauma is widespread,” he said.
Turning out: Members of the community made sure to come and hear the different groups speak to the inquiry.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
Mr Wilson said there was still a way to go before Australia could say it knew how to respond to floods.
“We still haven’t got it right … we really know bushfire, and yet the impact from flooding is incredibly significant,” he said.
Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell, who sat with Mr Wilson during his testimony, shared his thoughts with Campaspe News.
“In a small town like Rochester, when a significant proportion of the community is forced to leave, how fast they get back in is make or break for the viability (of the town),” he said.
“These (insurance) delays, whilst in the city it’s annoying because people want to get back into their houses, in a place like Rochester the delays mean a lack of people in the town for weeks and months, and that really affects business.”
Campaspe Shire was not present as they wanted to give more time for Rochester residents to talk to the inquiry.
“Council decided not to take up a time slot as we are very cognisant of allowing time slots to be available for the many residents that have been impacted by insurers, and that they be able to tell their stories,” a spokesperson said.
“(Campaspe Shire Council) fully supports them given the inequities that have occurred over the last 18 months, having seen first-hand the heartache, despair and mental health toll on our community from various insurance companies.”
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