She called on the government to complete the recovery and implement flood inquiry recommendations with more urgency.
Ms Lovell praised the resilience of local communities that were hit by the floods, and gave a reminder that the recovery was far from over.
“This week marks two years since the October 2022 floods that devastated Victoria,” she said.
“Many Victorians have moved on and think that the recovery is finished, but it’s not. For far too many people in flood-affected areas the process of recovery is far from over.
“In my own street there are two homes that have not yet been repaired and three homes that have been demolished and not rebuilt.
“For me it is a daily reminder of how slow and inadequate the recovery has been.”
In towns that were the worst affected, such as Rochester, Seymour, Shepparton and Mooroopna, hundreds of residents continue to suffer as they are still not able to return to their homes and remain displaced, living in caravans or temporary accommodation.
For many residents, the mental health battle continues.
According to Ms Lovell, Rochester Community House has had to step in and fundraise to provide mental health counselling for locals.
She said this was because the state government was not providing funding for one-on-one counselling.
She also highlighted that Rochester was about to face its third long hot summer without a swimming pool because the Victorian Government had still not committed funds to rebuild the pool after the previous one was damaged in the floods.
Two years after the floods, and three months after the final report of the flood inquiry was tabled, Ms Lovell said the government had still not responded to any of its recommendations or announced any emergency management reforms.
“Flood-affected communities deserve better and government members should hang their heads in shame,” she said.
The Victorian Government has been contacted for comment.
