It has been described as one of South Australia’s worst disasters on record. Now, there are calls for more government action, following a review into its response to the 2022-2023 River Murray floods. The Opposition says another flood in inevitable and the government needs to move fast to ensure Riverland communities are better prepared.
00:05Two and a half years after being closed by one of the worst floods in the state's history,
00:13Renmark's 21st Street bridge has been reopened.
00:16It's quite a milestone for the Renmark community. We've been waiting quite a while.
00:20I live across this bridge, so it's been quite a few years of having to travel the long way around both sides.
00:25Bigger and better and built to withstand a similar flood, there's plenty to smile about.
00:31But not everyone is happy about how authorities responded when the River Murray broke its banks in the summer of 2022-23.
00:38I'm critical of the extent they went to, the money they wasted and their failure to communicate and inquire of the locals that have an intimate knowledge.
00:49A state parliamentary committee shares those concerns in a new report offering 23 recommendations,
00:55including communications, levy management, clarifying the roles of agencies and auditing of the way procurement was handled.
01:02There are also recommendations to review the way the river level predictions are made.
01:06Being able to predict the water levels and the data, that was one of the hardest things I think for everyone.
01:13And hopefully the learnings that have come out of the process will hold us in better stead for the future.
01:18The Premier, Peter Malinowskis, has promised to consider the recommendations made in the report.
01:23But the committee chair and opposition spokesperson for water, Nicholas Antifanti, wants the government to declare its response within 60 days.
01:31The Premier is also being urged to visit to see first hand how the flood recovery is far from over.
01:37We know that the river will flood again. That's what rivers do.
01:41So we need to make sure that these recommendations are put into place as soon as possible so we can best prepare our river communities for any future flooding events.
