The Maribyrnong River Flood Review was undertaken by an Independent Review Panel led by former Federal and Victorian Supreme Court Judge Tony Pagone AM.

Further assessment of the Flemington Racecourse flood wall

The Independent Panel looked at the impact of the racecourse flood wall during the 2022 flood event.

Now that the new flood modelling for the Maribyrnong River has been completed, Melbourne Water has undertaken further assessment of the impact of the Flemington Flood Wall.

This analysis of the floodwall impact against the new 2024 and 2100 flood scenarios shows no impact from the flood wall at Kensington Banks, but a slightly bigger impact in the Maribyrnong township.

The report finds that under the projected 2024 scenario – which maps a flood event with a one per cent chance of occurring in any given year – the average impact in the Maribyrnong township is 3.8cms of extra depth in a flood that is 130 centimetres deep.

The analysis finds that in Kensington Banks there is no added depth caused by the Wall – and in fact, the wall has the effect of reducing the estimated flood depth by 5.1cms.

Note the projected 2024 flood event with a one per cent chance of occurring is more serious than the Maribyrnong River flood of 2022.

The report finds in the 2100 scenario there is little or no impact from the flood wall on Maribyrnong township or Kensington Banks as water overtops the flood wall.

We will now incorporate the findings of the flood wall impact into our broader investigation of potential mitigation options across the catchment. For further information on the mitigation study and to register your interest, go to our Let’s Talk page.

Independent Panel's final report released

The final report of the Independent Panel has been released. This marks the conclusion of the independent review. To view the report, refer to Flemington Racecourse Wall, Second Addendum, 19 April 2024 at the button below.

Consistent with the recommendations the Panel released last year, we have updated the Maribyrnong River flood model, and this has been used to inform the Panel’s assessment of the Flemington flood wall.

We will take the insights from the review to better inform future decisions and help the community better prepare for any future event. Our focus now turns to long term sustainable flood mitigation solutions for the catchment as well as the comprehensive community awareness and preparedness program we are working in partnership with VICSES and Councils to deliver.

With regard to the Panel’s findings on the racecourse flood wall, we will now incorporate an examination of the flood wall mitigation into our broader investigation of potential mitigation options across the catchment.

The Independent Review Panel’s findings and recommendations

The report of the Independent Panel review into the causes of the October 2022 Maribyrnong River flood event was released in October 2023.

Melbourne Water accepted all 15 of the Panel’s recommendations and has made significant progress in implementing the recommendations.

A six-month progress update against each of the Panel’s 15 recommendations is now available.

New Maribyrnong River Flood Model

In April, Melbourne Water completed a new flood model for the Maribyrnong River to help the community and agencies better understand flood risk across the catchment.  

Information about the model, maps showing flood extents and depths, as well as a report on how the model was developed, are available.

What's next?

News and announcements

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Community engagement

Consultation and submissions stage

Independent Review Panel public consultation sessions

In July 2023, the Independent Panel held public consultations. The Panel heard from interested parties and members of the community detailing their experiences of the floods. Melbourne Water also attended and participated in the consultations, including speaking to our submission and hearing from flood affected residents.

Documents related to the Panel's public consultation sessions are available under the Key Documents section of this page.

Parliamentary Inquiry

Victoria’s major floods of October 2022 are subject to a Parliamentary Inquiry. The Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee will investigate the state’s preparedness for and response to the disaster. More information on the Parliamentary Inquiry can be found on the Parliament of Victoria website.