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

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

We are sharing a new Maribyrnong River Flood Model to better understand current and future flood information in the Maribyrnong River region. This new model includes both 2024 and projected 2100 flood extent scenarios.  

This model, as well as a report on how the model was developed, are now available. In the second half of this year, we will be initiating implementation of the new model into emergency planning, land use planning, and flood mitigation.

What's next?

The completion of the new flood model allows us to initiate a comprehensive assessment of potential long term sustainable flood mitigation options for the Maribyrnong River. We’re developing the scope of this work in the coming months. We will be working closely with our customers, stakeholders and the community as we work through this long term and complex conversation.

We will provide a 12 month progress update to the community on implementation of the Panel’s recommendations in October 2024. 

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.