Creswick residents have responded to the Hepburn Shire Council's initiative to establish a panel of community members to help with storm recovery efforts as one that was "predictable".
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The Community Recovery Committee will help inform the council's Municipal Recovery Committee, which is responsible for storm and flood recovery, the "best community-led approach to address storm recovery efforts" in the Creswick area.
The group will also help advise the Municipal Recovery Committee the most appropriate ways the $20,000 January 2022 Storm and Flood Community Recovery Fund money could be used to support the recovery of impacted communities.
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Sandy Campbell, a Creswick resident whose three-bedroom home amassed about $75,000 worth of damage due to the horrific storms, said she felt the council's decision to create this group was the council "just going through the motions".
"I'm sympathetic (towards the council) because I don't know what else they could be doing but I also understand that they are trying to do their best," Ms Campbell said.
Another Creswick resident, Mark Patterson, whose home suffered significant water damage and is still uninhabitable six months on, said he was happy the council had started this committee.
However, he said he felt the council had only started it due to the backlash it had received from the community.
The committee is set to comprise of a minimum of seven and a maximum of 11 people and aims to ensure local knowledge and expertise are front and centre in long term recovery planning of the Creswick area.
While there is no specific selection criteria for candidates wanting to join the committee it does state members must demonstrate a "strong connection to community", "experience listening to others in order to represent their views" and a "desire to assist the community".
It also aims to select a diverse array of members in relation to age, gender and interest area.
Ms Campbell said while she supported the council's initiative, she believed they may have difficulty in gathering a range of people who expressed the diverging views of the community.
"There's a lot of people who believe that every dollar available should be spent on waterways, drains and that's their whole focus and there are people who are confused as to who is responsible for clean up efforts that are not on their property but are surrounding their property," she said.
"There's also confusion as to what the council is exactly doing because you've got the mayor saying he can't do anything for us especially in relation to insurance companies because insurance companies are private enterprises but then he states that he's been talking with the Insurance Council of Australia and that's a contradiction because why would the council talk to them if they can't do anything anyway."
Ms Campbell said residents with experience as a psychologist and in emergency services would be vital for the committee.
"I think it would be also good to have someone who has scientific knowledge of floods," she said.
Ms Campbell said although she was eager to become a member of the committee, she was concerned people like herself who had become emotionally involved may impede decision-making processes.
"My head tells me that you need people who have an understanding of the experience but the people who are in here and are involved in it themselves really only see it from their point of view because that's what I can only see from my experience," she said.
"I think what we need is to have people from the committee who appoint other people who have experience outside of this, out of our domain who can give us an objective view on what we can do."
Mr Patterson said he hoped the committee was able to attract more money from the state government to assist with storm recovery.
He also wishes the panel would tackle the issue of the Creswick Creek and its role in the January floods.
Ms Campbell said the committee would also help ensure the council's storm recovery team was held accountable.
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"The council has to be seen to be doing something and I think this will help residents better understand what the staff at the recovery team are doing because nobody knows what exactly they do," she said.
ONUS NOT JUST ON COUNCIL, MAV SAYS
Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) president Cr David Clark said there was evidence on the effectiveness of community recovery committees in emergency situations.
"Community recovery committees help to leave positive legacies and support improved resilience for future emergencies," Cr Clark said.
He did however admit while the responsibility of recovery efforts after natural disasters fell to councils, more funding was needed from the state government to better support councils during such dire times.
"For many years, the MAV and councils have been warning about the immense pressures they (councils) are facing because of a lack of support from the state," Cr Clark said.
"Ahead of this year's Victorian budget, the MAV worked with the state on a fair increase in resourcing for council emergency management responsibilities. Once again, this work and advice was ignored.
"The Victorian Government needs to step up and back councils who are best placed to support their local communities."
Cr Clark said more investment by the state government into disaster relief packages for councils would help minimise the increasing risks being driven by more frequent and intense disasters.
"Council strengths lie in resilience building before emergencies, as well as relief and recovery coordination in the aftermath. There is no doubt that greater support from the Victorian Government is needed for councils to do these roles effectively," he said.
If you are resident of Creswick, have been impacted by the storms and are interested in joining the Community Recovery Committee click here or call the storm recovery officer on 4373 7373.
Successful candidates of the committee will be finalised on August 29. The committee is set to hold its first meeting on September 12.
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