Daniel Andrews has dismissed concerns over the independence of a review into the impact of a flood wall built to protect Flemington racetrack, which will be conducted by an organisation chaired by a former minister of the government that approved the structure.
The track was spared by Friday’s flooding while homes in neighbouring suburbs including Maribyrnong and Kensington were inundated, with some residents believing the wall pushed flood waters away from the track and into their homes.
The Melbourne Cup will be held at Flemington in two weeks’ time.
The Victorian Racing Club constructed the flood wall between the southern side of the track and the Maribyrnong River in 2007.
The Victorian premier announced on Sunday that Melbourne Water would review the decision to approve the flood wall, which was approved by the Labor government in 2004.
Three local councils, resident groups, and water experts opposed the plan at the time, but Melbourne Water, a Victoria government-owned statutory authority, backed it.
The authority is now chaired by John Thwaites, who was deputy premier and water minister when the wall was approved.
Late on Monday, a Melbourne Water spokesperson confirmed Thwaites would excuse himself from the review.
“Professor Thwaites has excused himself from any involvement in the review to avoid any potential or perceived conflicts of interest, as is common practice,” the spokesperson said.
“Managing director Dr Nerina Di Lorenzo will authorise the review that will also be subject to an independent peer assessment.
“Further details are still being defined during the current scoping phase.”
Earlier, Andrews said he did not want to prejudge the outcomes of the review but was confident in Melbourne Water’s ability to carry it out.
“I think Melbourne Water can conduct the review,” he told reporters at the state control centre on Monday. “Let’s wait and see what that review says. I’ve got confidence in them and we’ll get those reports back and we can make assessments at that point.
“Let’s have a look at this, let’s get Melbourne Water to review it … they can then present their findings and we can make our decisions based on that.”
Andrew Jones, the chief executive of Racing Victoria, said on Saturday that the wall had “unintended consequences for neighbouring residents”.
“The VRC took steps to flood-protect its property 15 years ago, which it’s entitled to do, [and] that’s obviously had unintended consequences for neighbouring residents,” he told Channel Nine.
“Obviously there was no intention of the VRC to cause harm. They tried to protect the spring carnival and the Melbourne Cup carnival, which is a massively important part of Victorian life and the Victorian economy, so I think this is an unintended consequence.”
Ellen Sandell, a Greens MP who lives in a part of Kensington that was flooded, said the decision to build the wall had been rubber-stamped by a government that was keen to protect the interests of the racing and gambling industries.
Sandell said the review appeared similarly motivated.
“It’s convenient for the premier to give this review to one of the ex-Labor ministers involved in the original decision, but actually it needs to be properly independent, and not just give Dan Andrews the answer that he wants, which is to continue to protect the gambling and the racing industry,” she said.
