Carnarvon growers ask State Government why flood prevention work can’t come sooner as wet season looms

As flood season looms, a number of Carnarrvon growers are expressing concern about the risk to their property and asking the government why work to investigate the impact of floods on their area won’t be completed sooner. Following mitigation works on levee banks to reduce floods finished in 2015, growers along Robinson Road believe the impact of flooding has actually got worse in their section of Carnarvon. “In 2021 we had a small flood which caused as much damage for us as massive floods in 2010,” said farmer Tony Vrankovich. Mr Vrankovich said consecutive governments since the 1990s had failed to address the risk of flood to the east of Carnarvon, and locals had not been kept informed on progress to address the issue. “I haven’t heard anything, whatever they are planning, it is news to me,” he said. A number of projects have been allocated funding to work on flood preparedness on the Gascoyne floodplain, including hydraulic modelling to assess whether the impact has worsened along Robinson Road. According to Minister for Regional Development Alannah MacTiernan, the modelling is set to be completed in mid-2024. Carnarvon Grower’s Association operations manager Nic Cuthbert said there were around a dozen growers who were concerned about the risk of flood along Robinson Road and were frustrated with the amount of time it will take for the issue to be investigated. “It seems quite strange that it would take this long to organise, if it was done commercially it would be done by the end of the year, but for whatever reason the government seems to want to drag its heels,” he said. Liberal MLC Neil Thomson raised the issue in State Parliament on November 16. “The government needs to get on with the job and bring that deadline forward, because 2024 is far too far out. It is unacceptable. The money is there,” he said. Ms MacTiernan said she was eager to see the project completed, but a mid-2024 timeline was necessary given its complexity. The Minister stated the project would be out for tender next week.