Environmental Scan Report Loddon Mallee Region
Environmental Scan Report: Loddon Mallee Region
Table of contents
1. Introduction ...... 5
2. Purpose ...... 5
3. Structure of document ...... 5
4. Environmental scan process ...... 6
5. Regional Context ...... 6
6. Natural Environment ...... 9 6.1 Climate ...... 10 6.1.1 Average Temperatures ...... 10 6.1.2 Rainfall ...... 11 6.1.3 Climate Change ...... 15 6.2 Land Use ...... 17 6.3 Bushfire Risk ...... 19 6.3.1 Bushfire prone areas ...... 20 6.4 Waterways ...... 21 6.4.1 Floods ...... 25 6.5 Geology ...... 28
7. Built Environment ...... 33 7.1 Information and telecommunications ...... 33 7.2 Energy ...... 35 7.2.1 Energy distribution ...... 35 7.2.2 Electricity ...... 36 7.2.3 Solar and Wind ...... 39 7.2.4 Gas ...... 40 7.2.5 Liquid fuels ...... 41 7.3 Food, grocery and manufacturing ...... 41 7.3.1 Food supply chain ...... 42 7.4 Transport ...... 43 7.4.1 Transport infrastructure ...... 44 7.4.2 Roads ...... 44 7.4.3 Rail ...... 53 7.4.4 Air ...... 55 7.5 Water and wastewater ...... 55 7.5.1 Water ...... 55 7.5.2 Emergency water supply points ...... 60 7.5.3 Wastewater ...... 60 7.6 Waste and recycling ...... 62 7.6.1 Landfill ...... 62 7.6.2 Recycling ...... 64
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7.7 Government services ...... 64 7.7.1 Prisons and community correctional facilities...... 64 7.7.2 Law courts ...... 65 7.8 Emergency services ...... 66 7.8.1 Ambulance stations ...... 66 7.8.2 Police stations ...... 67 7.8.3 Fire stations, lookouts and refuges ...... 67 7.8.4 SES ...... 74 7.8.5 Volunteer Coast Guard Flotillas ...... 75 7.8.6 Emergency Coordination Facilities ...... 75 7.9 Other infrastructure assets and industries ...... 77 7.9.1 Infrastructure and industries ...... 77 7.9.2 Dependencies ...... 78 7.9.3 Tourism infrastructure ...... 79 7.9.4 Cladding fire safety risk ...... 79
8. Social Environment ...... 81 8.1 Population ...... 81 8.1.1 Current population ...... 81 8.1.2 Population forecast ...... 83 8.2 Vulnerability indicators ...... 86 8.2.1 The young and the elderly ...... 88 8.2.2 Those needing assistance ...... 89 8.3 Diversity ...... 90 8.3.1 Birthplaces and languages spoken ...... 90 8.3.2 Income and housing ...... 94 8.4 Education ...... 95 8.4.1 Educational institutions ...... 95 8.4.2 Educational Level ...... 97 8.5 Health ...... 98 8.5.1 Hospitals and health centres ...... 98 8.5.2 Aged Care...... 101 8.6 Cultural values and assets ...... 102 8.6.1 Aboriginal cultural heritage assets ...... 102 8.7 Volunteerism ...... 105
9. Economic Environment ...... 106 9.1 Economic situation ...... 106 9.1.1 Key economic indicators ...... 107 9.1.2 Industry and employment ...... 109
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9.2 Banking and finance ...... 110 9.3 Political and legal factors ...... 111
10. Operational Learnings ...... 112
11. Data sources ...... 115
12. List of Abbreviations ...... 122
13. Document information ...... 123
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1. Introduction
Planning by agencies has traditionally focused on each hazard type e.g. fire, flood or storm, using risk- based decision-making processes to inform preparedness, response, relief and recovery (PPRR) activities. Victorian emergency management arrangements also support agencies and relevant stakeholders to work together across all hazard types. This includes creating opportunities to identify and manage priorities to effectively manage risks, together with communities and organisations from within and outside the emergency management sector.
In 2020, the Emergency Management Act 2013 was amended by the Emergency Management Legislation Amendment Act 2018. In response to this, new State, Regional and Municipal plans are required to comply with the new legislation. Some of the key inclusions are information on regional context, and mitigation, response and recovery strategies, along with supporting roles and responsibilities for regional collaboration. The new arrangements also require the establishment of regional emergency management planning committees (REMPCs) and the preparation of regional emergency management plans (REMPs).
Emergency Management Victoria (EMV) is providing guidance to the REMPCs for each of the eight emergency management regions in Victoria to assist with the development of updated regional plans.
2. Purpose
The aim of this is to produce a document containing consistent, accurate contextual data and information for Loddon Mallee Region (LMR) to use as a resource when preparing the context section of the regional emergency management plans.
The outputs from this analysis will link directly to the context section of the REMPs. The standard headings from the State plan reference natural, built, economic and social environments for consideration. While the relative importance of each of these will vary between regions, they will still provide a good overview of the key regional context.
3. Structure of document
The structure of this document first summarises the process used to investigate the environment under which each region operates. This environmental scanning process was undertaken using a PESTEL analysis (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal). The content of the document then explores the data and information found, grouped under the standard headings from the State Emergency Management Plan, Natural, Built, Social and Economic environments. Each of these has sub- headings relevant to the region. Finally, a data source section shows the data and information attribution and summarises the metadata for each source used in the document. This gives context to the data and information as well as an assessment of reliability, credibility and currency of the data.
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4. Environmental scan process
The categories of a PESTEL analysis are often used for business analysis to cover all aspects of context for a project or business proposal to expand the thinking outside of the standard considerations. This will broaden the scope of the emergency management sector to cover all emergencies and all communities. Further detail for each key area is in the image below.
Figure 1. PESTEL analysis1
The broad environmental scanning process ensured that all impacts on the region were considered, including those influences outside of the regional boundaries.
5. Regional Context
The LMR is the traditional home of the First Peoples of the Millewa-Mallee being Latji Latji, Ngintait and Nyeri Nyeri Traditional Owners, the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jajawadjali, Wergaia, Jupagulk, Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Yorta Yorta peoples2, and is one of eight regions for emergency management in Victoria, declared under Section 63 of the Emergency Management Act 2013.
1 B2U (2020): https://www.business-to-you.com/scanning-the-environment-pestel-analysis/ 2 ACHRIS (2020): https://achris.vic.gov.au/weave/wca.html
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Figure 2. Victorian Emergency Management Regions
The LMR shares boundaries with the Grampians, Hume and North West Metropolitan Regions. It covers 58,960 square kilometres (26% of Victoria) and includes 10 local government areas (LGAs).
Figure 3. LMR including LGA boundaries3
The LGAs located within the LMR, and their corresponding populations (2019), are:
3 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/victorias-regions/loddon-mallee
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Swan Hill Rural City 20,649 Mount Alexander Shire 19,754 Mildura Rural City 55,777 Macedon Ranges Shire 50,231 Loddon Shire 7,504 Gannawarra Shire 10,472 Central Goldfields Shire 13,186 City of Greater Bendigo 118,093 Campaspe Shire 37,622 Buloke Shire 6,124 Total Loddon Mallee Region 339,412
Figure 4. Population of LMR by LGA4
The LMR is the largest of Victoria’s regions, stretching north-west from the outskirts of Melbourne to the Murray River and South Australian border. The region can be split into two sub-regions – Mallee and Loddon Campaspe.
It is one of the five regions which borders metropolitan Melbourne, with some areas in the south (parts of the Loddon Campaspe sub-region) falling within Melbourne’s peri-urban fringe. As a result, these areas experience elevated population and development pressures on landscapes, agricultural, waterway and environmental assets. For the areas falling in the south-western part of the region (the Mallee sub-region) there are fewer development pressures, with more rural landscapes and smaller towns.
Mallee sub-region
The Mallee sub-region includes the LGAs of Buloke Shire, Gannawarra Shire, Mildura Rural City and Swan Hill Rural City. With direct borders to both New South Wales and South Australia, the area has direct functional, economic and social links to these adjoining states.5 The main regional centre is Mildura, with other regional centres and towns including Swan Hill and Kerang.
The sub-region is dominated by agriculture (irrigated and dryland farming) and agriculture-related manufacturing, with three of the four LGAs bordering the Murray River.6
4 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 5 DJPR (2014): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/94650/Loddon-Mallee-North-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf 6 DJPR (2014): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/94650/Loddon-Mallee-North-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf
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Loddon Campaspe sub-region
The Loddon Campaspe sub-region includes the LGAs of Greater Bendigo, Campaspe Shire, Central Goldfields Shire, Loddon Shire, Macedon Ranges Shire and Mount Alexander Shire. It is located in the geographic centre of Victoria, making it accessible to and from Melbourne and surrounding regional areas.7 The main regional hub is Bendigo, while other regional centres include Echuca, Castlemaine, Gisborne, Maryborough and Kyneton.
Rural areas of the sub-region support a variety of farming operations, while the urban centre of Bendigo provides education and healthcare facilities.
Figure 4. Mallee and Loddon Campaspe sub-regions including LGA boundaries8
6. Natural Environment
The LMR is home to a diversity of natural landscapes, ranging from Mallee wilderness, to the native grasslands of riverine plains and forested slopes of the Great Dividing Range. These landscapes represent significant tourism drawcards, as well as habitats for a wide variety of plant and animal species.
The Murray River system, including its tributaries, wetlands and lakes, is the environmental, cultural and economic lifeblood of much of the north of the region, with important riverine and wetland ecosystems along the major rivers and their floodplains.9 A number of these wetlands are included on international migratory bird and wetland conservation agreements.
7 DJPR (2014): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/94668/Loddon-Mallee-South-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf 8 DJPR (2014): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/victorias-regions/loddon-mallee 9 DJPR (2014): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/94650/Loddon-Mallee-North-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf
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The Mallee sub-region possesses a number of high value environmental assets, including the Hattah- Kulkyne, Murray Sunset and Gunbower National Parks, the Big Desert Wilderness Park, and the Gunbower Forest and Kerang Ramsar wetland sites.10
The Loddon Campaspe sub-region is home to the Greater Bendigo National Park, the Ramsar-listed Gunbower Forest National and State Parks and Boort Lakes.11
6.1 Climate
6.1.1 Average Temperatures Temperatures vary between the north and south of the region, with the north experiencing hot summers with average maximum temperatures of 30° and mild winters with average temperatures around 10°.12 The southern part of the region experiences cool and wet winters and warm, dry summers, with average maximum temperatures of less than 25° in the elevated southern regions.13 Frosts are common throughout the region.
Average maximum (max) and minimum (min) temperatures from a 30-year climate period from (1961-1990) are outlined below:
Table 1. Seasonal average temperatures for LMR by LGA14
Summer (°C) Winter (°C) LGA Max Min Max Min Buloke Shire 30.0 14.0 14.6 4.4 Campaspe Shire 29.3 14.1 13.9 3.9 Central Goldfields Shire 27.8 12.2 12.9 3.5 City of Greater Bendigo 28.2 13.4 13.1 3.9 Gannawarra Shire 30.5 14.7 14.8 4.5 Loddon Shire 29.4 13.9 13.9 4.2 Macedon Ranges Shire 24.1 11.2 10.3 3.2 Mildura Rural City 31.0 14.8 15.9 5.2 Mount Alexander Shire 27.0 12.0 12.0 3.1 Swan Hill Rural City 31.2 15.0 15.6 4.6 LMR Average 28.9 13.5 13.7 4.1
10 DJPR (2014):https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/94668/Loddon-Mallee-South-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf 11 DJPR (2014):https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/94668/Loddon-Mallee-South-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf 12 DELWP (2015): https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/60746/Loddon-Mallee.pdf 13 DELWP (2015): https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/60746/Loddon-Mallee.pdf 14 BOM (2020): http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/maps.shtml
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6.1.2 Rainfall The north of the region is dry, with average annual rainfall of 330mm, while rainfall is considerably higher in the south, with Macedon Ranges experiencing between 750mm and 800mm annually.15 Since the 1960s, average rainfall has declined, especially in autumn.
Table 2. Annual and seasonal average rainfalls for LMR by LGA16
Mean Rainfall (mm) 17 LGA Annual Summer Autumn Winter Spring Buloke Shire 370.0 72.2 89.7 106.6 101.5 Campaspe Shire 461.0 94.2 114.2 136.4 116.2 Central Goldfields Shire 540.4 102.8 127.9 166.7 143.0 City of Greater Bendigo 540.7 104.0 129.7 167.9 139.1 Gannawarra Shire 371.9 77.9 91.5 107.3 95.1 Loddon Shire 437.7 83.6 108.9 129.2 115.9 Macedon Ranges Shire 793.0 146.5 187.6 245.8 213.0 Mildura Rural City 306.3 58.6 71.0 90.4 86.3 Mount Alexander Shire 634.4 119.0 149.4 200.9 165.1 Swan Hill Rural City 336.7 70.7 83.5 91.8 90.8 Average 479.2 93.0 115.3 144.3 126.6
15 DELWP (2015): https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/60746/Loddon-Mallee.pdf 16 DELWP (2015): https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/60746/Loddon-Mallee.pdf 17 http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/maps.shtml
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Figure 5. Annual rainfall Victoria (1900-2019)18
Intensity–Frequency–Duration (IFD) design rainfall intensities (mm/h) or design rainfall depths (mm) corresponding to selected standard probabilities, are based on the statistical analysis of historical rainfall. Design rainfall are used in the design of infrastructure including gutters, roofs, culverts, stormwater drains, flood mitigation levees, retarding basins and dams. They can also be used to assess the severity of observed rainfall events.
The following tables summarise the design rainfalls that could be of interest for critical infrastructure planning. They give an indication of heavy rainfall probability across the region and can be used as potential triggers for response based on observed or forecast rainfall.19 The standard probabilities shown here for reference are 10% annual exceedance probability (AEP) equivalent to 1 in 10 year average recurrence interval (ARI) and 1% AEP, equivalent to 1 in 100 year ARI.
18 http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/change/index.shtml#tabs=Trackerandtracker=timeseriesandtQ=graph%3Drain%26area%3Dvic%26season%3D01 12%26ave_yr%3D0 19 Further values can be obtained from: http://www.bom.gov.au/water/designRainfalls/revised-ifd/
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Table 3. Design rainfalls for LMR by LGA – 5 Min20 21
5 min 10% AEP (mm) 5 min 1% AEP (mm) LGA Mean Min Max Range Mean Min Max Range Buloke Shire 9.9 8.9 10.7 1.7 18.2 15.7 19.9 4.2 Campaspe Shire 9.6 8.9 10.9 2.0 16.6 15.1 18.9 3.9 Central Goldfields Shire 8.7 8.3 9.4 1.1 15.2 14.2 16.8 2.6 City of Greater Bendigo 9.8 9.2 10.4 1.2 17.4 16.5 18.2 1.7 Gannawarra Shire 9.6 9.2 10.4 1.2 17.6 16.5 19.4 2.9 Loddon Shire 9.7 8.9 10.2 1.4 17.7 16.0 19.0 3.1 Macedon Ranges Shire 9.1 8.3 9.7 1.4 15.1 13.5 16.9 3.3 Mildura Rural City 8.9 8.3 9.6 1.4 16.3 14.4 18.4 4.0 Mount Alexander Shire 9.4 8.8 10.0 1.2 16.4 15.2 17.5 2.3 Swan Hill Rural City 9.7 9.2 10.3 1.0 18.2 17.0 19.5 2.4
Table 4. Design rainfalls for LMR by LGA – 1hr22 23
1hr 10% AEP (mm) 1hr 1% AEP (mm) LGA Mean Min Max Range Mean Min Max Range Buloke Shire 29.9 26.6 32.3 5.7 55.0 46.7 60.5 13.8 Campaspe Shire 29.4 27.1 33.3 6.2 50.7 46.5 58.2 11.7 Central Goldfields Shire 26.2 24.9 28.2 3.3 45.8 42.8 50.6 7.9 City of Greater Bendigo 29.8 27.9 31.9 4.1 53.1 50.0 55.6 5.6 Gannawarra Shire 29.4 28.1 31.4 3.3 53.4 49.9 58.6 8.7 Loddon Shire 29.5 26.9 31.1 4.2 53.7 48.2 57.9 9.7 Macedon Ranges Shire 27.6 25.2 29.2 4.1 45.9 41.3 51.1 9.8 Mildura Rural City 27.1 24.8 29.8 4.9 49.4 43.4 57.2 13.9 Mount Alexander Shire 28.3 26.4 30.0 3.6 49.9 46.1 52.8 6.7 Swan Hill Rural City 29.8 28.1 31.4 3.4 55.9 51.9 60.6 8.7
20 BOM (2016): http://www.bom.gov.au/water/designRainfalls/revised-ifd/ 21 The standard probabilities shown here for reference are 10% annual exceedance probability (AEP) equivalent to 1 in 10 year average recurrence interval (ARI) and 1% AEP, equivalent to 1 in 100 year ARI 22 BOM (2016): http://www.bom.gov.au/water/designRainfalls/revised-ifd/ 23 The standard probabilities shown here for reference are 10% annual exceedance probability (AEP) equivalent to 1 in 10 year average recurrence interval (ARI) and 1% AEP, equivalent to 1 in 100 year ARI
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Table 5. Design rainfalls for LMR by LGA – 1 Day24 25
1 day 10% AEP (mm) 1 day 1% AEP (mm) LGA Mean Min Max Range Mean Min Max Range Buloke Shire 68.6 64.8 74.0 9.2 107.2 95.8 123.8 28.0 Campaspe Shire 69.7 65.5 79.5 14.0 107.2 100.6 126.2 25.6 Central Goldfields Shire 71.8 67.9 79.3 11.4 109.9 102.5 119.3 16.8 City of Greater Bendigo 74.1 68.7 86.6 17.9 111.0 102.7 130.1 27.5 Gannawarra Shire 66.8 63.4 69.4 6.0 105.1 98.7 113.4 14.7 Loddon Shire 69.2 63.9 80.1 16.2 104.5 99.4 117.3 17.9 Macedon Ranges Shire 89.5 79.1 107.6 28.6 141.8 124.2 170.2 46.1 Mildura Rural City 62.7 56.3 70.1 13.9 109.0 95.7 127.7 31.9 Mount Alexander Shire 77.9 68.1 90.0 21.9 119.7 103.3 136.1 32.7 Swan Hill Rural City 67.7 63.7 72.7 9.0 108.1 99.3 118.8 19.5
For the LMR, there is little variation in the shorter duration events which are generally driven by convective activity. Statistical analysis shows that that patterns of heavy rainfall from these storm events are similar across the region. This is shown by similar mean design rainfall values across all LGAs and low ranges between maximums and minimums for the selected probabilities.
The largest difference is observed in the longer duration events, where regions with variable topography experience higher rainfall.
It is expected that the impact of climate change will be to have less days with rain, but higher intensity rain events when these do happen. This is because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. Australia’s heavy rainfall patterns have a high natural variability and some sites are witnessing a larger increase in heavy rainfall for shorter durations that may increase the risk of flash flooding.26
For the LMR, despite an overall trend of declining rainfall, it is expected that more of the rain which does fall will be in increasingly extreme downpours, increasing the incidence of flood events.27
Rain Days >5mm by LGA This calculation is based on the standard 30-year reference climate period (1961–1990). This threshold was chosen as 5mm is the threshold to exceed canopy and interception losses in the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, which is used to estimate soil moisture as a surrogate for heavy fuel availability in fires.
24 BOM (2016): http://www.bom.gov.au/water/designRainfalls/revised-ifd/ 25 The standard probabilities shown here for reference are 10% annual exceedance probability (AEP) equivalent to 1 in 10 year average recurrence interval (ARI) and 1% AEP, equivalent to 1 in 100 year ARI 26 BOM (2020): http://www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/australias-changing-climate.shtml 27 DELWP (2015): https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/60746/Loddon-Mallee.pdf
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Table 6. LMR Rain Days >5mm by LGA28
Rain Days >5mm (days) LGA Mean Min Max Range Buloke Shire 23 22 24 2 Campaspe Shire 28 24 34 10 Central Goldfields Shire 18 14 25 11 City of Greater Bendigo 32 27 44 17 Gannawarra Shire 38 30 57 27 Loddon Shire 20 18 22 4 Macedon Ranges Shire 23 20 31 11 Mildura Rural City 52 44 62 18 Mount Alexander Shire 27 23 35 12 Swan Hill Rural City 33 30 42 12 LMR Average 29.4 25.2 37.6 12.4
6.1.3 Climate Change The LMR has been getting warmer and dryer, with the rate of warming increasing since 1960 and rainfall declining. In the future, the region can expect:29
• Temperatures to continue to increase year-round;
• More frequent and intense downpours;
• Less rainfall in autumn, winter and spring;
• Fewer frosts;
• More hot days and warm spells; and
• Harsher fire weather and longer fire seasons.
By 2050, as a result of these changes, the climate of Bendigo is expected to be more like the climate of Shepparton currently, while the climate of Echuca will be more like the current climate of Swan Hill, Swan Hill will be more like Hay and Mildura more like Menindee.30
28 BOM (2016): http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/climate_averages/raindays/index.jsp?period=anandproduct=5mm#maps 29 DELWP (2015): https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/60746/Loddon-Mallee.pdf 30 DELWP (2015): https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/60746/Loddon-Mallee.pdf
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Figure 6. Loddon Mallee climate in 205031
The potential impacts of these changes in climate affect all aspects of the natural, built, social and economic environments of the region, including primary production, infrastructure, tourism, health and community and the natural environment, as outlined below:32
Primary production
The impacts on primary production are likely to be acutely felt in the LMR, with agriculture being the largest employer across dryland farming, irrigated horticulture, fruit processing, irrigated agriculture including dairy processing, and viticulture. Horticulture and vegetables are highly sensitive to reduced water availability and increased salinity, while changes in temperature will also affect planting and harvesting times. Intensive animal industries will also need to provide increased protection for stock from extreme temperatures.
Infrastructure
Critical services such as power, water, sewerage and telecommunications will be susceptible to the more extreme weather events caused by the changing climate. Transport infrastructure, which underpins the region’s economy, will also be increasingly exposed to flooding and increased heat loading, with long hot spells weakening road surfaces and exposure to heat events resulting in road rutting and cracking.
Health and community
31 DELWP (2015): https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/60746/Loddon-Mallee.pdf 32 DELWP (2015): https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/60746/Loddon-Mallee.pdf
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A population with higher rates of obesity, chronic disease, disability and high-risk health behaviours, means an increase in the number of people who may need assistance to manage extreme heat, bushfires and flooding, which will subsequently increase pressure on health and community services.
Tourism
Harsher fire weather and flooding risk will threaten growth in the tourism industry, while significant reductions in river flows will adversely affect recreational use.
Environment
The region’s environment is under threat from warmer and drier conditions, with reduced stream flows, more severe droughts, extreme weather events and harsher fire weather all contributing to reduced ecosystem health. Increasing water demand for irrigation will add to pressure on wetlands and their surrounding environment.
6.2 Land Use Land use in the LMR is dominated by primary production, with over 70% of total land used for agriculture and horticulture.
In the Mallee sub-region, the economy is driven by irrigated and dry land farming and is recognised as being part of the Murray Darling food bowl.33 This sub-region also has large portions of public land with strong ties to the Murray River, as well as extensive River Red Gum forests, native grasslands and wetland complexes.
In the Loddon Campaspe sub-region, a large portion of the population resides in the urban centre of Bendigo, while the remainder of the region is made up of non-urban land, of which a significant portion is used for agricultural production, including dairying, cropping, grazing, dry land and mixed farming.34 There are also wineries, orchards and olive groves located throughout the sub-region.
Victoria’s forestry and wood products industry is one of Australia’s largest. In Victoria, it accounts for 9 million cubic metres or 27.5% of Australia’s log harvest volume. It accounts for approximately $7.3 billion or 31% of Australia’s forest product manufacturing sales and service income. LMR is home to over 7000 businesses in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries, creating an approximate total of 10755 jobs for the region.35
Table 7. Land usage by type across the LMR (2017)36
Land Use Type Area (Sq. Km) % Area Primary Production 41,862 71.0%
33 DJPR (2014): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/94650/Loddon-Mallee-North-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf 34 DJPR (2014): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/94668/Loddon-Mallee-South-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf 35 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 36 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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Parkland 14,280 24.2% Other 1,391 2.4% Residential 672 1.1% Water 690 1.2% Industrial 29 0.1% Commercial 12 0.0% Transport 12 0.0% Education 6 0.0% Hospital/Medical 0 0.0% Total 58,960 100.0%
Figure 7. Land use for LMR
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The significant State and National parks located in the region are outlined below:
Table 8. State and National Parks in LMR by LGA37
LGA State and National Parks Buloke Shire Nil Campaspe Shire Nil Central Goldfields Shire Paddys Ranges State Park Maryborough Regional Park Mt Hooghly State Forest Bealiba-Barp State Forest City of Greater Bendigo Greater Bendigo National Park Heathcote-Graytown National Park Bendigo Regional Park Gannawarra Shire Gunbower National Park Leaghur State Park Loddon Shire Terrick Terrick National Park Leaghur State Park Kooyoora State Park Macedon Ranges Shire Lerderberg State Park Macedon Regional Park Hanging Rock Mildura Rural City Hattah-Kulkyne National Park Murray-Sunset National Park Big Desert Wilderness Park Big Desert State Forest Wyperfeld National Park Mount Alexander Shire Fryers Range State Forest Castlemaine Diggings National Park Mount Alexander Regional Park Swan Hill Rural City Nil
6.3 Bushfire Risk Like the rest of Victoria, a large portion of the LMR is prone to bushfires, particularly whenever grassland vegetation and forest litter become very dry.
The Mallee sub-region has extensive areas which are designated as bushfire prone, many of which are high tourism locations.
37 https://profile.id.com.au/
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In the Loddon Campaspe sub-region, there are many high bushfire hazard areas which intersect with settlements and areas that are experiencing rural residential and tourism expansion.38 Some of the settlements identified for focused growth are also located in areas with bushfire hazards, including Bendigo, Castlemaine, Kyneton and Gisborne.39
The Fire Danger Period (FDP) in Victoria has become longer over time, indicating a trend towards extended fire seasons. Seasonal fire restriction dates are set by municipality and depend on amounts of rain, grassland curing and other local conditions. In 2019-2020, fire restriction dates for Victoria extended from as early as 23 September 2019 to 23 March 2020.40
Smoke from fires, including from planned burns, can also be a hazard within the LMR. Those most at risk from smoke exposure include young children, adults over 65 years of age, people with asthma or existing heart or lung conditions, pregnant women, outdoor workers and smokers.41
In January 2020, smoke from bushfires across Victoria (and from New South Wales) rendered Melbourne’s air quality the worst in the world42 with the smoke haze estimated to cost the cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra over $500 million.43
6.3.1 Bushfire prone areas Bushfire prone areas are subject to or likely to be subject to bushfires, and to which specific bushfire construction standards apply.44 Nearly all of the land in the LMR is a designated bushfire area.
38 DJPR (2014): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/94668/Loddon-Mallee-South-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf 39 DJPR (2014): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/94668/Loddon-Mallee-South-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf 40 FFMV (2020): https://www.ffm.vic.gov.au/permits-and-regulations/fire-restriction-dates 41 DHHS (2020): https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/environmental-health/climate-weather-and-public-health/bushfires-and-public- health/smoke-from-fires-and-public-health 42 The Guardian (2020): https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/14/melbourne-choked-by-hazardous-smoke-as-bushfires- continue-to-burn-across-victoria 43 City of Melbourne (2020): https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/vision-goals/eco-city/Pages/adapting-to-climate-change.aspx 44 DELWP (2020): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/policy-and-strategy/bushfire-protection/building-in-bushfire-prone-areas
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Table 9. Bushfire Risk in LMR by LGA45
Bushfire Prone Total Area % Area Bushfire LGA Plan Number Area (km2) 46 (km2)47 Prone Buloke Shire 7,807 8,000 97.6% LEGL./13-191 Campaspe Shire 4,415 4,519 97.7% LEGL./18-236 Central Goldfields Shire 1,529 1,533 99.7% LEGL./13-179 City of Greater Bendigo 2,930 3,000 97.6% LEGL./20-104 Gannawarra Shire 3,701 3,750 98.7% LEGL./18-240 Loddon Shire 6,694 6,696 100.0% LEGL./13-194 Macedon Ranges Shire 1,723 1,748 98.6% LEGL./20-109 Mildura Rural City 21,710 22,083 98.3% LEGL./13-195 Mount Alexander Shire 1,527 1,530 99.8% LEGL./13-186 Swan Hill Rural City 5,625 6,115 92.0% LEGL./13-398 LMR Total or Average 57,662 58,960 97.8%
6.4 Waterways The Mallee sub-region is located entirely within the Murray Darling Basin, and contains parts of the Goulburn, Campaspe, Loddon, Avoca, Wimmera-Avon, Mallee and Millicent Coast river basins. There are numerous internationally and nationally important wetlands through the region, including the Ramsar listed Hattah-Kulkyne Lakes, Kerang Lakes and Gunbower Forest. A significant part of the northern region is natural floodplain, with shallow wetlands on public and private land.
The Loddon Campaspe sub-region covers parts of the Avoca, Loddon, Campaspe, Goulburn, Maribyrnong and Werribee river catchments. Many rivers and wetlands, such as Little Lake Boort and the Loddon River at Bridgewater, are key tourism assets. Many water storages exist with vast distances between each. Inland lakes attract significant vessel traffic in peak periods, and lower volumes in off peak. The Murray River can be fast flowing snag laden waterway, and generally has high summer populations. The riverine flood events tend to be long and slow to recede.
45 DELWP (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/designated-bushfire-prone-area-bpa 46 DELWP (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/designated-bushfire-prone-area-bpa 47 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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Red lines – catchment boundaries Dark Blue lines – main rivers Light blue lines – main tributaries Figure 8. Natural waterways in the LMR48 49
Natural waterways across the LMR have been heavily impacted by historical land use, including clearing and agriculture, which have resulted in poor conditions relative to waterways in the east of Victoria, as shown in the figure below.50
48 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/vicmap-lite 49 https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/awrc-major-river-basins-of-victoria 50 DELWP (2016): https://www.water.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/58827/Water-Plan-strategy2.pdf
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Figure 9. River length condition in Victoria51
Many of these waterways are managed by appointed waterway managers who are responsible for managing vessel activities on waters under their control. One of the key roles of waterway managers is to provide and maintain navigational aids, appropriate signage of water levels and hazards, and rules applying to their waters.52
51 DELWP (2016): https://www.water.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/58827/Water-Plan-strategy2.pdf 52 DOT (2020): https://transportsafety.vic.gov.au/maritime-safety/ports-and-waterways
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Table 10. Managed waterways across the LMR53
Appointed Waterway LGA Waterway Name Manager Buloke Shire Council Browns Lake (Lake Cope Cope) Buloke Shire Council Green Lake (within Green Lake Regional Park) Buloke Shire Council Wooroonook Lakes Buloke Shire Council Tchum Lake South Tchum Lake Aquatic Club Inc. Campaspe Shire Port of Echuca Campaspe Shire Lake Cooper DELWP Greens Lake (near Corop) Goulburn-Murray Water Waranga Basin Central Goldfields Shire Goldfields Reservoir Central Goldfields Shire Lake Victoria (in Maryborough) City of Greater Bendigo Lake Weeroona City of Greater Bendigo Lake Eppalock Goulburn-Murray Water Gannawarra Shire Gunbower Creek Gannawarra Shire Kangaroo Lake Lake Charm Lake Meering (also known as Meran) Middle and Reedy Lakes Goulburn-Murray Water Loddon Shire Loddon River within the Shire of Loddon Loddon Shire Loddon River at Bridgewater Little Lake Boort Laanecoorie Reservoir Goulburn-Murray Water Mildura Rural City Lake Cullulleraine Mildura Rural City Ouyen Lake Unmanaged Waters within Hattah-Kulkyne National Park DELWP Waters within Kings Billabong Wildlife Reserve Walpeup Lake Walpeup Lake Committee of Management Inc. Mount Alexander Shire Cairn Curran Reservoir (also in Central Goldfields Goulburn-Murray Water Shire) Swan Hill Rural City Lake Boga Swan Hill Rural City Lake Powell DELWP Lake Carpul Heywood Lake
Water supplies and catchments are discussed further in Section 7 – Built Environment.
53 DOT (2020): https://transportsafety.vic.gov.au/maritime-safety/ports-and-waterways/waterway-managers
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6.4.1 Floods Floods cause more damage – including loss of life and livelihoods and damage to property and infrastructure – than any other type of natural disaster in Australia.54 Victoria is prone to riverine flooding, which occurs in low-lying areas near rivers and streams, and flash flooding, which can happen anywhere in the event of intense rainfall. Flash flooding can be unpredictable, overwhelming drainage systems and causing localised threats.
In the Mallee sub-region, there are a significant number of urban settlements which are exposed to flood risk, with floods also having caused significant damage to farms through inundation, isolation and flash floods following heavy rainfall.55 Flooding in the sub-region provides important inflows to wetlands and lake systems, however may also impact towns and infrastructure.
The Loddon Campaspe sub-region is particularly pre-disposed to floods, with many settlements within the region that have been identified for growth, also having high flood risks, including Bendigo, Castlemaine, Kyneton and Gisborne.56
Flood management guidelines, including prevention, response and recovery activities, are provided in the State Emergency Response Plan Flood Sub-Plan, published in 2016. 57 This strategy relies on the combined efforts of various agencies including local government, SES, Catchment Management Authorities and community partnerships.58
The Bureau of Meteorology is responsible for providing a flood warning service for riverine flooding resulting from heavy rainfall in Victoria in cooperation with other government, water and emergency management agencies59. The coverage of this flood warning service is shown in Figure 10 with both the Flood Watch and Flood Warning catchment shown. The products from the Service Level Specification that cover the catchments in LMR are listed in Table 1160. The river observations sites when flood levels are defined are shown as blue triangles and are listed in Table 11.
54 Flood Victoria (2020): https://www.floodvictoria.vic.gov.au/ 55 DJPR (2014): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/94650/Loddon-Mallee-North-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf 56 DJPR (2014): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/94668/Loddon-Mallee-South-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf 57 EMV (2016): https://www.ses.vic.gov.au/documents/112015/2504320/State+Emergency+Response+Plan+-+Flood+Sub-Plan+- +Edition+1.pdf/e4d997fa-080b-39fd-366b-42b5cb23443f 58 DELWP (2016): https://www.water.vic.gov.au/managing-floodplains/new-victorian-floodplain-management-strategy 59 http://www.bom.gov.au/water/floods/document/National_Arrangements_V4.pdf 60 http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/flood/brochures/VIC_SLS_current.pdf
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Table 11. Flood Warning products and Flood Warning Locations61
Product Warning Area Site Minor Moderate Major IDN36629 Flood Warning for the Murray River Murray River at Echuca 93.5 93.9 94.4 D/S of Lake Hume Murray River at Torrumbarry Weir 7.3 7.6 7.8
Murray River at Swan Hill 4.5 4.6 4.7 36.0 37.5 38.5 Murray River at Mildura Weir Murray River at Wentworth 7.3 7.9 9.1 Murray River at Wakool Junction 8.8 10.5 11.5 IDV36710 Flood Warning for the Goulburn River Goulburn River at McCoys Bridge 9.0 10.0 10.2 Flood Warning for the Yea River Flood Warning for the Sunday Creek Flood Warning for the Hughes Creek IDV36750 Flood Warning for the Campaspe Campaspe River at Barnadown 3.8 4.4 5.0 River Campaspe River at Rochester 113.0 114.0 114.5 Town Campaspe River D/S Lake 158.4 160.4 162.4 Eppalock IDV36810 Flood Warning for the Loddon River Loddon River at Appin South 2.8 3.1 3.3 Loddon River at MV Hwy Bridge 77.0 77.5 77.8 (Kerang) Loddon River D/S Cairn Curran 2.0 3.5 4.0 Loddon River D/S Laanecoorie 1.5 3.0 5.5 IDV36820 Flood Warning for the Avoca River Avoca River at Charlton Township 4.-0 5.9 7.5 Avoca River at Quambatook 2.0 2.2 2.4 IDV36830 Flood Warning for the Wimmera River
61 http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/flood/brochures/VIC_SLS_current.pdf
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Red Boundaries – Bureau of Meteorology Flood Red Shading – Bureau of Meteorology Flood Warning Watch areas Catchments Dark Blue areas – Lakes and dams Blue lines – rivers and streams Green areas – 1:100 year ARI modelled inundation Triangles – River observations sites area Figure 10. Flood warning and 1:100-year ARI inundation62 63 64 65 66 67
The flood risk and area impacted by flooding varies around the region. Table 12 shows the percentage of each LGA which is impacted by flooding at the 1:100-year average recurrence interval (ARI). This is shown in Green in Figure 10. There is a one percent chance (1% annual exceedance probability (AEP)) of these areas experiencing flooding of this level in any given year68 based on flood modelling results from flood studies. The localities listed have some defined built up area in or near the flood impact area defined by the 1:100-year ARI. This list may not be exhaustive, and some areas may experience impacts from flash flooding due to heavy rainfall that are not shown here.
62 http://www.bom.gov.au/metadata/catalogue/19115/ANZCW0503900441?template=full 63 http://www.bom.gov.au/metadata/catalogue/19115/ANZCW0503900561?template=full 64 http://www.bom.gov.au/metadata/catalogue/19115/ANZCW0503900563?template=full 65 http://www.bom.gov.au/metadata/catalogue/19115/ANZCW0503900564?template=full 66 https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/1-in-100-year-flood-extent 67 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/vicmap-lite 68 http://arr.ga.gov.au/arr-guideline
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Table 12. Areas potentially impacted by flooding inundation69
% Included in LGA Main Localities with Affected Built Up Areas 1:100 Ari Area Buloke 11.2% Charlton, Donald Campaspe 31.7% Echuca, Kyabram, Moama (NSW), Rochester, Tongala, Wharparilla Central Goldfields 20.1% Carisbrook, Dunolly, Maryborough Gannawarra 40.4% Barham (NSW), Cohuna, Kerang, Koondrook, Quambatook Greater Bendigo 5.9% Ascot (Bendigo), Bendigo, Eaglehawk, East, Bendigo, Elmore, Epsom, Flora Hill, Golden Square, Heathcote, Huntly, Kangaroo Flat, Kennington, Long Gully, Maiden Gully, North Bendigo, Quarry Hill, Spring Gully, Strathdale, Strathfieldsaye, White Hills Loddon 29.1% Boort, Pyramid Hill Macedon Ranges 2.0% Gisborne, Kyneton, Riddells Creek, Romsey, Woodend Mildura 6.7% Mildura, Nichols Point Mount Alexander 2.4% Campbells Creek, Castlemaine, Moonlight Flat Swan Hill 10.2% Murray Downs (NSW), Nyah, Pental Island, Robinvale, Swan Hill
6.5 Geology There are significant aspects of the Victorian environment that rely on natural workings underground. Victoria’s geology contributes to a large cluster of volcanic plains, the frequency of weak to medium magnitude earthquakes and the versatility of groundwater.
There is an extensive area of volcanism in Victoria. Large basaltic formations (formed after the rapid cooling of lava) are present along the western coast of Victoria. The time of the last volcanic eruption in Victoria is contested by volcanologists, however common consensus is that it occurred approximately 7000 years ago at Mount Napier. In volcanology terms, this classifies the Western Victorian Volcanic Plains as an active volcanic region, with many volcanologists considering the area dormant rather than extinct.70 The plains span approximately 2.3 million hectares or 10% of the state’s land mass. The eastern side of Victoria experienced volcanic activity significantly earlier than in the west. 71 Older Volcanic Plains are scattered throughout eastern Victoria and experienced an estimated 400 eruptions that were sporadic, relatively low volume and widespread.72
69 https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/1-in-100-year-flood-extent 70 http://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/landform_geomorphological_framework_6.1 71 New 40Ar/39Ar ages for selected young (<1 Ma) basalt flows of the Newer Volcanic Province, Southeastern Australia (2011) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871101411000112 72 New 40Ar/39Ar ages for selected young (<1 Ma) basalt flows of the Newer Volcanic Province, Southeastern Australia (2011) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871101411000112
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Figure 11. Map of Victoria with Volcanic overlay73
There is no reported threat of volcanic eruption to the LMR. However, in the event of an eruption in the Western Victorian Volcanic Plains, there is a chance of volcanic gases to be present in the air in Loddon Mallee.
On average, there are approximately 100 earthquakes in Australia per year that register above 3 magnitude.74 As a nation, Australia experiences significantly less earthquakes than other parts of the world near tectonic boundaries, where large earthquakes occur more often. 75 However, the country experiences earthquakes due to a series of interlocking, interspersed fault lines that spread throughout the nation. In Victoria, several vault lines have been identified including the Strzelecki Ranges, The Mornington Peninsula and the Otway Ranges. However, the frequency of earthquakes in the state indicates that there are multiple minor fault lines that have not been formally identified. 76 Included below is a table that lists earthquakes in Victoria with a magnitude over 4.5 since records began with damage reported:
73 New 40Ar/39Ar ages for selected young (<1 Ma) basalt flows of the Newer Volcanic Province, Southeastern Australia (2011) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871101411000112 74 Geology Australia (2020) https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/community-safety/earthquake 75 Geology Australia (2020) https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/community-safety/earthquake 76 Geology Australia (2020) https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/community-safety/earthquake
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Table 13. List of earthquakes above 4.5 magnitude in Victoria since records began77 78
Location Date Magnitude Damage Reported Cape Liptrap 02 July 1885 5.7 Tied Victoria’s largest earthquake – minor damage reported around epicentre Warrnambool 14 July 1903 5.3 Minor damage over wide geographical area near epicentre
Alpine National 10 April 1904 5.0 No damage reported – epicentre in national park Park Ocean Grove 10 April 1922 5.7 Reports of minor item damage in Cranbourne, East Malvern, (offshore) Pakenham and Portalington – aftershock 4.7 magnitude Mornington 03 September 1932 4.5 Minor damage Bass Strait 15 September 1946 6.2 Minor damage reported in Gippsland region and Tasmanian (offshore) northern coast Cape Otway 25 December 1950 5.3 No Damage Reported Mt Hotham 5 May 1966 5.5 Windows broken in ski village Boolarra 20 June 1969 5.3 5.0 magnitude aftershock, cracked walls and windows near epicentre Western Port 7 July 1971 5.0 Damage reported in Cowes Balliang 2 December 1979 4.7 Felt across south eastern suburbs, minor damage caused in Anakie area Wonnangatta 21 November 1982 5.4 Felt across state, no damage reported Mount Baw Baw 25 September 5.0 No damage reported Boolarra 29 August 2000 5.0 Minor damage Swan Hill 27 October 2001 4.8 Minor damage, power disruption Wonthaggi 6 March 2011 4.5 No damage reported Gippsland 19 June 2012 5.4 Minor damage
Loddon Mallee has some history with significant earthquakes. Since records began, Loddon Mallee has reported 11 earthquakes above 3 magnitude with the most recent being the largest recorded. In Swan Hill on 27 October 2000, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake caused minor damage and some power disruption to rural communities.79 In 2017, the SES identified the following dams in Loddon Mallee had credible earthquake risk:
77 Seismology Research Centre (2020) https://www.src.com.au/earthquakes/older-quakes/ 78 Earthquake Tracker (2020) https://earthquaketrack.com/p/australia/victoria/recent?mag_filter=4 79
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Table 14 SES identified dams with credible earthquake risk80
Dam Name Location Capacity (Megalitres) Laanecoorie Reservoir Located on the Loddon River, 40km south-west of 8,000Ml Bendigo. Cairn Curran Reservoir Located on the Loddon River, about 10km west of 147,130Ml Maldon. Lake Eppalock Located on the Campaspe River, near Bendigo in 276,751Ml central Victoria. (304651Ml on Goulbourn Murray Water website) Barkers Creek Reservoir 25km south of Bendigo, north of Harcourt. 1,690Ml
Caledonia Reservoir 6km south of Heathcote \on Dairy Flat Rd. 214Ml Upper Coliban Reservoir Located 9km west of Kyneton on the Coliban River. 37,770Ml (from Coliban Water website) Lauriston Reservoir Located 8km south west of Kyneton on the Coliban 19,790Ml (from Coliban Water River. website) Malmsbury Reservoir Located 1km south Malmsbury on the Coliban 12,034Ml (from Coliban Water River. website) McCay Reservoir Located off the Pyrenees Highway, halfway 1,400Ml between Chewton and Elphinstone townships. Sandhurst Reservoir Located at Big Hill, 3km south of Kangaroo Flat. 2,600Ml Spring Gully Reservoir Located in Spring Gully, 3km south of Bendigo. 1,680Ml
Expedition Pass Reservoir Located on Golden Point Road, around 3km from 264Ml (Golden Point Reservoir) Chewton. Torrumbarry Weir Located 30km north of Echuca. 36,810Ml Crusoe Reservoir Located upstream of Kangaroo Flat off Crusoe 890Ml Road. Tullaroop Reservoir Located 6km upstream of Carisbrook off 72,950Ml (from the Goulbourn Rodborough Road. Murray Water website) Mildura Weir North east corner of the Mildura township, on 36,600Ml (from GMW website) Murray River Waranga Basin East of Rushworth township. 432,360Ml (from the Goulbourn Murray Water website) Campaspe Weir South West of Rochester township on the Northern 252,000Ml (from Goulbourn Highway. Murray Water website)
Groundwater is water found under the ground that flows through layers known as aquifers. Surface water from rainfall seeps into cracks or pores in the ground (aquifers), however aquifers can also be recharged from streams or indirectly from other aquifers.81 Groundwater resources eventually flow into rivers, lakes or the ocean. Many surface environments known as ‘groundwater dependent ecosystems’ rely on groundwater including wetlands and river baseflows. Groundwater is also important as a water resource in semi-arid
80 State Emergency Services – Earthquake Emergency Plan (2018) 81 Southern Rural Water – Groundwater Atlas (2012) http://www.srw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/GGA_SmallSize-1.pdf
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The area around the Murray-Darling Basin is a primary source for groundwater in the LMR.84 Major issues arising in LMR around groundwater is the unsustainable demand and declining groundwater levels in current aquifers. 85 Most of the recent discussion around the utilisation of groundwater in Loddon Mallee has focused on the water and land salinity problems that occur through the unsustainable harvesting of the resource.86
Peat consists of decayed vegetation or organic matter. Peat can pose a major fire hazard and a smouldering peat fire cannot be extinguished by light rain.87 Peat fuelled fires can burn for extended periods of time and have also been observed as smouldering underground resulting in reignition if an oxygen source is present.88 The minimum rainfall intensity required to extinguish a peat fire is roughly 4mm/h.89 LMR’s main deposit of peat is near Lake Wahpool and Lake Tiboram. Another cluster of deposits can be found in Hattah- Kulkne National Park. Apart from these centralised locations, peat is spread around Loddon Mallee in relatively small clusters. A full map of peat deposits can be found on EM-COP, below is a screenshot of the BSW region with the peat hazard layer shown in yellow.
82 Geology Australia (2020) https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/water/groundwater/basics/what-is-groundwater 83 Geology Australia (2020) https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/water/groundwater/basics/what-is-groundwater 84 Murray Darling Basin – Groundwater Report - https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/archived/mdbc-GW- reports/2173_GW_a_resource_for_the_future.pdf 85 Murray Darling Basin – Groundwater Report - https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/archived/mdbc-GW- reports/2173_GW_a_resource_for_the_future.pdf 86 Murray Darling Basin – Groundwater Report - https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/archived/mdbc-GW- reports/2173_GW_a_resource_for_the_future.pdf 87 Lin and Huang (2020) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969720319811 88 Lin and Huang (2020) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969720319811 89 Lin and Huang (2020) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969720319811
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Figure 12. EM-COP layer depicting peat deposits in Loddon Mallee90
7. Built Environment
Key infrastructure includes major roads and rail lines, water, power, sewerage, telecommunications, airports and seaports, all of which support ongoing growth in the LMR.
Extreme weather events however threaten this critical infrastructure and increase maintenance costs, with the critical services outlined above particularly susceptible to extreme weather.
7.1 Information and telecommunications The communications sector – incorporating internet, phone, radio, television, online transactions and business operations – is a foundation for economic and social development and stability within Victoria. These interconnected networks are owned by both national and international providers and are regulated by the Commonwealth.91
Key assets and infrastructure include:
• Networks – copper, hybrid fibre-coaxial, fibre-optic cable • Towers – mobile telephone, wireless internet (e.g., 3G, 4G) • Satellites • Base stations
90 EM-COP – Peat Overlay Layer 91 EMV (2018): https://files-em.em.vic.gov.au/public/EMV-web/2018_All_Sectors_Resilience_Report.pdf
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• Exchanges or points of interconnect • Data centres • Backhaul infrastructure (which transfers high data volumes to and from the core network) • Cables – between onshore nodes and other countries Key risks to the sector include:
• Natural disasters – fire, flood, storm, extreme weather • Pandemic • Security breaches • Technical issues (e.g., electricity disruption, asset failure) In the LMR the quality of digital infrastructure, including fixed broadband and mobile access, is highly variable. While for cities and large towns such as Bendigo and Mildura, access is generally comparable to metropolitan Melbourne, smaller towns and localities such as Rushworth and Charlton generally have less capacity and reliability.92
For the LMR, key assets and infrastructure are summarised below:
Table 15. Communications infrastructure in LMR by LGA93
Radio Television Radio Telephone LGA Broadcast Broadcast Communication Exchanges Buloke Shire 0 0 3 23 Campaspe Shire 2 0 4 29 Central Goldfields Shire 1 0 3 8 City of Greater Bendigo 3 0 2 17 Gannawarra Shire 1 1 1 21 Loddon Shire 0 0 4 28 Macedon Ranges Shire 1 5 3 14 Mildura Rural City 14 17 16 15 Mount Alexander Shire 7 11 3 10 Swan Hill Rural City 9 10 4 16 LMR Total 38 44 43 181
92 Infrastructure Victoria (2019): https://www.infrastructurevictoria.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Aither-Loddon-Campaspe-Regional- Profile-March-2019.pdf 93 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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7.2 Energy Energy – including electricity, gas and liquid fuels – is one of eight critical infrastructure sectors identified for Victoria. All three of these sub-sectors are privately owned and operated, and form part of extensive national networks to import and export energy between Victoria and other States.94
Victoria’s primary energy sources are electricity generated from brown coal in the La Trobe Valley, and natural gas sourced from the Gippsland Basin.95
7.2.1 Energy distribution Energy distribution in the LMR is summarised by LGA in the below table and discussed further by form in the following sections.
Table 16. Energy distribution across LMR by LGA (km)96
Major Electricity LGA Oil Pipelines Gas Pipelines Transmission Lines Buloke Shire 12.8 0.0 0.0 Campaspe Shire 168.7 0.0 30.6 Central Goldfields Shire 37.3 0.0 45.4 City of Greater Bendigo 146.9 0.0 29.4 Gannawarra Shire 177.8 0.0 0.0 Loddon Shire 147.8 0.0 0.0 Macedon Ranges Shire 65.3 0.0 50.2 Mildura Rural City 420.1 0.0 117.3 Mount Alexander Shire 96.7 0.0 72.4 Swan Hill Rural City 252.8 0.0 0.0 Total 1,526.2 0.0 345.3
For the energy sector overall, key risks include:
• Fire
• Severe weather
• Extreme temperatures
• Cyber-attack
• Earthquake
94 EMV (2018): https://files-em.em.vic.gov.au/public/EMV-web/2018_All_Sectors_Resilience_Report.pdf 95 DELWP (2020): https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/ 96 EMV (2020): Potential Impact Reports (by LGA)
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• Earthworks damaging underground infrastructure
• Loss of communication
• Workforce issues (which could arise for any number of reasons but include industrial issues, heat stress, pandemic, an ageing workforce and lack of experience or specialist staff).97
Key dependencies for the energy sector include:
• Production infrastructure
• Supporting infrastructure (e.g., energy supplies for operations)
• Water and wastewater
• Transport infrastructure
• Human resources and management systems
• Information technology and communications98
7.2.2 Electricity The key assets and infrastructure for the electricity sector include generators, high and low voltage transmission and distribution systems.99
Most of Victoria’s electricity is generated by brown coal generators in the La Trobe Valley.100
Terminal stations are key centres for receiving high voltage electricity from transmission lines and converting it to lower voltages for distribution to zone substations.101 Zone Substations receive electricity from bulk supply substations and transform the voltage to 11,000 volts for distribution to customers’ homes and businesses along powerlines or cables.102
In the LMR, the distribution network is owned by Powercor 103. Electricity is transported to a terminal station, where it then moves via a sub-transmission network at 66 kilovolts. Most of this network is configured in loops to maximise reliability, however some areas are supplied by radial 66 kilovolt lines. Electricity is converted at zone substations, to 22 or 11 kilovolts, and transported across high voltage distribution lines to substations.
97 EMV (2018): https://files-em.em.vic.gov.au/public/EMV-web/2018_All_Sectors_Resilience_Report.pdf 98 EMV (2018): https://files-em.em.vic.gov.au/public/EMV-web/2018_All_Sectors_Resilience_Report.pdf 99 EMV (2018): https://files-em.em.vic.gov.au/public/EMV-web/2018_All_Sectors_Resilience_Report.pdf 100 DELWP (2020): https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/electricity/about-the-electricity-sector 101 AusNet Services (2018): https://www.ausnetservices.com.au/-/media/Files/AusNet/About-Us/Determining-Revenues/Distribution- Network/Customer-Forum/Week-1/Networks-101-Customer-Forum.ashx?la=en 102 AusNet Services (2018): https://www.ausnetservices.com.au/-/media/Files/AusNet/About-Us/Determining-Revenues/Distribution- Network/Customer-Forum/Week-1/Networks-101-Customer-Forum.ashx?la=en 103 https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/electricity/electricity-distributors
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The distribution network experiences losses as it transports electricity. One of the causes is Single Wire Earth Return (SWER), usually in remote and sparsely settled rural areas. SWER lines operate at a nominal voltage of 12.7 kilovolts, unlike the rest of the high voltage distribution network, which operates at 22 kilovolts. Some parts of the network are stronger than others. The Charlton substation zone is subject to outages, because of its remote location. This area services a large portion of the Buloke Shire, as well as small parts of Swan Hill, Gannawarra and Loddon Shires. The zone substation is supplied by one very long radial sub-transmission line from Bendigo. Other vulnerable areas include towns and communities serviced by single radial lines, either three-phase 22 kilovolt, single-phase 22 kilovolt, or SWER lines. Powercor has also identified a number of zone substation constraints, including Eaglehawk, Bendigo and Merbein.
More generation is being connected to the periphery of the network, where it has to travel further and the grid is weaker and more easily overloaded. The transmission network in the region is becoming increasingly constrained, limiting the capacity of new generators to export energy into the grid. As a result, generators are seeking to move further south in the region, to areas with more grid capacity.104
Within the LMR, there are 7 terminal stations and no zone substations, as outlined below:
Buloke Shire0 Campaspe Shire0 Central Goldfields Shire0 City of Greater Bendigo 2 Gannawarra Shire 1 Loddon Shire0 Macedon Ranges Shire0 Mildura Rural City 3 Mount Alexander Shire0 Swan Hill Rural City 1
Terminal Stations Zone Substations
Figure 13. Terminal stations and zone substations in LMR105
104 https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/464725/Roadmap-LoddonMalleeFinal.pdf 105 EMV (2020): Potential Impact Reports (by LGA)
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A map of electrical infrastructure is provided in the figure below:
Green star – renewable power generation Blue star – non-renewable power generation Red triangle – Electrical substation Green triangle – Electrical switchyard Yellow triangle – Electrical transmission Blue triangle – Electrical zone Black dot – Electrical terminal Thick red line – Power transmission Thin red line – Power sub-transmission Figure 14. Transmission lines within LMR106 107 108
106 https://data.gov.au/dataset/ds-aurin-aurin%3Adatasource-AU_Govt_GA- UoM_AURIN_DB_national_major_power_stations_2016/details?q=Major%20Power%20Stations 107 https://data.gov.au/dataset/ds-aurin-aurin%3Adatasource-AU_Govt_GA- UoM_AURIN_DB_national_electricity_transmission_substations_2017/details?q=electricity%20transmission%20substations 108 https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-line-vicmap-features-of-interest
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7.2.3 Solar and Wind In the LMR, the focus of renewable energy has been on solar energy, with the Kiamal Solar Farm north of Ouyen to be Victoria’s largest.
There are 21 solar farms and two wind farms operating in the Loddon Mallee, including:
Buloke Shire 2
Campaspe Shire0 1
Central Goldfields Shire0
City of Greater Bendigo0
Gannawarra Shire0 4
Loddon Shire0 2
Macedon Ranges Shire0
Mildura Rural City0 11
Mount Alexander Shire0
Swan Hill Rural City0 3
Wind Farms Solar Farms
Figure 15. Wind and solar farms in LMR by LGA109,110
109 EMV (2020): Potential Impact Reports (by LGA) 110 https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/464725/Roadmap-LoddonMalleeFinal.pdf
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7.2.4 Gas The key assets and infrastructure for the gas sector include production, receiving, processing and storage facilities, and transmission and distribution systems.111
Victoria’s natural gas supply is sourced predominantly in the Gippsland Basin and processed in Longford. The Principal Transmission System, which covers Melbourne and central Victoria, is owned by GasNet and operated by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).112
Approximately 345km of gas pipelines traverse the LMR, including:
Table 17. Gas pipelines in LMR by LGA113
LGA Gas Pipelines (km) Location/Route Buloke Shire 0.0 N/A Campaspe Shire 30.6 Kyabram to Echuca Central Goldfields Shire 45.4 Carisbrook to Horsham Guildford to Maryborough City of Greater Bendigo 29.4 Ballan to Bendigo Bendigo City Gate to Able Street Mt Franklin to Bendigo Gannawarra Shire 0.0 N/A Loddon Shire 0.0 N/A Macedon Ranges Shire 50.2 Mt Franklin to Kyneton Wandong to Kyneton City Gate Mildura Rural City 117.3 Berri to Mildura Mount Alexander Shire 72.4 Ballan to Bendigo Guildford to Maryborough Mt Franklin to Bendigo Swan Hill Rural City 0.0 N/A Total 345.3
111 EMV (2018): https://files-em.em.vic.gov.au/public/EMV-web/2018_All_Sectors_Resilience_Report.pdf 112 DELWP (2017): https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/gas/about-the-gas-sector 113 EMV (2020): Potential Impact Reports (by LGA)
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Gas Pipeline
Figure 16. Natural gas pipelines within the LMR114
7.2.5 Liquid fuels The key assets and infrastructure for the liquid fuels sector include production and import facilities, fuel refineries, storage, distribution systems (including pipelines and transport) and retail outlets.115
There are no oil refineries located in the LMR, with only two refineries situated in Victoria – at Altona (Mobil) and Geelong (Viva Energy).116
7.3 Food, grocery and manufacturing Victoria is the epicentre of manufacturing in Australia, home to more than 13,000 manufacturing firms employing over 280,000 people and generating $30 billion for the Victorian economy.117
A number of large businesses operate home bases or sites in the LMR including:118
• Lactalis Australia (formerly Parmalat) factory in North Bendigo
• George Weston Foods factory at Castlemaine
114 EM-COP – Gas Pipelines Overlay Layer 115 EMV (2018): https://files-em.em.vic.gov.au/public/EMV-web/2018_All_Sectors_Resilience_Report.pdf 116 https://aip.com.au/sites/default/files/download-files/2017-09/At%20a%20Glance%20Australian%20Oil%20Refineries.pdf 117 DJPR (2020): https://djpr.vic.gov.au/about-us/overview/strategies-and-initiatives/advancing-victorian-manufacturing 118 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/victorias-regions/loddon-mallee
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• Hazeldene’s Chicken Farm at Lockwood
• Loddon Valley Eggs at Bridgewater
• Laucke Flour Mills at Bridgewater
• Hy-Line Australia at Bagshot
• Southern Stock Feeds at Bridgewater
• True Foods at Maryborough
• Thales Australia at Bendigo
• Keech Australia at Bendigo
Key assets and infrastructure may include:
• Warehousing and distribution centres
• Complex logistics networks
• Multiple modes of transport
7.3.1 Food supply chain The safety, security and continuity of Australia’s food supply is complicated. It is a nationally distributed system, generally owned and operated by the private sector, with oversight from the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) and other industry and government agencies. However, “States and territories have the lead responsibility for planning for and responding to emergency events within their jurisdictions.”119 Emergency situations that could give rise to supply chain disruptions, with downstream effects on consumers, include:
• Pandemic
• Biosecurity concern (e.g., foot and mouth disease)
• Drought
• Industrial action
• Natural disaster
• Severe weather event
• Terrorist attack
119 DAWR (2020): https://www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/food/food-chain-resilience
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• Food or water contamination
• Power, water or communications outage
Figure 17 provides an overview of the food supply chain and its dependencies.
Figure 17. Overview of food supply chain and dependencies120
7.4 Transport The LMR is located along strategically important intrastate and interstate transport routes. Roads connect the northern Loddon Mallee to major markets and population centres of southern Victoria, Adelaide, Sydney and regional southern NSW, and in the south provide for the increased flow of traffic between Bendigo and Melbourne.121
The vast majority of trips by people within and from the LMR are made by car, which presents particular challenges for ageing and disadvantaged groups in more rural areas. Public transport options decrease the further the distance travelled from Melbourne, with only the Bendigo-Swan Hill, Bendigo-Echuca and Ballarat-Maryborough train lines offering passenger services, while a mix of private and community bus services provide links between larger centres and smaller towns.122
120 DAFF (2012): https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/sitecollectiondocuments/ag-food/food/national-food-plan/submissions- received/resilience-food-supply.pdf 121 DJPR (2014): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/1663618/Loddon_Mallee_RSP-1-Web.pdf 122 DJPR (2014): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/1663618/Loddon_Mallee_RSP-1-Web.pdf
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7.4.1 Transport infrastructure Major transport infrastructure in the LMR is outlined below, and discussed further by mode in the following sections:
Table 18. Transport infrastructure (km) by LGA (2015)123
Distance to Major Major % Population close to LGA Melbourne Roads Rail Public Transport125 CBD124 Buloke Shire 756.9 262.5 278 7.1% Campaspe Shire 550.0 195.3 208 23.2% Central Goldfields Shire 183.9 115.8 169 45.4% City of Greater Bendigo 474.9 195.4 279 9.3% Gannawarra Shire 443.4 157.9 145 57.8% Loddon Shire 640.8 241.7 248 8.0% Macedon Ranges Shire 227.2 97.9 55 14.3% Mildura Rural City 663.2 366.5 541 52.7% Mount Alexander Shire 259.8 108.2 121 24.8% Swan Hill Rural City 463.1 237.6 338 38.4% LMR Total 4,663.2 1,978.8
7.4.2 Roads More than 4,600 km of major roads traverse the LMR, including major highways, freeways, arterial roads, bridges and tunnels.
The road network is shown in the figure below, with darker red representing arterial roads, and lighter red municipal roads and tracks. This network includes:
• Calder Freeway/Highway – Melbourne-Gisborne-Kyneton-Bendigo-Inglewood-Mildura link
• Sturt Highway – Adelaide-Mildura-Hay-Wagga Wagga link
• Murray Valley Highway – Robinvale-Swan Hill-Echuca-Wodonga-Towong link
• Sunraysia Highway – Ouyen-Donald-Ballarat link
• Henty Highway – Portland-Horsham-Hopetoun-Lascelles link
• Mallee Highway – Tailem Bend-Ouyen-Balranald link
• Midland Highway – Geelong-Ballarat-Bendigo-Shepparton-Wangaratta-Mansfield link
123 EMV (2020): Potential Impact Reports (by LGA) 124 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 125 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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• Loddon Valley Highway – Bendigo-Kerang link
• Northern Highway – Echuca-Heathcote-Wallan link
• McIvor Highway – Bendigo-Heathcote link
• Pyrenees Highway – Elphinstone-Maryborough-Avoca-Ararat link
• Wimmera Highway – Bendigo-St Arnaud-Horsham link
• Northern Highway – Melbourne-Heathcote-Elmore-Rochester-Echuca
Figure 18. Main roads within the LMR126
126 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/road-network-vicmap-transport
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Figure 19. Density of road network within the LMR127
The calculated road lengths (km) for each LGA in the LMR below are based on the Department of Transport’s standard categories:
127 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/road-network-vicmap-transport
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Table 19. Road Lengths in LMR by LGA128
Arterial -
LGA
Freeway Highway Arterial Sub Collector Local 2WD 4WD WalkingTrack Bike Path Buloke Shire - 323 428 625 232 2,725 2,893 342 2 - Campaspe Shire - 186 352 583 25 2,808 2,592 421 52 2 Central Goldfields Shire - 40 126 294 10 561 1,424 148 2 2 City of Greater Bendigo - 107 340 177 19 1,629 2,030 339 2 - Gannawarra Shire - 231 242 480 20 2,516 2,061 186 188 5 Loddon Shire - 205 430 661 199 2,789 3,770 267 21 4 Macedon Ranges Shire 127 6 95 242 149 891 1,701 214 27 5 Mildura Rural City - 357 131 125 77 2,784 6,732 3,141 121 - Mount Alexander Shire 60 90 95 433 - 519 1,186 160 37 12 Swan Hill Rural City - 224 238 446 2 3,310 1,908 256 7 - LMR Total 187 1,769 2,477 4,065 732 20,530 26,297 5,473 459 30
A listing of the major roads is also provided below:
Table 20. Major roads in LMR by LGA129
LGA Major Roads Buloke Shire – Aitken Av Main St 756.9km Armstrong St Mccracken Av Berriwillock -Springfield Rd Mildura Way Best St Mount St Birchip -Corack Rd Oconnor St Birchip - Rainbow Rd Park St Birchip -Sea Lake Rd Robinvale-Sea Lake Rd Birchip -Wycheproof Rd Sea Lake - Swan Hill Rd Boort -Charlton Rd St Arnaud - Wycheproof Rd Boort -Wycheproof Rd Sunraysia Hwy Borung Hwy Ultimo Rd Calder Hwy Warracknabeal -Birchip Rd Camp St Watchem Rd Campbell St Woods St
128 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/road-network-vicmap-transport 129 EMV (2020): Potential Impact Reports (by LGA)
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LGA Major Roads Charlton - St Arnaud Rd Main St Corack Rd Mccracken Av Culgoa -Lalbert Rd Mildura Way Culgoa -Ultimo Rd Mount St Cumming Av Oconnor St Donald -Murtoa Rd Park St Donald -Stowell Rd Robinvale-Sea Lake Rd Donald -Swan Hill Rd Sea Lake - Swan Hill Rd Donald Rd St Arnaud - Wycheproof Rd Hammill St Sunraysia Hwy High St Ultimo Rd Hooper Ct Warracknabeal -Birchip Rd Hopetoun -Sea Lake Rd Watchem Rd Horace St Woods St Campaspe Shire Albion St John Allan Rd – 550.0km Allan St Lancaster - Mooroopna Rd Bendigo - Murchison Rd Lancaster Rd Bendigo - Tennyson Rd Leitchville - Pyramid Rd Bridge Rd Lowry St Brudenell St Mccormick Rd Byrneside - Kyabram Rd Mcewen Rd Cobb Hwy Mckenzie Rd Cornelia Creek Rd Midland Hwy Curr Rd Mitchell St Dingee Rd Moora Rd Echuca - Mitiarno Rd Moore St Echuca Rd Murchison Rd Edis St Murray Valley Hwy Elizabeth St Northern Hwy Girgarre - Rushworth Rd Ogilvie Av Graham Rd Prairie - Rochester Rd Hawdon Rd Rushworth - Tatura Rd Heathcote - Rochester Rd Stanhope Rd Henderson Rd Station St Heygarth St Warren St High St Webb Rd Central Goldfields Avoca Rd Inkerman St Shire – 183.9km Ballarat -Maryborough Rd Landrigan Rd Bendigo -Maryborough Rd Lexton-Talbot Rd Bridgewater - Dunolly Rd Maryborough -Dunolly Rd Broadway Maryborough -St Arnaud Rd
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LGA Major Roads Bucknall St Napier St Carisbrook -Eddington Rd Park Rd Derby Rd Phelan Rd Dunach -Eddington Rd Pyrenees Hwy Dunolly -Eddington Rd Simson St Dunolly -Moliagul Rd Sutton Rd Elgin Rd Tuaggra St Elgin St Tweeddale St Gladstone St Victoria St High St Wimmera Hwy City of Greater Adam St Lyell Rd Bendigo – 474.9km Arnold St Mackenzie St West Barnard St Margaret St Bendigo - Eaglehawk Rd Bendigo - Maldon Rd Marong Rd Bendigo - Maryborough Rd Bendigo - Murchison Rd Bendigo - Pyramid Rd Bendigo - Mccrae St Tennyson Rd Bridge St McIvor Hwy Calder Alternative Hwy McIvor Rd Calder Hwy Midland Hwy Chapel St Miller St Condon St Mitchell St Creeth St Myers St Don St Myrtle St Eaglehawk Rd Napier St Elmore -Raywood Rd Northern Hwy Gladstone St Oak St Hamelin St Olinda St Hattam St Pall Mall Heathcote - Kyneton Rd Powells Av Heathcote - Nagambie Pyke St Rd Heathcote -Redesdale Rd Reservoir Rd Heathcote -Rochester Rd Heinz St Rohs Rd High St Russell St Holdsworth Rd Sailors Gully Rd Sparrowhawk Rd Holmes Rd Specimen Hill Rd Strathfieldsaye Rd Inglis St Stray St Kilmore Rd Strickland Rd Kyneton -Redesdale Rd Sutton Grange -Redesdale Rd Lockwood Rd Townsend St Loddon Valley Hwy Weeroona Av Lucan St Wellington St Wills St
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LGA Major Roads Wimmera Hwy Gannawarra Shire Airport Rd Koondrook- Murrabit Rd – 443.4km Benjeroop - Lake Charm Rd Lalbert - Kerang Rd Boo rt - Kerang Rd Leitchville - Kerang Rd Boort - Quambatook Rd Leitchville - Pyramid Rd Cohuna - Koondrook Rd Leitchville Rd Cohuna - Leitchville Rd Loddon Valley Hwy Cohuna - McMillans Rd Mildred St Donald - Swan Hill Rd Murrabit Rd Dumosa - Quambatook Rd Murrabit West Rd Gonn Av Murray Valley Hwy Grigg Rd Olive St Guthrie St Pyramid - Cohuna Rd Kerang - Koondrook Rd Quambatook - Boort Rd Kerang - Murra bit Rd Quambatook - Swan Hill Rd Kerang - Quambatook Rd Thule St Kerang Rd Victoria St King George St Wellington St Loddon Shire – Allen St Heales St 640.8km Arnold Rd High St Barber St Inglewood Rd Bell St Kelly St Bendigo - Maryborough Rd King St Bendigo - Pyramid Rd Leitchville - Pyramid Rd Boort - Charlton Rd Loddon Valley Hwy Boort - Kerang Rd Logan - Wedderburn Rd Boo rt - Mitiamo Rd Lyons St Boort - Pyramid Rd Mack St Boort - Quambatook Rd Main St Boort - Wedderburn Rd Mcmillans Rd Boort - Wycheproof Rd Mitiamo - Kerang Rd Bridgewater - Dunolly Rd Malaga - Durham Ox Rd Bridgewater - Moldan Rd Peppercorn Way Bridgewater - Serpentine Rd Perryman St Brooke St Prairie - Rochester Rd Calder Hwy Pyramid - Cohuna Rd Clyde St Pyramid - Mincha Rd Commercial Rd Queen St Dunolly - Eddington Rd Racecourse Rd Dunolly - Moliagul Rd River St Durham Ox - Pyramid Rd Serpentine Rd
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LGA Major Roads Durham Ox Rd St Arnaud Rd Echuca - Mitiamo Rd Vernon St Eddington Rd Victoria St Gladfield Rd Welsh St Glossop St Wimmera Hwy Godfrey St Macedon Ranges Aitken St Edgecombe -Calder Out Ramp Shire – 227.2km Avenue Of Honour -Calder Out Ramp Bacchus Edgecombe Rd Marsh Rd Edgecombe St Beauchamp St Hamilton St Bourke St Heathcote - Kyneton Rd Burton -Calder In Ramp High St Burton -Calder Out Ramp Kyneton -Trentham Rd Burton Av Lancefield -Tooborac Rd Calder Fwy Macedon - Woodend -Calder In Ramp Calder Hwy Macedon - Woodend - Calder Out Ramp Main Rd Calder In -Avenue Of Honour Ramp Calder In - Burton Ramp Main St Calder In - Edgecombe Ramp Malmsbury East -Calder Out Ramp Malmsbury East -Calder In Ramp Calder In - Macedon - Woodend Ramp Calder Melbourne -Calder In Ramp In - Malmsbury East Ramp Calder In - Melbourne Ramp Melbourne -Calder Out Ramp Melbourne - Lancefield Rd Calder In - Ramsey Ramp Melbourne Rd Calder In - Springvale Ramp Melton Rd Calder In - Station Ramp Mollison St Calder Out -Couangalt Ramp Mount Macedon -Calder In Ramp Calder Out - Edgecombe Ramp Piper St Calder Out - Macedon -Woodend Ramp Calder Out - Malmsbury East Ramp Calder Out - Riddell Rd Melbourne Ramp Robertson St Calder Out - Mount Macedon Ramp Calder Out - Ramsey Ramp Ramsey -Calder In Ramp Calder Out - Springvale Ramp Ramsey -Calder Out Ramp Calder Out - Station Ramp Saleyards Rd Calder Out -Trio Ramp Springvale -Calder In Ramp Chisholm Av Springvale -Calder Out Ramp Couangalt -Calder Out Ramp Station -Calder In Ramp Daylesford - Malmsbury Rd Station -Calder Out Ramp Daylesford Rd Station Rd Degraves Mill Dr Trentham Rd Edgecombe -Calder In Ramp Trio -Calder In Ramp Trio Rd Mildura Rural City Baring Rd Kulkyne Way – 663.2km
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LGA Major Roads Benetook Av Main Av North Calder Hwy Main Av South Commercial St Mallee Hwy Cotter St Mckenzie St Cowanna Av Mena Rd Cregan St Millewa Rd Deakin Av Murphys Rd Eleventh St Ranfurly Way Farrell St Reilly St Fifteenth St Rowe St Flora Av Seventeenth St Ginquam Av Seventh St Gregory St Seventh St East Hattah - Robinvale Rd Sturt Hwy Hopetoun -Walpeup Rd Sunraysia Hwy Hughes St Third St Jacaranda St Wentworth Rd Mount Alexander Baringhup Rd Hepburn - Newstead Rd Shire – 259.8km Barker St High St Bassetts - Calder In Ramp Hornsby St Bendigo - Maldon Rd Johnstone St Bridgewater - Maldon Rd Lyell Rd Calder Fwy Main Rd Calder Hwy Main St Calder In - Bassetts Ramp Maldon - Newstead Rd Calder In -Victoria Ramp Maldon Rd Calder Out - Midland Ramp Midland - Calder Out Ramp Calder Out - Unnamed Ramp Midland Hwy Castlemaine - Maldon Rd Morris St Creswick - Newstead Rd Newstead Rd Daylesford - Newstead Rd Parker St Diggers Way Pyrenees Hwy Duke St Templeton St Elizabeth St Tivey St Fletcher St Calder In Ramp Forest St Victoria Rd Harmony Way Wright St Heathcote - Kyneton Rd Swan Hill Rural Balranald Rd Murray Valley Hwy City – 463.1km Bromley Rd Nyah Rd Campbell St Quambatook- Swan Hill Rd
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LGA Major Roads Culgoa - Ultimo Rd Quambatook Rd Curlewis St Robinvale -Sea Lake Rd Donald - Swan Hill Rd Sea Lake - Swan Hill Rd Hattah - Robinvale Rd Stradbroke Av Larundel St Swan Hill - Moulamein Rd Mallee Hwy Tooleybuc Rd Mccallum St Wattle St Murray St Wattle St South
7.4.3 Rail More than 1,900km of major rail crosses the LMR, including stations, lines and hubs.
The rail network is shown in the figure below and includes: 130
• Direct passenger and freight rail routes from Maryborough (via Ballarat), Swan Hill, Echuca and Bendigo to Melbourne.
• Direct freight rail routes from Mildura, Kulwin and Robinvale lines via Dunolly and Ballarat to Melbourne, Geelong and Portland.
Figure 20. Rail networks in the LMR131
130 EMV (2020): Potential Impact Reports (by LGA) 131 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/road-network-vicmap-transport
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Train stations There are 15 train stations in the LMR with locations and services as outlined below:
Table 21. Train stations in LMR by LGA132,133
No. Train LGA Station name(s) Services Latitude and Longitude stations Buloke Shire 0 Nil Nil Nil Campaspe Shire 2 Rochester Railway V/Line – Bendigo Line -36.36236; 144.698681 Station V/Line – Bendigo Line -36.130982; 144.753459 Echuca Railway Station (Terminus) Central Goldfields 2 Talbot Railway Station V/Line – Maryborough -37.172899; 143.70564 Shire Line Maryborough Railway -37.050908; 143.742402 Station V/Line – Maryborough Line City of Greater 4 Kangaroo Flat Railway V/Line – Bendigo Line -36.794834; 144.24899 Bendigo Station V/Line – Bendigo Line -36.76567; 144.283009 Bendigo Railway Station V/Line – Swan Hill Line -36.718525; 144.24838 Eaglehawk Railway Station V/Line – Bendigo Line -36.706342; 144.32104 Epsom Railway Station V/Line – Bendigo Line -36.49502; 144.607758 Elmore Railway Station Gannawarra Shire 1 Kerang Railway Station V/Line – Swan Hill Line -35.733122; 143.924425 Loddon Shire 2 Dingee Railway Station V/Line – Swan Hill Line -36.369233; 144.23112 Pyramid Railway Station V/Line – Swan Hill Line -36.053113; 144.113133 Macedon Ranges 2 Clarkefield Railway V/Line – Bendigo Line -37.483498; 144.745373 Shire Station V/Line – Bendigo Line -37.465124; 144.679831 Riddells Creek Railway Station V/Line – Bendigo Line -37.458825; 144.598722 Gisborne Railway V/Line – Bendigo Line -37.423573; 144.561397 Station V/Line – Bendigo Line -37.358799; 144.52589 Macedon Railway V/Line – Bendigo Line -37.258279; 144.450602 Station V/Line – Bendigo Line -37.18974; 144.375323 Woodend Railway Station Kyneton Railway Station Malmsbury Railway Station Mildura Rural City 0 Nil Nil Nil Mount Alexander 1 Castlemaine Railway V/Line – Bendigo Line -37.062837; 144.213799 Shire Station Swan Hill Rural City 1 Swan Hill Railway V/Line – Swan Hill Line -35.341114; 143.562343 Station Total 15
132 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest 133 DOT (2020): https://www.vline.com.au/getattachment/f8a1e2c3-5d60-4abe-b608-2bc18e9f8197/V-Line-Network-Map
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7.4.4 Air The LMR has a significant airport in Mildura which is the third largest passenger airport in Victoria, after Tullamarine and Avalon. Mildura airport has regular passenger air services to Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Broken Hill operated through Qantas, Rex and Virgin Australia.
The LMR is served by 11 airports/aerodromes, with many registered by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority, as outlined below. There are several other air bases used for firefighting and emergency evacuations throughout Loddon Mallee.
Table 22. Registered airports and aerodromes in LMR by LGA134
No. LGA Airport Name Airport Codes Airports Buloke Shire 4 Birchip Airport ICAO: YBIR Donald Airport ICAO: YDOD Sea Lake Airport ICAO: YSLK Wycheproof Airport ICAO: YWYF Campaspe Shire 1 Echuca Airport IATA: ECH; ICAO: YECH Central Goldfields Shire 1 Maryborough Airport ICAO: YMBU City of Greater Bendigo 1 Bendigo Airport IATA: BXG; ICAO: YBDG Gannawarra Shire 1 Kerang Airport IATA: KRA; ICAO: YKER Loddon Shire 0 Nil Nil Macedon Ranges Shire 1 Kyneton Airport ICAO: YKTN Mildura Rural City 1 Mildura Airport ICAO: YMIA Mount Alexander Shire 0 Nil Nil Swan Hill Rural City 1 Robinvale Airport IATA: RBC; ICAO: YROI Swan Hill Airport IATA: SWH; ICAO: YSWH Total 11
7.5 Water and wastewater Treated water supplies and wastewater services are essential to human health, liveability and the environment. As the population grows and expands across Victoria the criticality of these services and their associated infrastructure will also increase.
7.5.1 Water The Murray River system, including its tributaries, wetlands and lakes, is an important environmental, cultural and economic feature of the LMR. The northern part of the Loddon Mallee is home to important riverine and wetland ecosystems along major rivers and floodplains, while in the south, the upper and middle
134 CASA (2020): https://www.casa.gov.au/aerodromes/aerodromes-register/registered-aerodromes
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The Wimmera Mallee Pipeline was a major project completed in 2010, which has delivered reliable and high-quality water to towns, for domestic and stock uses, for lakes and weirs for consumption, and for recreation and industrial uses. It comprises 9,159 kilometres of rural pipeline which provides a continuous water supply to around 7,000 rural customers and 36 towns across the Wimmera and Mallee. Recreational lakes and weirs in the region are also supplied via the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline, from both the Grampians reservoir system through the Wimmera Mallee and via Grampian Wimmera Mallee Water’s Murray River allocations.135
Water security is heavily impacted by both long-term trends – such as increasing population growth, urbanisation and climate change – and sudden events, including floods and oil spills. Some examples of the impacts such events could have include:
• Diminished agricultural production leading to a decline in gross domestic product.
• Health risks, such as blue-green algae outbreaks, which can be triggered by changes in nutrients and salinity, storage volumes, water flow and warmer weather. Large numbers of blue-green algae can produce toxins harmful to humans, animals, birds, livestock and the environment.136
• An increasing reliance on groundwater, which in Victoria is primarily used by dairy farms and other livestock, for irrigating crops, power generation and town water supplies.137
In a range of emergencies, including blue-green algae incidents, dam safety issues and disruption to water services – DELWP is charged with responsibility for responding to and mitigating the impact of such events.138
Since 2006 the water sector has been identified as an essential service according to an Act of Parliament,139 which requires Victoria’s water organisations to have risk management plans in place which include provisions for terrorist acts. Water resources are also particularly susceptible to all hazard events, including bushfires, drought, floods, earthquakes, cyclones, contamination and epidemics. Individual disruptions to infrastructure in one area can have an impact on the response and recovery efforts in other areas because water is both dependent and interdependent on infrastructure networks across Victoria. For example, water supplies rely on electric power to operate distribution pumps while electric power requires water for electricity
135 GWM Matter (2020): https://www.gwmwater.org.au/component/edocman/885-recreation-lake-and-weir-pools-map/download 136 DELWP (2020): https://www.water.vic.gov.au/waterways-and-catchments/rivers-estuaries-and-waterways/blue-green-algae 137 DELWP (2020): https://www.water.vic.gov.au/groundwater/victorias-groundwater-resources 138 DELWP (2019): https://www.water.vic.gov.au/managing-dams-and-water-emergencies/emergency-management 139 The Terrorism (Community Protection) Act 2003.community protection
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Several government departments and agencies share responsibility for managing and protecting Victoria’s bays, rivers and ports, including:
• Parks Victoria
• Fisheries Victoria
• Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP)
• Department of Transport
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Water Police141
Key water storages in the LMR are managed by Goulburn Murray Water, Coliban Water and Southern Rural Water.
140 Global Terrorism Research Centre (2015): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275658307_Plan_Prepare_and_Safeguard_Water_Critical_Infrastructure_Protection_in_Australia 141 Parks Victoria (2020): https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/water-management
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Reservoirs There are 21 reservoirs in the LMR, as outlined below:
Table 23. Reservoirs in LMR by LGA142
No. Capacity LGA Reservoir name(s) Water Authority Reservoirs (ML) Campaspe Shire Greens Lake 32,500 Goulburn-Murray Water Waranga Basin 432,360 4 Torrumbarry Weir 36,810 Kow Swamp 51,640 Central Goldfields Tullaroop Reservoir 72,950 Goulburn-Murray Water Shire 2 Cairn Curran Reservoir (also in 147,130 Mount Alexander Shire) City of Greater Sandhurst Reservoir 2,405 Coliban Water Bendigo 3 Lake Eppalock 304,651 Goulburn-Murray Water (Coliban Water has a % share) Spring Gully Reservoir 1,680 Gannawarra Shire Middle and Reedy Lakes 5,900 Goulburn-Murray Water 3 Kangaroo Lake 39,710 Lake Charm 21,970 Loddon Shire 1 Laanecoorie Reservoir 8,000 Goulburn-Murray Water Macedon Ranges Rosslynne Reservoir Southern Rural Water Shire Upper Coliban Reservoir 37,770 Coliban Water 4 Lauriston Reservoir 19,790 Malmsbury Reservoir 12,034 Mildura Rural City 1 Mildura Weir 36,600 Goulburn-Murray Water Mount Alexander Barkers Creek 1,673 Coliban Water Shire 2 McCay Reservoir 1,365 Swan Hill Rural Lake Boga 37,794 Goulburn-Murray Water 1 City Total 21
For areas with mains drinking water, most of these systems are treated to potable standard meeting the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. While the main systems are predominately based around surface water supplies from reservoirs, there are also some communities that rely on groundwater for drinking water. Table 24 outlines the areas serviced by water supply systems in the region. These include networks of system storages (tanks and basins), pumping stations and pipes. A system of bulk water entitlements governs the extraction of water from these storages and systems143.
142 DELWP (2020): https://www.water.vic.gov.au/water-reporting/water-in-your-region 143 https://waterregister.vic.gov.au/water-entitlements
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In areas where mains drinking water is not available, rural communities rely on local rainwater, groundwater and surface water sources as private water supplies144. Understanding where these sources might be is important when looking at the impacts of a range of water quality and contamination events including waterborne diseases, chemical runoff, aquifer contamination and airborne particulates.
Table 24. Key water providers and water supply systems 145 146 147 148
Provider Supply System Source Goulbourn Murray River (Ouyen, Speed Patchewollock, Murray River Pumps Wimmera Piangil, Eureka, Nyah, Swan Hill, Cannie Swan Hill Mallee Ridge) Water Piangil Nyah Liparoo Murrayville and Cowangie Groundwater Goulburn (Quambatook) Normanville Pipeline Lower Murray River (Mildura, Kerang, Red Cliffs, Murray River Murray Piangil, Robinvale, Koondrook, Murrabit, Water149 Swan Hill) Kerang Murray River at Koondrook Irrigation Channel Loddon River at Kerang Goulburn Stanhope, Colbinabbin, Rushworth, Corop, Goulburn River Valley Girgarre, Tongala, Kyabram, Water Coliban Campaspe System Lake Eppalock Water Campaspe River at Goornong Coliban System Northern (Bendigo, Sandhurst Reservoir Heathcote) Caledonia Reserve Lake Eppalock Goldfields Superpipe Coliban System Southern (Castlemaine, McCay Reservoir Kyneton) Lauriston Reservoir Barkers Creek Reservoir Elmore System Groundwater
144 https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/water/private-drinking-water 145 https://www.gwmwater.org.au/images/Urban_and_Rural_Water_Strategy_2017_-_Final_July_6_2017.pdf 146 https://www.lmw.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CTD-001363-Urban-Water-Strategy-2017-2066.pdf 147 https://www.coliban.com.au/files/2019-06/ColibanWaterUrbanWaterStrategy2017_Appendices.pdf 148 https://www.gvwater.vic.gov.au/Portals/0/GV-Water/Documents/Plans-Strategies/Urban_Water_Strategy_2016-2065.pdf?ver=2019-03-25- 160559-823 149 https://www.lmw.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CTD-001363-Urban-Water-Strategy-2017-2066.pdf
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Provider Supply System Source Coliban Goulburn System (Rochester, Lockington, Waranga Western Channel Water Dingee, Pyramid Hill, Boort, Serpentine, Lake Eildon Jarklin, Macorna, Mysia, Mitiamo) Campaspe River Loddon System (Bridgewater, Inglewood, Loddon River Laanecoorie, Tarnagulla, Dunolly, Bealiba) Murray System (Cohuna, Leitchville, Murray River Gunblower, Echuca) Taylors Creek Cohuna Channel Gunblower Creek Trentham System Groundwater Reservoir 1 Reservoir 2 Wimmera System (Korong, Wedderburn, Wimmera-Mallee pipeline Wychitella, Borung)
7.5.2 Emergency water supply points Victoria has more than 300 emergency water supply points, overseen by DELWP and managed by various state agencies, for use during drought and bushfires. Some can be used to supply water to firefighting vehicles.150
7.5.3 Wastewater There are also numerous water and wastewater treatment plants across the region, with plants in most towns and multiple plants spread across each LGA. Wastewater treatments plants are regulated by the Victorian Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
Wastewater can be treated to different levels to allow reuse activities and support safe discharge to the receiving environment. Class A is the highest grade of recycled water and can be used in residential areas and to irrigate food crops. Class D is the lowest class and can only be used in areas with low risk of human contact such as irrigation outside of agricultural food production151. Most treatment plants in Loddon Mallee treat water to Class C standard or above for recycled use or discharge to environment152. Table 25 summarises the areas in the region serviced by wastewater treatment systems. Local Governments are responsible for the regulation of septic tanks in areas without sewerage systems.
150 DELWP (2020): https://data.aurin.org.au/dataset/vic-govt-delwp-datavic-water-ewsp-na 151 https://ref.epa.vic.gov.au/our-work/licences-and-approvals/~/media/Publications/464%202.pdf 152 http://www.barwonwater.vic.giv.au/water-and-waste/sewage
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Table 25. Key sewerage service providers and service areas 153 154 155 156
Provider Service area Treatment Plant Central Highlands Water Maryborough Maryborough Grampians Wimmera Mallee Local Town systems Various Water Lower Murray Water Local towns systems 10 Treatment plants (Koondrook, Murrabit, Swan Hill, Kerang, Lake Boga, Nyah West, Nyah, Robinvale, Irymple, Mildura, Red Cliffs, Merbein) Coliban Water Coliban System Northern Axedale Bendigo Heathcote
Coliban System Southern Castlemaine Kyneton (Domestic) Kyneton (Trade waste) Elmore System Elmore Goulburn System Boort Lockington Pyramid Hill Rochester Loddon System Bridgewater Dunolly Murray System Gunblower Cohuna Echuca Trentham System Kyneton Wimmera System Wedderburn
153 https://www.gwmwater.org.au/images/Urban_and_Rural_Water_Strategy_2017_-_Final_July_6_2017.pdf 154 https://www.lmw.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CTD-001363-Urban-Water-Strategy-2017-2066.pdf 155 https://www.coliban.com.au/files/2019-06/ColibanWaterUrbanWaterStrategy2017_Appendices.pdf 156 https://www.gvwater.vic.gov.au/Portals/0/GV-Water/Documents/Plans-Strategies/Urban_Water_Strategy_2016-2065.pdf?ver=2019-03-25- 160559-823
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7.6 Waste and recycling
7.6.1 Landfill Landfill – the below ground disposal of waste materials that cannot be recycled – continues to be a part of Victoria’s waste management strategy. Many landfill sites are licensed to accept low-hazard (Category C) industrial waste. However, prescribed industrial waste can only be accepted at one hazardous (Category B) landfill in Victoria – this is located in Taylors Road in Dandenong South in the City of Greater Dandenong.157
Closed landfills also pose environmental risks, including from:
• Leachate – a liquid formed by decomposing waste and rainwater – which can contaminate groundwater; and
• Landfill gas – from decomposing waste – which can migrate to the atmosphere.158
A study conducted by the Fire Services Commissioner in 2012 found that a series of significant fires in Victorian landfill sites had been costly and resource intensive for fire services to suppress. The need to work more closely with operators of landfill sites was identified as a recommendation to improve operating practices and develop fire management plans.159
There are currently 40 sites in the LMR listed in the EPA’s Priority Sites Register which have been issued a Clean Up Notice or a Pollution Abatement Notice, as the current condition of the sites is incompatible with the current or approved use and poses a risk to human health or the environment.160 Examples of contamination and pollution issues experienced in the region include former landfill sites, current and former industrial sites, historical deposits of mine tailings and dumped industrial waste.161
157 EPA Victoria (2020): https://ref.epa.vic.gov.au/your-environment/waste/landfills 158 EPA Victoria (2020): https://ref.epa.vic.gov.au/your-environment/waste/landfills/closed-landfills.html 159 EMV (2012): https://www.emv.vic.gov.au/how-we-help/reviews-and-lessons-management/operational-reviews/fire-management-at-landfill- sites 160 EPA Victoria (2020): https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/for-community/environmental-information/land-groundwater-pollution/priority-sites-register 161 EPA Victoria (2020): https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/for-community/environmental-information/land-groundwater-pollution/priority-sites-register
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There are 77 landfill sites across the region, as below:
Table 26. Landfill sites in LMR by LGA162
LGA No. Sites Operating Status and Waste Type Buloke Shire 5 General waste – 2 Closed – 3 Campaspe Shire 10 Asbestos, tyres, solid inert waste, general waste – 1 Closed – 9 Central Goldfields Shire 7 Closed – 7 City of Greater Bendigo 6 All waste types – 1 Asbestos, contaminated soil (Cat. C), tyres, solid inert waste, general waste – 1 Closed – 4 Gannawarra Shire 12 Asbestos, contaminated soil (Cat. C), solid inert waste, general waste – 1 Closed – 11 Loddon Shire 10 Solid inert waste and general waste – 3 Closed – 7 Macedon Ranges Shire 1 Closed – 1 Mildura Rural City 12 Solid inert waste – 1 Closed – 1 Mount Alexander Shire 4 Asbestos, contaminated soil (Cat. C), solid inert waste, general waste – 1 Closed – 3 Swan Hill Rural City 10 Commercial and industrial waste, general waste, asbestos, contaminated soil (Cat. C) – 1 General waste, commercial and industrial waste – 1 Closed – 8 LMR Total 77
162 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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7.6.2 Recycling There are 49 transfer stations and 118 stockpile sites registered by the EPA (waste in storage for recycling or reuse), across the region as outlined below:
Table 27. Transfer Stations and EPA Stockpile Sites in LMR by LGA163 164
No. Transfer No. EPA LGA Stations Stockpile Sites Buloke Shire 8 10 Campaspe Shire 7 20 Central Goldfields Shire 4 6 City of Greater Bendigo 4 15 Gannawarra Shire 5 5 Loddon Shire 8 8 Macedon Ranges Shire 3 9 Mildura Rural City 7 26 Mount Alexander Shire 2 3 Swan Hill Rural City 1 16 LMR Total 49 118
7.7 Government services Regional emergency management plans should consider how to ensure the continuation of government services to the community during an emergency – a time when they are likely to need vital support. The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has already demonstrated the precarious nature of government workforces and the impact that absenteeism as a direct consequence of a disaster can have flow on effects (e.g., health care workers in an emergency department who are required to self-isolate for a period of 14 days following exposure to the virus can lead to the closure of wards or the cessation of elective surgeries which may lead to diversions for Ambulance Victoria and other care settings being required to pick up the slack).
Government services not already covered in this scan include prisons, community correctional services and law courts, which can have their own unique issues in the face of an emergency.
7.7.1 Prisons and community correctional facilities There are two prisons/community correctional facilities in the LMR: Loddon Prison Precinct (Middleton) and Tarrengower Prison (both in Mount Alexander Shire).165
163 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest 164 EMV (2020): Potential Impact Reports (by LGA) 165 EMV (2020): Potential Impact Reports (by LGA)
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7.7.2 Law courts There is one County Court and 10 Magistrates courts in the region, as outlined below:
Table 28. Law Courts in LMR by LGA166
LGA No. Courts Name Buloke Shire 0 N/A Campaspe Shire 1 Echuca Magistrates Court Central Goldfields Shire 1 Maryborough Magistrates Court City of Greater Bendigo 2 Bendigo Magistrates Court Bendigo County Court Gannawarra Shire 1 Kerang Magistrates Court Loddon Shire 0 N/A Macedon Ranges Shire 1 Kyneton Magistrates Court Mildura Rural City 2 Mildura Magistrates Court Ouyen Magistrates Court Mount Alexander Shire 1 Castlemaine Magistrates Court Swan Hill Rural City 2 Robinvale Magistrates Court Swan Hill Magistrates Court Total 11
166 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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7.8 Emergency services The LMR is served by 32 ambulance stations, 56 police stations, 200 fire stations, 21 SES units and 1 Coast Guard flotilla.
7.8.1 Ambulance stations There are 32 ambulance stations across the region.
The Ambulance response time performance for Code 1 calls across LGAs for Q4 of the 2019-20 reporting period is provided below:
Table 29. Ambulance response times for LMR (2019-20)167 168
Code 1 – Code 1 – % Average Responses No. response LGA Locations within 15 mins Stations time (mins) Buloke Shire 3 Charlton, Donald, Sea Lake 24.3% 27:23 Campaspe Shire 3 Echuca, Kyabram, Rochester 66.5% 13:59 Central Goldfields 1 Maryborough 59.3% 16:52 Shire City of Greater 7 Bendigo, Eaglehawk, Epsom, 74.5% 13:17 Bendigo Heathcote, HEMS3, Kangaroo Flat, Strathdale Gannawarra Shire 2 Cohuna, Kerang 47.1% 21:08 Loddon Shire 3 Boort, Inglewood, Wedderburn 34.9% 21:46 Macedon Ranges 4 Gisborne, Kyneton, Romsey, Woodend 58.7% 14:41 Shire Mildura Rural City 4 Irymple, Mildura, Murrayville, Ouyen 82.0% 11:57 Mount Alexander 1 Castlemaine 48.8% 18:37 Shire Swan Hill Rural 4 Manangatang, Nyah West, Robinvale, 71.2% 14:24 City Swan Hill Total 32
167 Ambulance Victoria (2019): https://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/ambulance-victoria-data-sets/ 168 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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7.8.2 Police stations There are 56 police stations across the region as follows:
Table 30. Police stations in LMR by LGA169
No. LGA Locations Stations Buloke Shire 6 Birchip, Charlton, Culgoa, Donald, Sea Lake, Wycheproof Campaspe Shire 7 Echuca, Gunbower, Kyabram, Rochester, Rushworth, Stanhope, Tongala Central Goldfields Shire 2 Dunolly, Maryborough City of Greater Bendigo 6 Axedale, Bendigo, Elmore, Goornong, Heathcote, Raywood Gannawarra Shire 4 Cohuna, Kerang, Koondrook, Quambatook Loddon Shire 7 Boort, Bridgewater, Inglewood, Pyramid Hill, Serpentine, Tarnagulla, Wedderburn Macedon Ranges Shire 8 Gisborne, Kyneton, Lancefield, Macedon, Malmsbury, Riddells Creek, Romsey, Woodend Mildura Rural City 7 Merbein, Mildura, Murrayville, Ouyen, Red Cliffs, Underbool, Werrimull Mount Alexander Shire 3 Castlemaine, Maldon, Newstead Swan Hill Rural City 6 Lake Boga, Manangatang, Nyah, Piangil, Robinvale, Swan Hill Total 56
7.8.3 Fire stations, lookouts and refuges There are 200 fire stations across the region as outlined below:
Table 31. Fire Stations and Forest Industry Brigades in LMR by LGA170
No. Stations LGA (and Station locations Brigades) Buloke Shire 29 Berriwillock Fire Station Birchip Fire Station Buckrabanyule Fire Station Charlton Fire Station Coonooer Bridge Fire Station Cope Cope Fire Station Corack East Fire Station Corack Fire Station Culgoa Fire Station Curyo Fire Station Donald Fire Station
169 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest 170 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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No. Stations LGA (and Station locations Brigades) Dumosa Fire Station Glenloth East Fire Station Jeffcott Fire Station Laen East Fire Station Litchfield Fire Station Nandaly Fire Station Narraport Fire Station Nullawil Fire Station Reedy Dam Fire Station Sea Lake Fire Station Teddywaddy Fire Station Warmur Fire Station Watchem Fire Station Watchupga Fire Station Wooroonook Fire Station Wycheproof Fire Station Wycheproof South Fire Station Yeungroon Fire Station Campaspe Shire 22 Bamawm Extension Fire Station Colbinabbin Fire Station Corop Fire Station Corop West Fire Station Echuca Fire Station Echuca Village Fire Station Girgarre Fire Station Gunbower Fire Station Kotta Fire Station Kyabram Fire Station Lockington Fire Station Pine Grove Fire Station Rochester Fire Station Rushworth Fire Station Stanhope Fire Station Tennyson Fire Station Timmering Fire Station Tongala Fire Station Toolleen Fire Station Torrumbarry Fire Station Wyuna Fire Station
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No. Stations LGA (and Station locations Brigades) Yambuna Fire Station Central Goldfields Shire 9 Bealiba Fire Station Bowenvale Fire Station Carisbrook Fire Station Dunolly Fire Station Maryborough Fire Station Moolort Joyces Creek Fire Station Mt Cameron Fire Station Talbot Fire Station Wareek Bung Bong Fire Station City of Greater Bendigo 29 Axe Creek Fire Station Axedale Fire Station Bendigo Fire Station Costerfield Fire Station Eaglehawk Fire Station Elmore Fire Station Golden Square Fire Station Goornong Fire Station Heathcote Fire Station Hunter-Diggora Fire Station Huntly Fire Station Junortoun Fire Station Kamarooka Fire Station Kangaroo Flat Fire Station Knowsley Fire Station Lockwood Fire Station Maiden Gully Fire Station Mandurang Fire Station Marong Fire Station Mia Mia Fire Station Mosquito Creek Fire Station Mt Camel Fire Station Oscar 1 Emerg Response Fire Station Raywood Fire Station Redesdale Fire Station Sedgwick Fire Station Strathfieldsaye Fire Station Sutton Grange Myrtle Ck Satellite Fire Station (Myrtle Creek) Woodvale Fire Station
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No. Stations LGA (and Station locations Brigades) Gannawarra Shire 12 Beauchamp Fire Station Cohuna Fire Station Kerang Fire Station Koondrook Fire Station Lake Charm Fire Station Lalbert Fire Station Leitchville Fire Station Macorna Fire Station Meering West Fire Station Murrabit Fire Station Quambatook Fire Station Sandhill Lake District Fire Station Loddon Shire 29 Appin South Fire Station Baringhup West Satellite Fire Station (Eddington) Barraport-Gredgwin Fire Station Barraport-Gredgwin Satellite Fire Station (Gredgwin) Berrimal Fire Station Boort Fire Station Bridgewater Fire Station Campbells Forest Fire Station Dingee-Tandarra Fire Station Fentons Creek Fire Station Inglewood Fire Station Jarklin Fire Station Korong Vale Fire Station Loddon Vale Fire Station Mitiamo Fire Station Murphys Creek Fire Station Mysia Fire Station Newbridge Fire Station Powlett-Salisbury Fire Station Pyramid Hill Fire Station Rheola Fire Station Serpentine Fire Station Tarnagulla Fire Station Wedderburn Fire Station Woodstock West Fire Station Woosang Fire Station Wychitella Fire Station
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No. Stations LGA (and Station locations Brigades) Yando Fire Station Yarrawalla Fire Station Macedon Ranges Shire 22 Benloch Fire Station Bolinda Monegeetta Fire Station Bullengarook Fire Station Carlsruhe Fire Station Clarkefield District Fire Station Clarkefield District Satellite Fire Station (Boggy Gate) Darraweit Guim Fire Station Gisborne Fire Station Hesket-Kerrie Fire Station Hesket-Kerrie Satellite Fire Station (Hesket-Cherokee) Kyneton Fire Station Lancefield Fire Station Macedon Fire Station Malmsbury Fire Station Mount Macedon Fire Station Newham Fire Station Pastoria Fire Station Riddells Creek Fire Station Romsey Fire Station Springfield Fire Station Tylden Fire Station Woodend Fire Station Mildura Rural City 14 Carwarp Fire Station Cowangie Fire Station Irymple Fire Station Merbein Fire Station Meringur District Fire Station Meringur District Satellite Fire Station (Werrimull) Mildura Fire Station Mittyack Fire Station Murrayville Fire Station Nangiloc Fire Station Ouyen Fire Station Red Cliffs Fire Station Underbool Fire Station Walpeup Fire Station Mount Alexander Shire 17 Baringhup West Fire Station
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No. Stations LGA (and Station locations Brigades) Baringhup West Satellite Fire Station (Baringhup West) Campbells Creek Fire Station Castlemaine Fire Station Chewton Fire Station Elphinstone Fire Station Fryerstown Fire Station Guildford Fire Station Harcourt Fire Station Langley-Barfold Fire Station Maldon Fire Station Metcalfe Fire Station Newstead District Fire Station Sutton Grange Myrtle Ck Fire Station Taradale Fire Station Walmer Fire Station Walmer Satellite Fire Station (Muckleford) Swan Hill Rural City 17 Annuello Fire Station Beverford District Fire Station Boundary Bend Fire Station Chinkapook Fire Station Goschen Fire Station Kooloonong Fire Station Lake Boga Fire Station Manangatang Fire Station Natya Fire Station Nyah Nyah West Fire Station Piangil Fire Station Robinvale Fire Station Swan Hill Fire Station Ultima Fire Station Waitchie Fire Station Wemen Fire Station Woorinen South Fire Station Total 200
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There are seven fire lookouts across the region, as below:
Table 32. Fire Lookouts in LMR by LGA171
LGA No. Lookouts Locations Buloke Shire 0 Nil Campaspe Shire 1 Growlers Hill Central Goldfields Shire 0 Nil City of Greater Bendigo 2 Mt Ida, One Tree Hill Gannawarra Shire 0 Nil Loddon Shire 1 Mt Brenanah Macedon Ranges Shire 1 FT 4 Mt Macedon Mildura Rural City 0 Nil Mount Alexander Shire 2 Fryers Ridge, Mt Tarrengower Swan Hill Rural City 0 Nil Total 7
There are no Community Fire Refuges in the region.172 However, there are 53 Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSP), as outlined below:
Table 33. Neighbourhood Safer Places in LMR by LGA173
LGA No. NSP Locations Buloke Shire 2 Charlton, Donald Campaspe Shire 1 Echuca Central Goldfields Shire 5 Carisbrook, Dunolly, Maryborough (2), Talbot City of Greater Bendigo 11 Axedale, Bendigo, Eaglehawk, Heathcote, Junortoun, Kangaroo Flat (2), Maiden Gully, North Bendigo, Redesdale, Strathfieldsaye Gannawarra Shire 4 Cohuna, Kerang, Koondrook, Murrabit Loddon Shire 6 Boort, Bridgewater on Loddon, Inglewood, Pyramid Hill, Serpentine, Wedderburn Macedon Ranges Shire 4 Lancefield, Macedon, Riddells Creek, Woodend Mildura Rural City 10 Cullulleraine, Irymple, Merbein, Mildura (3), Murrayville, Ouyen, Red Cliffs, Underbool Mount Alexander Shire 8 Campbells Creek, Castlemaine, Guildford, Harcourt, Maldon (2), Newstead, Taradale Swan Hill Rural City 2 Robinvale, Swan Hill LMR Total 53
171 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest 172 CFA (2020): https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/community-fire-refuges 173 CFA (2020): http://www.saferplaces.cfa.vic.gov.au/cfa/search/default.htm
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7.8.4 SES There are 21 SES units across the region, including:
Table 34. SES Units in LMR by LGA174
LGA No. Units Locations Buloke Shire 2 Birchip, Wycheproof Campaspe Shire 4 Echuca, Kyabram, Rochester, Rushworth Central Goldfields Shire 2 Dunolly, Maryborough City of Greater Bendigo 3 Bendigo, Heathcote, Marong Gannawarra Shire 1 Kerang Loddon Shire 1 Wedderburn Macedon Ranges Shire 2 Gisborne, Woodend Mildura Rural City 3 Mildura, Murrayville, Ouyen Mount Alexander Shire 1 Castlemaine Swan Hill Rural City 2 Swan Hill, Robinvale Total 21
174 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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7.8.5 Volunteer Coast Guard Flotillas There is one Coast Guard flotilla in the region – VF5 Lake Eppalock in the City of Greater Bendigo.175
A map of emergency services is provided in the figure below:
Red = Fire station (CFA and FRV) Orange = SES Green = Ambulance station Light Blue = Life saving Blue = Police station Purple = Coast Guard
Figure 21. Emergency services for the LMR176
7.8.6 Emergency Coordination Facilities Emergency services agencies are supported by the State Control Centre (SCC) in East Melbourne (the State’s primary control centre for the management of Class 1 and Class 2 emergencies), one Regional Control Centre (RCC) in Bendigo (a facility that enables the implementation of Command, Control and Coordination arrangements within a set regional boundary) and four Incident Control Centres (ICCs) – where an Incident Controller and Incident Management Teams can manage response activities in an emergency.177
175 Australian Volunteer Coastguard (2020): https://coastguard.com.au/locations/full-flotilla-list/ 176 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest 177 EMV (2019): https://files-em.em.vic.gov.au/public/Doctrine/ManHand/VIC-EOpsHandbook.pdf
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In total there are 37 emergency coordination centres across the region, including 32 Local Command Facilities, as outlined below:
Table 35. Emergency Coordination Facilities in LMR by LGA178
Facility LGA Locations RCC ICC LCF Buloke Shire - - 5 Birchip, Charlton, Donald, Sea Lake, Wycheproof Campaspe Shire - - 4 Echuca, Lockington, Rochester, Rushworth Central Goldfields Shire - - 2 Dunolly, Maryborough City of Greater Bendigo 1 1 5 Bendigo Loddon Mallee (CFA) Bendigo, Elmore, Heathcote, Huntly, Redesdale Gannawarra Shire - - 2 Cohuna, Kerang Loddon Shire - - 4 Boort, Inglewood, Pyramid Hill, Kerang Macedon Ranges Shire - 1 3 Gisborne Gisborne, Kyneton, Romsey Mildura Rural City - 1 3 Mildura Mildura, Murrayville, Ouyen Mount Alexander Shire - - 2 Castlemaine, Maldon Swan Hill Rural City - 1 2 Swan Hill Swan Hill, Robinvale Total 1 4 32 37
178 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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A map of emergency coordination facilities is provided in the figure below:
Yellow = Emergency Coordination Centres Red = Community Refuge Green = Neighbourhood Safer Places Figure 22. Emergency Coordination facilities, Fire refuges and NSPs for LMR179
7.9 Other infrastructure assets and industries
7.9.1 Infrastructure and industries LMR is home to a number of infrastructure assets and industries, including:
• Abattoirs (6)
o Hardwick Meatworks Abattoir
o Hazeldene’s Chicken Abattoir
o HW Greenham and Sons Abattoir
o Mildura Abattoir
o Mystic Squab Farm and Abattoir
o Swan Hill Abattoir
o Don KR Castlemaine
179 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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• Backpackers
o Bendigo Backpackers
• Rooming Houses (23)
• Supported Residential Facilities (7)
7.9.2 Dependencies The following infrastructure assets are key dependencies for this region:
• Calder Freeway/Highway – Melbourne-Gisborne-Kyneton-Bendigo-Inglewood-Mildura link
• Sturt Highway – Adelaide-Mildura-Hay-Wagga Wagga link
• Murray Valley Highway – Robinvale-Swan Hill-Echuca-Wodonga-Towong link
• Sunraysia Highway – Ouyen-Donald-Ballarat link
• Midland Highway – Geelong-Ballarat-Bendigo-Shepparton-Wangaratta-Mansfield link
• Pyrenees Highway – Elphinstone-Maryborough-Avoca-Ararat link
• Direct passenger and freight rail routes from Maryborough (via Ballarat), Swan Hill, Echuca and Bendigo to Melbourne.
• Direct freight rail routes from Mildura, Kulwin and Robinvale lines via Dunolly and Ballarat to Melbourne, Geelong and Portland.
• Berri (SA) to Mildura gas pipeline
• Ballan to Bendigo gas pipeline
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7.9.3 Tourism infrastructure Other significant infrastructure includes sites such as event facilities and stadiums, major tourist attractions and shopping centres. These sites are outlined below:
Table 36. Tourism infrastructure in LMR by LGA
Infrastructure LGA Name category Buloke Shire Nil - Campaspe Shire Nil - Central Goldfields Shire Nil -
Shopping Centres Bendigo Marketplace Shopping Centre Lansell Square Shopping Centre City of Greater Bendigo Event and Bendigo Exhibition Centre Entertainment Facilities Bendigo Stadium Bendigo Racecourse Gannawarra Shire Nil - Loddon Shire Nil - Macedon Ranges Shire Nil - Mildura Rural City Shopping Centres Mildura Central Mount Alexander Shire Nil - Swan Hill Rural City Nil -
7.9.4 Cladding fire safety risk The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) is in the process of conducting a State-wide audit of non-compliant building materials in Victoria, with a focus on reducing fire safety risks for buildings found to have combustible cladding.180
On 25 November 2014, a fire in the 23-storey Lacrosse high-rise building in Docklands highlighted the fire safety risks of non-compliant external wall coverings. The fire, which spread vertically, directly affected approximately 500 residents who required immediate evacuation and accommodation.181
To date, more than 2,200 inspections have been undertaken and LMR has been identified to have 10 privately owned buildings with cladding.
180 https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/cladding/audit 181 https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/sitecollectiondocuments/mbs-report-lacrosse-fire.pdf
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Swan Mount Alexander, Hill, 0 Buloke, 0 Central Goldfields, 0 0 Gannawarra, 0 Campaspe, 1
Mildura, 2
Macedon Ranges, 1
Loddon, 0 Greater Bendigo, 6
Figure 23. Number of privately owned buildings with cladding by LGA182
182 https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/cladding/cladding-by-municipality
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8. Social Environment
Social factors that influence the culture and institutions of LMR include demographic characteristics and trends, and the values, norms and customs of the people who reside or work within or travel through the region.
8.1 Population
8.1.1 Current population Nearly 340,000 people live in the LMR, with a large portion of the population (35%) living in the City of Greater Bendigo.
Population density for LMR ranged between 0.8 persons per km2 (in Buloke) and 39.4 persons per km2 (in Greater Bendigo), with an average of 5.8 persons per km2.
Figure 24. LMR Population by LGA (2019) 183
183 ABS (2020): https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3218.02018-19?OpenDocument
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Table 37. LMR Population Density by LGA (2019) 184
Total Population Density LGA Area (sq km) Population (persons/km2) Buloke 6,124 8,000 0.8 Campaspe 37,622 4,519 8.3 Central Goldfields 13,186 1,533 8.6 Gannawarra 10,472 3,735 2.8 Greater Bendigo 118,093 3,000 39.4 Loddon 7,504 6,696 1.1 Macedon Ranges 50,231 1,748 28.7 Mildura 55,777 22,083 2.5 Mount Alexander 19,754 1,530 12.9 Swan Hill 20,649 6,115 3.4 LMR 339,412 58,959 5.8
184 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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8.1.2 Population forecast By 2036, the population of the region is forecast to increase by 59,383 people (17%) to 398,795 people, with the majority taking up residence in Greater Bendigo (+35,666 people), Macedon Ranges (+14,412 people) and Mildura Rural City (+6,777 people). The LGAs of Buloke Shire, Gannawarra Shire, Loddon Shire and Swan Hill Rural City are forecast to experience declines in population by 2036.
Refer to the below tables and visualisations for Local Government population breakdowns and forecasts.
Table 38. Estimated Population and Projections by LGA
Estimated Population and Projections LGA 2019185 2036186 No. Increase % Growth Buloke 6,124 5,015 -1,109 -18.1% Campaspe 37,622 39,084 1,462 3.9% Central Goldfields 13,186 14,134 948 7.2% Gannawarra 10,472 9,928 -544 -5.2% Greater Bendigo 118,093 153,759 35,666 30.2% Loddon 7,504 7,347 -157 -2.1% Macedon Ranges 50,231 64,643 14,412 28.7% Mildura 55,777 62,554 6,777 12.1% Mount Alexander 19,754 21,814 2,060 10.4% Swan Hill 20,649 20,517 -132 -0.6% LMR 339,412 398,794 59,383 17.5% VICTORIA 6,596,039 8,722,766 2,126,727 32.2%
185 ABS (2017): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 186 VIF2019 projections: https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/land-use-and-population-research/victoria-in-future/tab-pages/victoria-in-future-data- tables
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Table 39. LMR Population by age group (2017) 187
Age Group (Years)
0-19 65+ Total LGA 0-14 15-19 20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-84 85+ Subtotal Subtotal No. Buloke 1,047 357 1,404 220 500 572 871 1,015 812 563 327 1,702 6,284 Campaspe 6,923 2,392 9,315 1,893 3,759 4,033 5,054 5,292 4,473 2,654 1,122 8,249 37,595 Central Goldfields 2,119 699 2,818 659 1,071 1,255 1,701 2,010 1,997 1,142 434 3,573 13,087 Gannawarra 1,756 640 2,396 487 902 1,014 1,411 1,571 1,495 937 354 2,786 10,567 Greater Bendigo 22,055 7,293 29,348 8,035 14,458 13,276 14,061 13,855 10,646 5,918 2,670 19,234 112,267 Loddon 1,228 419 1,647 246 550 741 1,082 1,340 1,105 599 248 1,952 7,558 Macedon Ranges 9,920 3,017 12,937 2,310 4,329 6,500 7,279 6,368 5,006 1,987 764 7,757 47,480 Mildura 10,672 3,594 14,266 3,366 6,889 6,277 7,062 7,026 5,331 3,075 1,366 9,772 54,658 Mount Alexander 2,970 947 3,917 785 1,684 2,220 2,844 3,231 2,569 1,284 563 4,416 19,097 Swan Hill 4,089 1,287 5,376 1,276 2,649 2,356 2,707 2,746 2,001 1,239 546 3,786 20,896 LMR 62,779 20,645 83,424 19,277 36,791 38,244 44,072 44,454 35,435 19,398 8,394 63,227 329,489 % 19.0% 6.3% 25.3% 5.8% 11.2% 11.6% 13.4% 13.5% 10.7% 5.9% 2.6% 19.2% 100.0% VICTORIA 1,166,502 374,125 1,540,627 466,102 991,712 849,923 809,781 705,704 532,826 294,754 130,219 957,799 6,321,648 % 18.5% 5.9% 24.4% 7.4% 15.7% 13.4% 12.8% 11.2% 8.4% 4.7% 2.1% 15.2% 100.0%
187 ABS (2017): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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Table 40. LMR Projected population by age group (2036)
Age Group (Years)
0-19 65+ Total LGA 0-14 15-19 20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-84 85+ Subtotal Subtotal No. Buloke 609 256 865 158 429 423 535 679 814 703 410 1,927 5,015 Campaspe 5,842 1,960 7,802 2,061 4,315 4,645 4,418 4,386 5,268 4,259 1,929 11,456 39,084 Central Goldfields 1,950 613 2,563 523 1,372 1,599 1,502 1,689 2,236 1,809 840 4,885 14,134 Gannawarra 1,459 504 1,963 407 949 1,156 1,065 1,201 1,503 1,240 445 3,187 9,928 Greater Bendigo 27,607 9,591 37,199 9,838 18,725 19,787 19,268 16,142 15,671 12,062 5,067 32,800 153,759 Loddon 1,037 282 1,319 258 759 836 837 1,011 1,130 886 312 2,328 7,347 Macedon Ranges 11,795 3,777 15,572 3,170 6,069 8,575 8,839 7,677 7,069 5,131 2,543 14,743 64,643 Mildura 10,372 3,405 13,777 3,450 7,727 8,184 7,318 6,595 7,280 5,796 2,428 15,504 62,554 Mount Alexander 2,901 898 3,798 725 1,758 2,533 2,945 3,106 3,352 2,578 1,019 6,948 21,814 Swan Hill 3,098 1,055 4,153 1,164 2,359 2,325 2,501 2,482 2,629 2,027 877 5,533 20,517 LMR 66,670 22,340 89,010 21,753 44,461 50,063 49,228 44,968 46,951 36,491 15,870 99,312 398,794 % 16.72% 5.60% 22.32% 5.45% 11.15% 12.55% 12.34% 11.28% 11.77% 9.15% 3.98% 24.90% 100.00% VICTORIA 1,484,771 511,324 1,996,095 585,796 1,232,559 1,266,034 1,146,896 886,495 771,700 568,029 269,162 2,948,620 8,722,766 % 17.0% 5.9% 22.9% 6.7% 14.1% 14.5% 13.1% 10.2% 8.8% 6.5% 3.1% 33.8% 100.0%
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Figure 25. Population growth for LMR by LGA (2019-2036)
8.2 Vulnerability indicators In emergency management there are many population vulnerability indicators that have a geographical distribution and are relevant to natural hazard risk analysis. These include:
• The young, the elderly and those needing assistance, who may be dependent on others for care;
• Single parents, who may lack support for their dependent children;
• Income and public housing residency, which are indicators of socio-economic disadvantage and can have an impact on a household’s ability to recover from a disaster;
• Education level and proficiency in English, which can limit understanding of warnings, risks and preparation advice;
• Car ownership, which may have an impact on a household’s ability to evacuate;
• Unoccupied dwellings, which may reduce owners’ engagement levels with the local community and reduce the likelihood that relevant preparations will be undertaken for their properties.
Some of these indicators for LMR are summarised below. Of note:
• More than a quarter (26.6%) of LMR households are lone person;
• Approximately one in five households in LMR indicated they had no internet connection at home in 2016.
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Table 41. Vulnerable Communities Indicators by LGA (2016)188
Vulnerability Indicators (%)
LGA
Population aged 65+ Lone person households with People a disability with People poor proficiency English Estimatedhomeless population Populationwith no motorvehicles Populationwith no internetconnection home at Buloke 28.2% 30.2% 7.4% 0.4% 0.1% 4.4% 25.4% Campaspe 22.9% 25.0% 6.4% 0.3% 0.3% 4.0% 21.0% Central Goldfields 28.3% 31.5% 8.9% 0.3% 0.3% 5.7% 26.9% Gannawarra 27.6% 29.4% 6.5% 0.3% 0.2% 4.0% 25.4% Greater Bendigo 17.8% 24.9% 5.9% 1.0% 0.3% 4.7% 16.2% Loddon 26.7% 29.5% 7.4% 0.3% 0.5% 3.3% 25.4% Macedon Ranges 17.1% 17.9% 4.1% 0.5% 0.1% 2.2% 10.5% Mildura 18.7% 24.7% 6.8% 2.1% 0.3% 5.6% 21.1% Mount Alexander 24.1% 29.2% 5.0% 0.5% 0.3% 4.1% 17.4% Swan Hill 18.9% 23.8% 5.5% 3.0% 0.5% 5.1% 22.5% Average LMR 23.0% 26.6% 6.4% 0.9% 0.3% 4.3% 21.2%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0% Population Lone People withPeople with Estimated Population Population aged 65+ person a disability poor homeless with no with no households English population motor internet proficency vehicles connection at home
Figure 26. Vulnerable Communities Indicators for LMR (2016)
188 https://blog.id.com.au/2020/population/demographic-trends/interactive-chart-is-your-community-demographically-vulnerable/#chart
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8.2.1 The young and the elderly Within the LMR, 25% of the population was aged 19 years or younger in 2018, while 20% was aged 65 years or older
19%
13% 13%
11% 11% 11%
6% 6% 6%
3%
0-14 15-19 20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-84 85+
Figure 27. Population breakdown for LMR by Age (2018)189
However, these vulnerable groups were not evenly distributed across the region, with Macedon Ranges Shire having the highest proportion of people aged 0-19 years (28%), while Mount Alexander Shire (17%) had the lowest proportion of people aged 0-19 years. Conversely, Buloke Shire, Central Goldfields Shire, Gannawarra Shire and Loddon Shire had the highest number of people aged 65+ years (28%), while Macedon Ranges Shire had the lowest number of people aged 65+ years (17%).
189 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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Table 42. Proportion of Population by Age Group and LGA (2018) 190
LGA 19 years or younger (%) 65 years + (%) Buloke Shire 22% 28% Campaspe Shire 24% 23% Central Goldfields Shire 21% 28% City of Greater Bendigo 26% 18% Gannawarra Shire 22% 28% Loddon Shire 21% 28% Macedon Ranges Shire 28% 17% Mildura Rural City 26% 18% Mount Alexander Shire 20% 25% Swan Hill Rural City 26% 19%
8.2.2 Those needing assistance When it comes to assistance with core activities, approximately 6.5% of the population of the LMR have a need – in real terms representing 19,344 people. However, the number of people in need varies according to LGA, from just 4.4% of the population of Macedon Ranges Shire (1,879 people) in 2016 to 9.6% of the population of Central Goldfields Shire (1,158 people).
Table 43. Need for assistance with Core Activities for LMR by LGA (2016)191
LGA Total Percentage Buloke Shire 457 8.1% Campaspe Shire 2,357 6.9% Central Goldfields Shire 1,158 9.6% City of Greater Bendigo 6,548 6.4% Gannawarra Shire 686 7.0% Loddon Shire 558 8.4% Macedon Ranges Shire 1,879 4.4% Mildura Rural City 3,644 7.4% Mount Alexander Shire 934 5.7% Swan Hill Rural City 1,123 6.3% Total LMR 19,344 6.5%
190 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 191 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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8.3 Diversity
8.3.1 Birthplaces and languages spoken Ethnic and cultural indicators reflect a population’s composition and can be useful indicators of socio- economic status. These characteristics can help inform decision-makers about a population’s ability to access services and information and assist service providers determine the need to communicate in languages other than English.
The population of LMR is less culturally diverse than metro regions with 10.1% of the population born overseas. However, the populations of Macedon Ranges, Mildura, Mount Alexander and Swan Hill are slightly higher than the rest of LMR with each LGA above 11% but no more than 14% born overseas while the population of the Shire of Buloke 6.31 % were born overseas. Refer Table 44.
In LMR the most common countries of birth (other than Australia) were:
• England – which featured in the top three of all 10 LGAs
• New Zealand – which featured in the top three of 9 of the 10 LGAs
• India – which featured in the top three of 3 of the 10 LGAs
5.8% of the population of LMR speaks a language other than English at home. In all LGAs, except for Mildura and Swan Hill, the number of people who speak only English at home were above 95%. The Rural City of Swan Hill observed about 86% of the population only speaks English at home.
The diversity of most common languages spoken at home other than English is observed to be significant in LMR with 13 languages listed as common language to speak at home for the 10 LGAs.
In LMR the most common languages spoken (other than English) were:
• Italian – which featured in the top three for 6 of the 10 LGAs
• Mandarin – which featured in the top three for 5 of the 10 LGAs
• German – which featured in the top three for 4 of the 10 LGAs
As a proportion of LMR, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders represent 2.7% of the total LMR population. Ranging between 0.7% of the population in the Macedon Ranges to 4.2% and 4.7% of the population in the Rural Cities of Mildura and Swan Hill respectively.
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There are many Aboriginal languages. However, they do not have geographic boundaries. The most widespread in Victoria are the Kulin languages.192
Figure 28. Map of Aboriginal languages of Victoria193
192 https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/alcv/History.pdf 193 https://cv.vic.gov.au/stories/aboriginal-culture/our-story/vacl-language-map-of-victoria/
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Table 44. Population by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) status and birthplace and LGA (2016)195 Birthplace
Australia Elsewhere Total Top 3 Countries of Birth (other than Australia)194 ATSI All LGA No. % EMR No. % No. % No. % 1 2 3 Buloke 67 1.21% 5,201 93.69% 350 6.31% 5,551 100.00% England New Zealand India Campaspe 874 2.59% 31,243 92.59% 2,500 7.41% 33,743 100.00% England New Zealand Philippines Central Goldfields 190 1.61% 10,654 90.23% 1,153 9.77% 11,807 100.00% England New Zealand Netherlands Gannawarra 203 2.10% 9,118 94.38% 543 5.62% 9,661 100.00% England New Zealand Philippines Greater Bendigo 1,846 1.81% 93,326 91.36% 8,822 8.64% 102,148 100.00% England New Zealand India Loddon 119 1.81% 5,976 90.66% 616 9.34% 6,592 100.00% England Philippines New Zealand Macedon Ranges 297 0.70% 36,795 86.52% 5,735 13.48% 42,530 100.00% England New Zealand Germany Mildura 2,065 4.25% 42,733 88.02% 5,815 11.98% 48,548 100.00% England Italy New Zealand Mount Alexander 209 1.23% 14,851 87.27% 2,167 12.73% 17,018 100.00% England New Zealand Netherlands Swan Hill 832 4.69% 15,363 86.53% 2,391 13.47% 17,754 100.00% India Italy England LMR 6,702 2.27% 265,260 89.81% 30,092 10.19% 295,352 100.00%
194 .id (2020): profile.id.com.au 195 ABS Census 2016: https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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Table 45. Population by language spoken at home (2016)196
Language Spoken at Home
Other English Only Total Top 3 Languages Spoken (other than English)197 Language LGA No. % No. % No. % 1 2 3 Buloke 5,474 97.11% 163 2.89% 5,637 100.00% Malayalam Mandarin Tagalog Campaspe 33,184 96.82% 1,091 3.18% 34,275 100.00% Italian Filipino Tagalog Central Goldfields 11,752 97.31% 325 2.69% 12,077 100.00% Filipino Mandarin German Gannawarra 9,583 97.88% 208 2.12% 9,791 100.00% Malayalam Greek Punjabi Greater Bendigo 97,860 95.04% 5,103 4.96% 102,963 100.00% Karen Mandarin Italian Loddon 6,486 96.69% 222 3.31% 6,708 100.00% Filipino German Hungarian Macedon Ranges 41,023 95.21% 2,064 4.79% 43,087 100.00% Italian German Mandarin Mildura 44,286 89.63% 5,126 10.37% 49,412 100.00% Italian Turkish Greek Mount Alexander 15,942 96.16% 637 3.84% 16,579 100.00% Mandarin German Italian Swan Hill 15,710 86.89% 2,371 13.11% 18,081 100.00% Italian Tongan Vietnamese LMR 281,300 94.20% 17,310 5.80% 298,610 100.00%
196 ABS (2016): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 197 .id (2020): profile.id.com.au
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8.3.2 Income and housing According to Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), which measure the relative level of socio- economic advantage or disadvantage based on a range of Census characteristics (where higher scores indicate lower levels of disadvantage), LGAs within the LMR were ranked as follows:
Table 46. SEIFA socio-economic disadvantage ranking within LMR by LGA (2016) 198
Ranking (Most LGA SEIFA Score Disadvantaged) Buloke Shire 967 24th Campaspe Shire 967 23rd Central Goldfields Shire 889 1st City of Greater Bendigo 981 31st Gannawarra Shire 957 18th Loddon Shire 942 9th Macedon Ranges Shire 1,060 71st Mildura Rural City 935 5th Mount Alexander Shire 995 42nd Swan Hill Rural City 947 11th LMR Average 964 - VICTORIA Average 997 -
Central Goldfields Shire – with a SEIFA score of 889 – was the most disadvantaged LGA in LMR (and the most disadvantaged in Victoria), while Macedon Ranges Shire was the least disadvantaged in LMR (and ranked 71st of 79 LGAs in Victoria). Overall, LMR is more disadvantaged than the average for Victorian LGAs.
Other indicators of socio-economic status include income and housing. In the LMR in 2016: 199
• There were 129,685 occupied private dwellings, with an average of 2.5 persons per dwelling.
• 5.6% of households had no vehicle.
Refer also Table 47.
198 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 199 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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Table 47. Socio-economic Indicators for LMR (2016)200
Indicator Total Percentage Low income households with rental stress 3,845 30.2% Low income households with mortgage stress 8,632 9.2% Home ownership 86,811 73.9% Separate houses - 89.0% Occupied private dwellings 129,685 - Households with internet connected 94,175 79.7%
These findings provide an indication of the number of properties that could be impacted in the event of an emergency and the relative ease with which people might be able to leave their dwellings by motor vehicle as well. It also indicates the availability of personal financial resources to support any actions required in the event of an emergency.
8.4 Education
8.4.1 Educational institutions There are 202 schools and 56,027 full-time enrolments in the region, with government schools making up 72% of all schools and 67% of full-time enrolments:
Figure 29. Number of schools and full-time enrolments in LMR201
The number of schools and full-time enrolments in the region are distributed across LGAs as follows, with the City of Greater Bendigo having the highest number of schools (51) and the largest number of full-time enrolments (19,843):
200 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 201 DET (2020): https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/factsandfigures.aspx
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Table 48. Schools and full-time enrolments in LMR by LGA (2019)202
LGA No. Schools Full-time Enrolments Buloke Shire 10 939 Campaspe Shire 24 6,588 Central Goldfields Shire 8 2,106 City of Greater Bendigo 51 19,843 Gannawarra Shire 12 1,274 Loddon Shire 9 892 Macedon Ranges Shire 26 8,741 Mildura Rural City 31 9,820 Mount Alexander Shire 16 2,137 Swan Hill Rural City 15 3,688 Total LMR 202 56,027
There is one university and two TAFEs with multiple campuses across the region, including:
Table 49. Universities and TAFEs in LMR203
University/TAFE Campuses Latrobe University Bendigo, Mildura Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE Bendigo, Echuca, Castlemaine Sunraysia Institute of TAFE Mildura, Swan Hill, Robinvale, Cardross (training farm)
There are also 242 childcare facilities across the region (including childcare centres, pre-schools and kindergartens).204
202 DET (2020): https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/factsandfigures.aspx 203 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest 204 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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The below figure shows the location of educational facilities in the LMR:
Light Green = Primary school Orange = Further education Mid-green = Primary/secondary school Yellow = Tertiary institution Dark Green = Secondary school Red = University Pink = Special school Figure 30. Map of Educational Facilities within the LMR205
8.4.2 Educational Level Approximately 1 in 3 persons (32.7%) of people over 15 years of age in the LMR have a bachelor’s degree or higher non-school qualification, however more than 1 in 2 persons (57.4%) did not complete Year 12.
Table 50. Education Level achieved in LMR206
Education Level Total Percentage People over 15 with bachelor’s degree or higher non- 37,759 32.7% school qualification (2016) Did not complete Year 12 (2016) 135,000 57.4% 15-19 years old not in school or employment 1,301 6.5%
205 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest 206 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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8.5 Health The State Health Emergency Response Plan outlines arrangements for managing health emergencies (i.e., incidents requiring a significant and coordinated response from the health system, the Department of Health and Human Services and the emergency management sector, in partnership with the community) to ensure an effective response and ease adverse consequences.207 Practitioners, health professionals, service organisations and government agencies may also be required to respond to local emergencies to care for the injured or unwell directly affected.
In an emergency, vulnerable populations such as those in hospitals, health care facilities and retirement villages, may require significant and coordinated priority interventions, responses and support for their safety.
In LMR in 2011 there were 115 General Medical Practitioners per 100,000 people.
8.5.1 Hospitals and health centres There are 30 hospitals, two community health centres and nine maternal and child health services across the region, as outlined below:
Table 51. Hospitals and healthcare facilities in LMR by LGA208
Maternal and Community LGA Hospitals Child Health Health Centres Services Buloke Shire 5 0 0 Campaspe Shire 4 1 0 Central Goldfields Shire 2 0 0 City of Greater Bendigo 5 0 1 Gannawarra Shire 2 0 0 Loddon Shire 2 1 0 Macedon Ranges Shire 1 0 7 Mildura Rural City 4 0 0 Mount Alexander Shire 2 0 1 Swan Hill Rural City 3 0 0 Total LMR 30 2 9
207 DHHS (2020): https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/emergencies/shera 208 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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Details of the 30 hospitals across the LMR are further outlined below:
Table 52. Hospitals in LMR by LGA209
LGA No. Hospitals Hospital Names Buloke Shire 5 Birchip Public Hospital Charlton Public Hospital Donald Public Hospital Sea Lake and District Hospital Wycheproof Public Hospital Campaspe Shire 4 Echuca Public Hospital Kyabram Public Hospital Rochester Public Hospital Rushworth Public Hospital Central Goldfields Shire 2 Dunolly Public Hospital Maryborough Public Hospital City of Greater Bendigo 5 Bendigo Day Surgery St John Of God - Bendigo Bendigo Base Public Hospital Bendigo Public Hospital Heathcote Public Hospital Gannawarra Shire 2 Cohuna Public Hospital Kerang Public Hospital Loddon Shire 2 Boort Public Hospital Inglewood Public Hospital Macedon Ranges Shire 1 Kyneton Public Hospital Mildura Rural City 4 Mildura Base Public Hospital Mildura Private Hospital Mildura Base Public Hospital Ouyen Public Hospital Mount Alexander Shire 2 Castlemaine Public Hospital Maldon Public Hospital Swan Hill Rural City 3 Manangatang Public Hospital Robinvale Public Hospital Swan Hill Public Hospital Total LMR 30
LMR has three hospitals with an intensive care unit with a total of 32 beds available:
• Bendigo Base Public Hospital (20)
• Mildura Base Public Hospital (8)
• St John of God (4)
209 DHHS (2017): http://data-dhs.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/5000b3c446ed419eb590baa3832eb8f7_0
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The below figure shows the location of the above healthcare services, with hospitals centred closer to larger towns, while community health centres are located in more remote areas.
Pink = Community health centre Orange = General hospital Purple = Maternal/child health centre Yellow = General hospital (emergency) Green = Day procedure centre Figure 31. Map of hospitals and health care facilities in the LMR210
210 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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8.5.2 Aged Care There are 82 aged care facilities across the region, as outlined below:
Table 53. Aged care facilities in LMR211
LGA No. Facilities Buloke Shire 8 Campaspe Shire 11 Central Goldfields Shire 5 City of Greater Bendigo 20 Gannawarra Shire 4 Loddon Shire 4 Macedon Ranges Shire 8 Mildura Rural City 10 Mount Alexander Shire 3 Swan Hill Rural City 9 Total LMR 82 The locations of these facilities is also provided below:
Figure 32. Map of aged care facilities in the LMR212
211 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest 212 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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The number of people in the LMR who accessed aged care support at some stage during the 2018-19 reporting period is outlined in the following table. This number forms part of the total number of people in the community who may need some form of assistance during an evacuation or emergency.
Table 54. Aged Care Support in LMR (2018-2019)213
Age Bracket Home Care Residential Care Transition Care Total 0–49 2 10 - 12 50–54 5 15 - 20 55–59 21 29 1 51 60–64 18 61 - 79 65–69 89 132 3 224 70–74 170 210 8 388 75–79 220 346 11 577 80–84 285 575 23 883 85–89 234 869 17 1,120 90–94 144 825 16 985 95–99 30 338 1 369 100+ 6 44 - 50 Total 1,224 3,454 80 4,758
In LMR in 2016 there were 86.8 residential care places per 100,000 population aged 70 years and over.
8.6 Cultural values and assets The LMR is the traditional home of the First Peoples of the Millewa-Mallee being Latji Latji, Ngintait and Nyeri Nyeri Traditional Owners, the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jajawadjali, Wergaia, Jupagulk, Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Yorta Yorta peoples. 214
8.6.1 Aboriginal cultural heritage assets Rivers and waterways are particularly important heritage sites for the Dja Dja Warrung people and hold economic, social, environmental and spiritual values. Sites include the Loddon, Coliban, Campaspe, Avoca and Avon Rivers, and the Boort, Eppalock and Laanecoorie Lakes. The Dhelkunya Dja Land Management Board manages six parks held as Aboriginal Title and managed through Joint Management Plans: the Greater Bendigo and Kara Kara National Parks, the Paddys Ranges State Forest, Kooyoora State Park, Hepburn Regional Park, and Wehla Nature Conservation Reserve. Dja Dja Warrung artefacts continue to
213 https://www.gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/Resources/Access-data/2020/March/GEN-data-People-using-aged-care 214 ACHRIS (2020): https://achris.vic.gov.au/weave/wca.html
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Important heritage sites on the land of the First Peoples of the Millewa-Mallee are found in the Hattah- Kulkyne National Park and the Murray-Sunset National Park.
Other significant cultural assets in the LMR include art galleries and museums, as outlined below:
Table 55. Significant cultural assets in LMR215
LGA Art Galleries and Museums Buloke Shire Auchmore Historic Homestead Donald Agricultural Museum Donald District Archives Golden Grains Museum The Old Police Camp Donald Campaspe Shire Historical Society Museum Lockington And District Living Heritage Complex Opperman Sports Museum Port of Echuca Discovery Centre Rochester Historical and Pioneer Society Museum Rushworth Museum Warf Shed Museum Central Goldfields Shire Central Goldfields Art Gallery Dunolly Museum Museum of Truth And Lies Talbot Historical Museum City of Greater Bendigo Bendigo Art Gallery Bendigo Joss House Temple Bendigo Pottery Museum Golden Dragon Museum La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre Soldiers Memorial Museum Bendigo Gannawarra Shire Cohuna And District Historical Society Museum Quambatook Heritage Machinery Shed Loddon Shire - Macedon Ranges Shire Kyneton Museum Lancefield Court House Museum Mildura Rural City Langtree Hall Museum Mildura Arts Centre Gallery
215 Data Vic (2020): https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest
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LGA Art Galleries and Museums Mildura RAAF Museum Rio Vista Historic House Mount Alexander Shire Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum Maldon Museum and Archives Association Maldon Vintage Machinery Museum Swan Hill Rural City Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum Swann Hill Regional Gallery
The region also hosts a number of major events and festivals throughout the year, including:
Table 56. Major events in LMR by LGA
LGA Major events and festivals Buloke Shire - Campaspe Shire - Central Goldfields Shire - City of Greater Bendigo Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival, Bendigo Easter Festival, Bendigo Cup Gannawarra Shire - Loddon Shire - Macedon Ranges Shire - Mildura Rural City Mildura Jazz, Food and Wine Festival Mount Alexander Shire Maldon Folk Festival, Castlemaine Festival of Gardens Swan Hill Rural City -
The below figure shows two layers that represent areas of cultural and heritage sensitivity. The first in Orange, shows the areas of cultural heritage sensitivity that are known or likely to contain places and objects of significance to Aboriginal cultural heritage. These are defined in the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2018 and include areas around designated watercourses and waterways, areas surrounding known Aboriginal cultural heritage places and areas with landforms and soil types that are similar to known cultural heritage places. While the areas shown are more likely to contain a higher number of cultural heritage places and objects, these places can be found all over Victoria where Aboriginal people have lived216. The areas in blue highlight locations that have been included in the Victorian Heritage Register showing places, objects and shipwrecks that are currently protected under the Heritage Act 2017.217
216 https://www.aboriginalvictoria.vic.gov.au/cultural-heritage-sensitivity 217 https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/
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Figure 33. Areas of cultural and heritage significance218 219
8.7 Volunteerism An indication of a region’s level of community volunteering is also an important vulnerability factor because volunteers and their social networks can be of assistance during emergencies.
In 2016, 64,858 people in LMR (5.6%) indicated that they were volunteers.220
According to the Ministerial Council for Volunteers (2017), approximately 4% of volunteers work for an emergency services organisation221 and EMV estimates over 100,000 people in Victoria volunteer across a wide range of emergency management agencies.222
218 https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/areas-of-cultural-heritage-sensitivity 219 https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/victorian-heritage-register 220 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 221 Ministerial Council for Volunteers (2017): https://iepcp.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/MCV-Volunteers-in-Victoria-report.pdf 222 EMV (2015): https://www.emv.vic.gov.au/volunteerstatement
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• As at 1 July 2020, CFA Victoria noted its volunteer membership at 53,311 people, with an additional 1,486 junior members.223
Volunteering is evolving in Victoria, particularly with respect to growing expectations around community responsibility for emergency preparedness, the impact on operations of new communications technology, and the characteristics of volunteers. For example, volunteering styles are becoming more diverse, but also more episodic, while physical locations and office hours are becoming less of a constraint to people volunteering their time and staying connected. However, in their series of reports, Emergency Volunteering 2030,224 the authors found that:
• Community sector groups anticipate a serious shortage of volunteers in the future, mounting expectations to deliver emergency services, a rise in costs and poorer outcomes for communities.
• Volunteerism managers foresee growing regulation and corporatisation impacting negatively on volunteer sustainability.
• Local government managers have flagged the need to examine how resourcing and funding options and restrictions may be hindering the emergency management sector’s ability to respond to the changing landscape of volunteering.
9. Economic Environment
An understanding of the LMR’s economic resilience can play an important role in emergency management planning by providing some context to how adversity might affect local economies and the degree to which different communities are likely to cope with the ongoing effects of emergencies.
The Mallee sub-region has an economy based on agriculture and manufacturing, while the Loddon Campaspe sub-region is also focused on both agriculture and food product manufacturing, both of which are key exports for the region.
9.1 Economic situation The regional economy of the Mallee sub-region is heavily concentrated around two significant industries – agriculture and manufacturing. While agriculture is based on irrigated and dryland farming, manufacturing in the region is focused on food processing, construction and service provision.225
223 CFA (2020): https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/about/cfa-at-a-glance 224 DIIS (2019): https://emergencyvolunteeringau.dropmark.com/594398?q=%23Emergency-Volunteering-2030-study%20%23report 225 DJPR (2014): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/94650/Loddon-Mallee-North-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf
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While the Loddon Campaspe sub-region is also heavily driven by agriculture, it also supports other key industries including financial, health and insurance services, manufacturing and mining, with the city of Bendigo driving much of the recent economic growth in the region.226
New modelling from the Department of Treasury and Finance suggests the coronavirus pandemic has had a potentially unprecedented impact on Victoria’s economy. It is likely the State will record negative economic growth for the current and next financial years.
• Gross regional product (GRP) is expected to drop by 14% in the June and September quarters as a consequence of lower incomes, loss of consumer and business confidence and disruptions to global supply chains.
• Unemployment is expected to rise to 11% in the September quarter and the number of jobs has already fallen by almost 7% across Victoria since March 2020. 227
While the true extent of the impact on the LMR is unclear, it is likely to reflect the economic trends for Victoria.
9.1.1 Key economic indicators Key economic indicators across the LMR for the period 2018-19 are summarised below:228
Gross Regional Product (GRP) reflects the region’s contribution to the broader State economy and the value of the regional economy.
• Overall, the LMR contributed $16.0 billion to the Victorian economy, which was 3.5% of the total for the State (Gross State Product is estimated at $454.6 billion).
GRP per worker provides an indication of workforce participation.
• Overall, the LMR had a lower than average rate of productivity at $110,557 compared with $166,496 per worker for Victoria.
226 DJPR (2014): https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/94668/Loddon-Mallee-South-Regional-Growth-Plan-May-2014.pdf 227 DTF (2020): https://www.dtf.vic.gov.au/economic-and-financial-updates/coronavirus-economic-outlook 228 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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Table 57. Economic indicators for LMR229 230
Indicators Gross Regional Product ($ million) (2019) $16,026m Gross Regional Product per worker ($) (2018) $110,557 10-year average annual GRP growth rate (2009-2019) 1.00% Total Jobs (2019) 144,956 Annual jobs growth rate (2018-2019) 3.65% 5-year average annual jobs growth rate (2014-2019) 1.68% 10-year average annual jobs growth rate (2009-2019) 1.45%
The number of local jobs reflects the health of the labour market.
• Overall, the LMR provided over 144,956 jobs, which was 5.3% of the total number of jobs for the state (2.73 million jobs).
Labour force participation measures an economy’s active workforce, while the unemployment rate measures the loss of productive resources to the economy.
• Overall, the LMR’s labour force participation rate in 2016 was 60.8%, which is in line with the Victorian average (60.5%)
• The unemployment rate (3.93%) in 2019 Q4, was below the State average (4.8%).
7.0%
6.0%
5.0%
4.0%
3.0%
2.0%
1.0%
0.0% 2017 2017 2017 2017 2018 2018 2018 2018 2019 2019 2019 2019 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Figure 34. Quarterly unemployment rate % for LMR (2017-2019)
229 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 230 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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Table 58. Labour Force Indicators for LMR (2016)231
Indicators Total Percentage Labour force participation 147,790 60.8% Participation at 65 years plus 8,049 12.4% People receiving an unemployment benefit 13,808 7.2% Receiving an unemployment benefit for more than 180 days 11,647 6.1% Youth unemployment (ages 15-24) 2,971 11.5%
9.1.2 Industry and employment The main industries by number of jobs in the LMR overall in 2016 were Health Care and Social Assistance (16% of all jobs), Retail Trade (12% of all jobs) and Education and Training (9% of all jobs), as shown below:
Accommodation and Food Services, 7% Transport, Postal and Wholesale Trade, 2% Warehousing, 4% Administrative and Support Services, 3% Retail Trade, 12%
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services, 1%
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, 9% Arts and Recreation Services, 1%
Public Administration and Safety, 6% Construction, 7% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, 4%
Other services, 4% Education and Training, 9%
Mining, 1%
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Manufacturing, 9% Services, 1%
Financial and Insurance Information Media and Services, 3% Telecommunications, 1% Health Care and Social Assistance, 16%
Figure 35. Jobs by industry in LMR (2016)232
The main industries by number of businesses in the LMR overall in 2019 were Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (24% of all businesses), Construction (17% of all businesses) and Rental, Hiring and Real Estate services (8% of all businesses), as shown below:
231 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 232 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart
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Transport, Postal and Accommodation and Food Wholesale Trade, 3% Warehousing, 5% Services, 4%
Administrative and Support Services, 3% Retail Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Trade, 6% Services, 8%
Public Administration and Safety, 0% Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, 24%
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, 8%
Arts and Recreation Services, 1% Other services, 5%
Mining, 0% Construction, 17% Manufacturing, 4%
Education and Training, 1%
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Information Media and Health Care and Services, 0% Telecommunications, 1% Social Assistance, 4% Financial and Insurance Services, 7%
Figure 36. Businesses by industry in LMR (2019)233
Of the 31,002 businesses in the region, over 60% are non-employing businesses, while 37% are small businesses with less than 20 employees.
Table 59. Businesses by size in LMR (2018)234
Size of Business Percentage Large businesses (200+ employees) 0.06% Medium businesses (20-199 employees) 2.33% Small businesses (<20 employees) 37.11% Non-employing businesses 60.49%
9.2 Banking and finance Banking and finance is a critical infrastructure sector that facilitates financial transactions across service providers and customers, arranges insurance, leverages assets and aims to manage and create wealth. The sector reaches far beyond Victoria’s borders and is regulated by the Commonwealth.235
233 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 234 DJPR (2020): https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart 235 EMV (2018): https://files-em.em.vic.gov.au/public/EMV-web/2018_All_Sectors_Resilience_Report.pdf
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Bendigo Bank, Australia’s fifth largest bank, is headquartered in Bendigo with more than 7,000 employees and 1.8 million customers across 500 branch locations Australia-wide.236
9.3 Political and legal factors There are eight electoral Regions in Victoria. Five Members of Parliament (MPs) represent each Region in the Victorian Parliament's Legislative Council (Upper House). The principal role of people who are elected to represent a Region is to review legislation that has been passed by the Lower House. Loddon Mallee sits within the Northern Victorian Region. A breakdown of state and federal electoral divisions can be found below. The Victorian Electoral Commission and the Federal Electoral Commission use different borders distinctions that Emergency Management Regions due to the need to separate groups by population.237 Therefore, the list below includes all divisions that cross into LMR:
State electorates:
• Mildura • Murray Plains • Bendigo East • Bendigo West • Ripon (part) • Lowan (part)
Federal
• Mallee • Nicholls (part) • Bendigo • Ballarat (part)
236 Bendigo Bank (2020): https://www.bendigobank.com.au/about-us/ 237 Victorian Electoral Commission Map of districts: https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/findelectorate/
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10. Operational Learnings
The Victorian emergency management sector supports a culture of continuous improvement by:
• Encouraging the sector to share lessons, both positive actions to sustain and areas for improvement
• Encouraging learning from both assurance activities and contemporary good practice
• Focusing on systems of work, rather than the performance of individuals
• Recognising that identifying and implementing sustainable solutions takes time, resources and opportunity
In November 2015, Victoria’s first sector-wide lessons management framework, EM-LEARN, was approved. This framework further supports the development of a culture of continuous improvement and outlines a model for lessons management and how it will be implemented into the sector, particularly operational activities initially.
Lessons management involves the identification and learning of lessons captured through assurance and learning activities (including debriefing, monitoring and reviews) occurring before, during and after emergencies. This process of moving from identifying lessons to learning lessons is guided by the lessons management life cycle within the EM-LEARN Framework, and should inform emergency management planning to ensure ongoing continuous improvement.
Operational learnings identified from across the State over the past 12 months include:
Declarations
• It was observed that there was little discussion/communications with the regions regarding the State of Disaster declaration for the summer fires, which resulted in confusion around what arrangements were required to be put in place at the regional level to support this. However, the declaration did result in the appointment of a State Relief Coordinator to support relief activities at the regional level and the State Response Controller at the State level which was viewed positively.
• Observations indicate that during the lead-up to a Code Red Declaration on 21 November 2019, there were issues with responding agencies accessing timely intelligence, information and predictions to enhance their operations due to how quickly the data was being updated. Specifically, accessing EM- COP was highlighted as challenging at times.
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IT
• IMT's highlighted the difficulties encountered with IT systems, connecting to networks and the hardware in operational facilities. Observations indicate that there are challenges in accessing and using multiple systems including EM-Drive, Webmail, EM-COP, IMS, Fireweb and FIRS.
Evacuation
• Observations indicate that Controllers were hesitant to consider robust evacuation planning until the exact location of the towns requiring evacuation was known. Evacuation planning highlighted the need for targeted messaging to people within evacuation areas, and the importance of having local agencies (i.e. CFA) involved in the evacuation planning process and ensuring that relief centres are located in 'safe' areas.
• Observations indicate that it is difficult to plan for or assume where people will want to go post evacuation or assuming what their needs might be. It is also very important that local councils are involved in the planning and implementation of any evacuation or reception centres.
Planning
• Early identification of potential storm/flood hazards allowed for planning and pre-positioning of storm and flood teams in IMT's. The adoption of standard processes for assuring the implementation of safety alerts related to thunderstorms worked well.
Information Management and Intelligence
• Observations indicate that relief information on VicEmergency was not always consistent with information distributed via community newsletters and other channels and that community communications need to be clear and targeted to the audience.
• Observations indicate that communications between the incident, regional and State tiers could be improved, in terms of building relationships, information sharing and reporting - and that all tiers need to be proactive and take responsibility for ensuring this is done in a clear and timely manner.
• Observations indicate that the lack of an intelligence unit within IMT's and Sector Commanders in the field impedes data collection at the incident level. There is value in establishing an intelligence within ICCs to centrally and consistently coordinate and manage damage assessment and other data which is collected from sources in various formats.
• It was observed that the SCC experienced difficulties in obtaining sufficient intelligence from across the incident and regional tiers. At times there was a divergence of views between the State and incident tiers regarding what the priority intelligence requirements were, which was exacerbated by the fact that the State tier implemented new requirements - which were added to the existing
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procedures and products during times of peak operational demand on intelligence teams across all levels.
Personnel
• Fatigue management is a continuing issue. Personnel have concerns on shift length, rostering principles, rostering practices, entitlements and their general understanding of how to self-manage fatigue in relation to assigned shifts.
• Observations indicate staff are being activated into functional roles when they do not necessarily have the right accreditation or experience to perform the role effectively. In addition to being a potential safety issue of having unaccredited staff performing functional roles in an emergency, it also places pressure on others within the functional cell to cover the knowledge/experience gap and can cause frustration across the entire IMT.
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11. Data sources
Table 60. Metadata
Item Details Report section 5. Regional Context 6. Natural Environment 7. Built Environment 8. Social Environment 9. Economic Environment Data set Regional Development Victoria Information Portal Data source Online Location https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/information-portal/table-and-chart Data accessed July 2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian DJPR Publisher DJPR Coverage Victoria Frequency Approx. every four years
Item Details Report section 6. Natural Environment Data set Mean monthly and mean annual temperature data - maximum, minimum and mean (based on standard 30-year period 1961-1990) Data source Online Location http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/climate_averages/temperature/index.jsp Data accessed August 2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian BOM Publisher BOM Coverage Australia Frequency Unknown
Item Details Report section 6. Natural Environment Data set Mean monthly, seasonal and annual rainfall data (based on standard 30-year period 1981-2010) Data source Online Location http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/climate_averages/rainfall/IDCraingrids.jsp Data accessed August 2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian BOM Publisher BOM Coverage Australia Frequency Unknown
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Item Details Report section 6. Natural Environment Data set Design Rainfall Data System Data source Online Location http://www.bom.gov.au/water/designRainfalls/revised-ifd/ Data accessed August 2020 Custodian BOM Publisher BOM Coverage Australia Frequency Unknown
Item Details Report section 6. Natural Environment Data set Average annual and monthly days of rain Data source Online Location http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/climate_averages/raindays/index.jsp?period= anandproduct=5mm#maps Data accessed August 2020 Custodian BOM Publisher BOM Coverage Australia Frequency Unknown
Item Details Report section 6. Natural Environment Data set Bushfire Prone Areas Data source Online Location https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/designated-bushfire-prone-area-bpa Date produced Last updated 24/3/2020 – produced 07/09/2011 Data accessed 09/05/2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian DELWP Publisher DELWP Coverage Victoria Frequency Unknown
Item Details Report section 6. Natural Environment Data set Major River Basins of Victoria Data source Online Location https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/awrc-major-river-basins-of-victoria Date produced Last updated 05/09/2020 – produced 01/08/2014 Data accessed August 2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian DELWP Publisher DELWP Coverage Victoria Frequency Unknown
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Item Details Report section 6. Natural Environment Data set Vicmap Lite: Statewide data series depicting major features, public land, vegetation, hydrology, transport and administrative data Data source Online Location https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/vicmap-lite Date produced Last updated 05/09/2020 – produced 01/08/2014 Data accessed August 2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian DELWP Publisher DELWP Coverage Victoria Frequency As required
Item Details Report section 6. Natural Environment Data set 1 in 100 year flood extent Data source Online Location https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/1-in-100-year-flood-extent Date produced Last updated 11/4/2020 – produced 01/08/2014 Data accessed August 2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian DELWP Publisher DELWP Coverage Victoria Frequency As required
Item Details Report section 6. Natural Environment Data set Flood Warning Catchment Areas Data source Online Location http://www.bom.gov.au/metadata/catalogue/19115/ANZCW0503900441?template=full Data accessed August 2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian BOM Publisher BOM Coverage Australia Frequency Unknown
Item Details Report section 7. Built Environment Data set Potential Impact Reports (by LGA) Data source EM-COP Location EM-COP Date produced May 2020 Data accessed July 2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian EMV Publisher EMV Coverage Victoria Frequency As required
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Item Details Report section 7. Built Environment Data set FOI – Point – Vicmap Features of Interest Data source Online Location https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/foi-point-vicmap-features-of-interest Date produced Last updated 28/05/2020 – produced 1/05/2009 Data accessed July 2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian DELWP Publisher DELWP Coverage Victoria Frequency As required
Item Details Report section 7. Built Environment Data set Electricity Data source Online Location https://data.gov.au/dataset/ds-aurin-aurin%3Adatasource-AU_Govt_GA- UoM_AURIN_DB_national_major_power_stations_2016/details?q=Major%20Power%20Stations Date produced Last updated December 2016 Data accessed August 2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian Australian Government Publisher Australian Government Coverage Australia Frequency As required
Item Details Report section 7. Built Environment Data set PTV Public Transport Data source Online Location https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/public-transport-a-collection-of-ptv- datasets Date produced Last updated 30/1/2020 – produced 07/06/2012 Data accessed 09/05/2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian Public Transport Victoria Publisher Public Transport Victoria Coverage Victoria Frequency Quarterly
Item Details Report section 7. Built Environment Data set Roads Data source Online Location https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/road-network-vicmap-transport Date produced Last updated 05/09/2020 – produced 1/08/2014 Data accessed August 2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian DELWP Publisher DELWP
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Coverage Victoria Frequency As required
Item Details Report section 7. Built Environment Data set EPA Victoria Landfill Register Data source Online Location https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/epa-victoria-victorian-landfill-register- vlr-location-polygons Date produced 11/01/2020 Data accessed 09/05/2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian EPA Publisher EPA Coverage Victoria Frequency As required
Item Details Report section 7. Built Environment Data set Emergency Services Data source Ambulance Victoria Data Sets Location https://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/ambulance-victoria-data-sets/ Data accessed August 2020 Data type Database Custodian AV Publisher AV Coverage Victoria Frequency Annually
Item Details Report section 8. Social Environment Data set Population Data source Australian Bureau of Statistics Location https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3218.02018-19?OpenDocument Data accessed August 2020 Data type Database Custodian ABS Publisher ABS Coverage Australia Frequency As needed – next issue expected for release on 30/03/2021
Item Details Report section 8. Social Environment Data set Hospital locations Data source Online Location http://data-dhs.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/5000b3c446ed419eb590baa3832eb8f7_0 Date produced Last updated 20/11/2019 – produced 28/07/2016 Data accessed 09/05/2020 Data type Spatial Custodian DHHS Publisher DHHS
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Coverage Victoria Frequency Unknown
Item Details Report section 8. Social Environment Data set School enrolments Data source Online Location https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/factsandfigures.aspx Date produced Last updated 01/07/2019 – produced 01/01/2010 Data accessed 16/06/2020 Data type Spreadsheet Custodian DET Publisher DET Coverage Victoria Frequency Six-monthly
Item Details Report section 8. Social Environment Data set Aged Care Data source Online Location https://www.gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/Resources/Access-data/2020/March/GEN-data-People- using-aged-care Date produced Last updated 03/03/2020 Data accessed August 2020 Data type Spreadsheet Custodian Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Publisher GEN Aged Care Data Coverage Australia Frequency Unknown
Item Details Report section 8. Social Environment Data set Areas of Aboriginal cultural heritage sensitivity Data source Online Location https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/areas-of-cultural-heritage-sensitivity Date produced Last updated 11/07/2020 – produced 23/05/2018 Data accessed 06/08/2020 Data type Shapefile Custodian DPC Publisher DPC Coverage Victoria Frequency Quarterly
Item Details Report section 8. Social Environment Data set Victorian Heritage Register Data source Online Location https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/victorian-heritage-register Date produced Last updated 05/09/2020 – produced 11/05/2016 Data accessed 06/08/2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian DELWP
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Publisher DELWP Coverage Victoria Frequency Fortnightly
Item Details Report section 8. Social Environment Data set Areas of Cultural Heritage Sensitivity Data source Online Location https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/dataset/areas-of-cultural-heritage-sensitivity Date produced Last updated 18/05/2020 – produced 20/06/2019 Data accessed 06/08/2020 Data type Geospatial database Custodian DPC Publisher DPC Coverage Victoria Frequency Quarterly
Item Details Report section Natural Environment Data set Climate average maps reference period 1961 - 1990 Data source Online Location http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/maps.shtml Data accessed 1/07/2020 Data type ASCII grid Custodian Bureau of Meteorology Publisher Bureau of Meteorology Coverage Victoria Frequency Fortnightly
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12. List of Abbreviations
Table 61. List of Abbreviations
Acronym Description ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics ACHRIS Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Register and Information System AEMO Australian Energy Market Operator AEP Annual Exceedance Probability ARI Average Reference Interval BOM Bureau of Meteorology CFA Country Fire Authority CMA Catchment Management Authority CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation DAWE Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment DELWP Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (VIC) DET Department of Education and Training (VIC) DHHS Department of Health and Human Services (VIC) DISER Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources DJPR Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (VIC) DOT Department of Transport DTF Department of Treasury and Finance EMLA Emergency Management Legislation Amendment EMV Emergency Management Victoria EPA Environment Protection Authority FDP Fire Danger Period FFMV Forest Fire Management Victoria GRP Gross Regional Product ICC Incident Control Centre ICU Intensive Care Unit IFD Intensity-Frequency-Duration LGA Local Government Area MEMP Municipal Emergency Management Plan NWMR North West Metro Region PTV Public Transport Victoria RCC Regional Control Centre REMP Regional Emergency Management Plan REMPC Regional Emergency Management Planning Committee SCC State Control Centre SEIFA Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas SEMP State Emergency Management Plan SES State Emergency Service (VIC) SLS Surf Life Saving (VIC) SSIP State Significant Industrial Precinct
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13. Document information 13.1 Document details
Criteria Details Document title: Environmental Scan Report: Loddon Mallee Region Document owner: Information Management and Intelligence Team, EMV
13.2 Version control
Version Date Description Author 0.1 14/05/2020 Initial template created C. Jolly 0.2 05/07/2020 First draft M. Frew 0.2 27/07/2020 Second draft M. Frew/C. Murphy 1.0 06/08/2020 Draft for initial consultation C. Jolly 1.1 06/09/2020 Updated based on feedback from M. Frew, M. Brereton, W. IREMPCs Stephenson, M. Slavtcheva, C. Jolly 1.2 10/09/2020 Proof reading J. Kaye, T. Penfold 2.0 14/09/2020 Final release C. Jolly
13.3 Document approval This document requires the following approval:
Name Title Organisation Debra Abbott Deputy Emergency Management EMV Commissioner Andrew Crisp Emergency Management Commissioner EMV
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