Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy

The strategy sets out the roles and responsibilities of government agencies and authorities in floodplain management. The aim is to improve the evaluation and communication of flood risks to allow communities and agencies to take better-informed action when managing floods.

By encouraging communities and individuals to work with their council and Catchment Management Authority (CMA), the strategy supports development of regional level consultation. This helps with decision making for flood mitigation that best suits their area.

The Victorian Government has committed to review the strategy following the Parliamentary Inquiry into the 2022 flood event in Victoria to respond to key findings and supported recommendations.

The first phase of the review has commenced consistent with Plan for Victoria Action 19: Better communicate and manage flood, bushfire and climate hazard risks.

The initial changes include:

• Updating existing state policy and guidelines with:
  • better flood mapping with greater alignment to hazard ratings based on national standards (i.e. very high, high, moderate and low).
  • reformed flood planning and building controls that better reflect hazard ratings.
  • more integrated community engagement on flood mapping and planning to remove duplication, streamline decisions and minimise existing community concerns.
  • faster risk-based approach to development decisions so that both the approvals process and the development controls are proportionate to the hazard ratings.
• Aligning accountabilities statewide to make:
  • floodplain management authorities responsible for preparing and endorsing flood mapping (e.g. catchment management authorities and Melbourne Water).
  • the State via Minister for Planning responsible for flood-related planning scheme amendments consistent with the approach to bushfire planning.

The Victorian Government has made significant investment to reduce the risks of floods in a changing climate. This includes $37.50 million to 2028 to review and implement the Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy and 9 regional floodplain strategies, including flood studies and priority flood mitigation projects.

Delivering on the Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy (2016)

After the release of the Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy (VFMS) in 2016, the Victorian Government allocated $21 million to implement the strategy and develop community led, regional floodplain management strategies.

The government continued to commit to our floodplain management strategies through the 2021 budget initiative Building Flood Resilience in Victoria, with an additional allocation of $26.7 million towards Regional Floodplain Management Strategy (RFMS) priority projects and VFMS actions.

You can learn about the achievements made since 2016 in the implementation snapshot.

Implementation snapshot

Page last updated: 03/10/25