The Hon. Wendy Lovell, Liberal Member for Northern Victoria, Media Release, 4 June 2026

Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell has demanded that the Minister for Water rule out introducing legislation to more easily enable the compulsory acquisition of flood easements, and confirm the previous commitment not to use existing powers to flood private land without consent.

Last month, the NSW Labor Government passed the Water Management Amendment (Easements for Inundation) Act 2026, which provides Water NSW with powers to flood private farms when delivering environmental water.

Serious doubts exist about the Victorian government’s ability to fully deliver its environmental water target without inundating private land.

New concerns have now arisen that the Allan Labor Government may try to introduce in Victoria similar legislation to NSW, despite the Water Minister’s earlier promise that “we will not flood private land without the landholder’s consent… we will not use compulsory powers to acquire land or easements, either.”

Ms Lovell spoke in parliament today to call on the Minister for Water to assure river-adjacent landholders in her constituency that the Labor government will rule out passing similar legislation in Victoria.

Comments attributable to Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell:

“Victorians need a rock-solid guarantee that the Labor Government will not use compulsory powers to acquire easements to flood private properties, and will not introduce legislation here similar to the laws recently passed in NSW.”

“Landholders in my region deserve to know if the Water Minister will protect their rights, or if she will sell them down the river to appease her Labor mates in South Australia and Canberra.”