Victoria should shift from a “traditional like for like” rebuilding model to one that prioritises climate resilience, according to an inquiry report welcomed by the Insurance Council of Australia.

ICA says the findings, tabled in state parliament, align with its advocacy for strengthening resilience, while a recommendation to establish a resilient homes scheme like those in NSW and Queensland echoes a previous probe into 2022 flooding in Victoria.

“We encourage the Victorian government to embrace these resilience recommendations and establish a buyback scheme for properties facing extreme flood risk where there is no viable way to protect against the risk,” ICA said in a LinkedIn post.

The state Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee inquiry into climate resilience made 93 findings and 82 recommendations after taking evidence from more than 130 witnesses and holding eight days of hearings across Traralgon, Emerald, Aireys Inlet, Mount Macedon and Melbourne. Terms of reference were released in October 2023.

Committee chair Ryan Batchelor says climate zones and weather patterns in Victoria are changing, with extreme events such as heatwaves, bushfires, droughts, storms and flooding becoming more common.

“This report advocates that we need to not only respond well to disasters when they occur but also ensure that in the response and the follow-up to those disasters we are building resilience into our built environment, doing more to ensure preparedness for future disasters and putting in place mitigation measures to reduce the impact of climate change,” he said.

A report by the same committee into October 2022 floods recommended last July that the state fund a resilient homes program to raise or retrofit properties at risk of inundation.

But the government in January said it did not support the proposal, noting challenges include complexities around thresholds and criteria for the scope and reach of a program, along with uncertainty about its long-term effectiveness and sustainability as climate change drives “more frequent, severe and concurrent emergency events of various types”.