The Federal Government has accepted 10 of the 11 recommendations directed to it in the final report of the 2010/11 flood warnings and response review for Victoria.

The review was tabled in Federal Parliament last week. It examined such issues as the adequacy of flood predictions and modelling, the timeliness and effectiveness of warnings and public information, emergency services command and control arrangements, the adequacy of evacuations, clean-up and recovery and the adequacy of state and federal government funding for emergency grants.

Of the report’s 93 recommendations, 11 are directed either in full or in part to the Federal Government.

Attorney-General and Emergency Management Minister Nicola Roxon says the only recommendation the Government does not support is that the Bureau of Meteorology should present two types of water level – local data and Australian height data – in published information and warnings.

“The Government has had expert advice that this measure may lead to confusion in the community, and disaster risk needs to be communicated as clearly as possible,” Ms Roxon said.

A review of institutional arrangements for flood forecasting and predictions for certain parts of Victoria, adjusting flood prediction models to incorporate water storage conditions and including requirements for robust “all hazards” evacuation plans in aged care facilities are among the recommendations the Federal Government supports.