ICA welcomes decision to scrap Warragamba Dam raising

19 April 2023

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has welcomed NSW Labor Government comments affirming that it won’t proceed with a project to raise the height of the Warragamba Dam wall.

Media today reported that Water Minister Rose Jackson had reiterated the new government’s promise not to raise the dam wall.

“Labor’s position is clear – we have always opposed the raising of the Warragamba dam wall,” she said. “The project will not guarantee communities in Western Sydney will be safe from flood events.”

Ms Jackson says she has requested urgent briefings in the coming days, from the Department and Water NSW regarding Warragamba Dam.

ICA last year said other flood mitigation options would offer better long-term protection in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley compared with raising the height of the wall.

“ICA welcomes the NSW Labor Government’s decision to not proceed with the project to raise the Warragamba Dam wall,” a spokesperson told insuranceNEWS.com.au today.

“Managing flood risk in NSW is critical, and the Insurance Council stands ready to work with the NSW Government on where land planning should be reviewed, building standards improved to include resilience and the funding urgently needed for infrastructure to protect existing communities.”

ICA says it encourages NSW to take advantage of the Federal Government’s commitments under its Disaster Ready Fund and co-fund extensive resilience programs.

The previous Perrottet Government had said it would go ahead with the controversial project, which has been examined by various inquiries.

ICA had earlier backed the proposal but changed its stance in 2021 due to concerns that evaluations had not properly taken into consideration cultural heritage values of the dam’s site and surrounding areas.

In a policy recommendations document released ahead of the March election ICA urged land use planning reforms to prevent the development of new homes in high-risk areas. It also proposed that the NSW Government extend the Resilient Homes Program beyond the Northern Rivers region to other high-risk areas of the state.