South East Water’s response to the McCrae landslide Inquiry report
We acknowledge it has been a difficult time for the residents who had to leave their properties due to the landslide in McCrae.
We accept all recommendations from the Board of Inquiry related to South East Water and have already begun steps to reduce future risks and improve safety across the area.
The South East Water Board will appoint an independent expert to guide South East Water’s implementation of the inquiry’s recommendations with regular progress updates to be published on our website.
South East Water will establish a Mornington Peninsula Consultative Committee (MPCC) to provide a forum for the community to engage with us on local water and sewer services and infrastructure in McCrae and on the Mornington Peninsula.
To improve the resilience of the water network in the area, South East Water is investing over $180 million on new and upgraded infrastructure on the Mornington Peninsula over five years. This investment includes $23 million that includes renewing the Bayview Road water main in McCrae, enhancing our network operations control centre, continuing to improve our leak detection procedures and expediting the installation of digital meters in areas with erosion management overlays.
Since January 2025, South East Water has undertaken a range of actions in McCrae and nearby areas to support our customers and community, while enhancing our ability to detect leaks sooner by using sophisticated sensors and telemetry to increase asset monitoring. This has included the installation of over 2,200 digital meters to alert customers to private leaks on their properties to assist them in reducing their water bills and minimising loss of water.
South East Water welcomes the Government’s imminent appointment of an independent mediator to engage Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, South East Water, and affected landowners and other necessary parties as, together, we aim to reach agreement on landslide mitigation and remediation works.
We look forward to working with the community to improve our network and improve resilience against future events.