A BOARD of Inquiry investigating the McCrae landslide has been granted an extended final reporting date as it seeks to “gather more expert evidence” to better understand the events that led to the disaster. The state government announced last week that the reporting date would be extended until no later than 10 September after the inquiry was established on 18 March to investigate the cause of the landslide. Led by Renée Enbom KC, the inquiry is also investigating measures to prevent similar incidents occurring again.
The January 14 landslide caused a house to slide down a hill and collide with other homes, with a council worker also taken to hospital. Multiple homes were also evacuated. The inquiry has included site visits, public hearings, and extensive engagement with the local community.
In a statement, the state government said an extension was needed for “further expert evidence to make findings on the terms of reference” which would “get to the bottom of what happened and get answers for McCrae residents”.
Enbom said the additional time would allow geotechnical engineers and other experts “to undertake further analysis in relation to the cause of the landslide and any measures required to prevent or mitigate the risk of a further event occurring”. “It was important that the term of the inquiry be extended to allow this work to be undertaken,” she said. “I thank McCrae residents and the many others for their ongoing assistance.”
Premier Jacinta Allan thanked the board for the “substantial amount of work” to investigate the cause of the landslide. “The extension of the inquiry will ensure residents’ voices will continue to be heard and will help identify measures to prevent this from happening again,” she said.
Local Government Minister Nick Staikos, said, “The residents of McCrae deserve to have answers on the causes of the landslide, that’s why we’re extending the inquiry so we will be able to determine a more complete picture and get to the bottom of what happened”.
The Mornington Peninsula Shire has estimated the recovery costs of the landslide to be $8m, with no funding commitment from the state government. Enbom gave a wide-ranging interview with The News in May during which she discussed the inquiry. When asked whether she believed the state government should help with funding in the case that the inquiry found large-scale engineering works were needed to remediate the site, she replied, “Well, you’d imagine at the very least that the shire would ask the state government for support” (Public hearings into McCrae landslide begin, The News 07/05/25).
First published in the Mornington News – 17 June 2025
