Extensive damage caused by flash flooding at Yarralumla Creek has renewed calls for the removal of the concrete floodway, with independent Member for Murrumbidgee Fiona Carrick arguing the storm shows the existing infrastructure is no longer fit for purpose.

Ms Carrick said damage observed after the storm demonstrated the force of fast-moving water through the long, straight concrete channel, which she said was ineffective for flood mitigation in urban areas.

“I have been advocating for the renaturalisation of Yarralumla Creek for many years,” Ms Carrick said. “The damage I saw this morning from last night’s storm clearly shows that long, straight concrete drains that enable fast-moving water with an incredible force that destroys concrete panels are not an effective answer to flood mitigation in our urban areas.”

She said the impacts of climate change meant governments needed to adopt more sophisticated approaches to managing stormwater flows.

The flooding also affected nearby residential buildings, with significant inundation reported in the basement of The Ivy apartment tower on Irving Street, Phillip, adjacent to the Yarralumla Creek drain. Ms Carrick said all five lifts in the building were out of operation following the flooding, causing major disruption for residents.

“This flooding shows why we also need to avoid putting residential buildings along flood-prone waterways, such as the ACT Government is planning to do from Curtin to Mawson,” she said.

Ms Carrick said failure to act on renaturalisation would result in ongoing damage. “If we don’t take action to renaturalise Yarralumla Creek, Mother Nature has shown that she will do it for us,” she said, adding she expected an update from the government on work it had committed to undertake.

In October 2025, the ACT Legislative Assembly adopted a motion moved by Ms Carrick calling on the ACT Government to prepare a Yarralumla Creek renaturalisation options report, update flood risk mapping for extreme weather events, halt land sales along the creek until the report is considered, and report back to the Assembly by December 2026.