The funding of three critical emergency planning positions introduced in the aftermath of the 2016 floods is due to expire by the end of June this year, the inquest into the death of Latrobe woman Mary Allford heard on Friday.
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State Emergency Service assistant director Leon Smith told the inquest that the agency introduced a range of changes in response to the various reviews of its performance during the flood, including implementing two new planning staff in each of its North-West, Northern and Southern regions.
Those roles were the regional emergency flood planner, and the regional emergency management planner - but the government has so far only provided permanent ongoing funding to the flood planner role.
"Regional emergency management planners were put on permanently with a funding allocation appropriated from government, however, their funding concludes on June 30 this year," Mr Smith told the inquest.
"We are currently negotiating a continuance of that funding, given the necessity of the function."
But Minister for Emergency Management, Felix Ellis, confirmed late on Friday that the positions would be funded permanently, due to their "importance in response to floods, fires and other hazards".
Mr Smith said the roles provided a "critical function" in planning and preparedness.
The positions are based in the SES' North-West, North, and Southern areas.
Mr Smith said other changes implemented after the 20016 floods included introducing the Flood Policy Unit, which was tasked with identifying communities statewide at risk of flooding, and developing emergency plans for those areas.
He said the regional flood planners and the emergency management planners provided critical intelligence to regional operational leaders in the SES.
"They work on their shoulder to give incite to the operational staff into those flood plans and the flood risk in those respective regions," he said.
"It allows those operational staff within the region to have a intelligence function or a situation function there to enable an effective situational response."
The inquest by Coroner Simon Cooper, which concluded on Friday morning, was examining the flood response that led to Ms Allford becoming trapped in her home in Latrobe in the early hours of June 6, 2016.
She and her husband had gone to sleep the evening prior with no warning that an evacuation might be necessary.
Separate inquests into the deaths of Ouse man Trevor Foster and Scottsdale man Peter Watson took place last year.
Earlier, the court heard that former SES NW regional manager Wayne Richards had not fully prepared flood plans, was undergoing a performance review for various behavioural issues, and missed key flood warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology hours before the Mersey River broke its banks.
Coroner Cooper is expected to publish his findings later this year.
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