Greens MLC-elect Sue Higginson is demanding greater support for flood-ravaged communities in Northern NSW as the Prime Minister avoids talking to locals in Lismore this afternoon.
Sue Higginson has been out the front of Lismore Council Chambers this afternoon waiting for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to address angry residents and media about the lack of support given to people that have lost everything in the record-breaking 2022 floods.
Sue Higginson said, ‘The Prime Minister is set to finally declare a National Emergency in our region nine days after our community was wrecked by these climate change floods.
‘Why has it taken so long for the Government to recognise the scale of this disaster that has devastated our home? We are exhausted, many people are unwell and are working to clean up friends and neighbours properties despite having lost their own house and possessions.
‘Lismore and surrounding towns needed immediate action and yet we have been forced to wait nine days before Scott Morrison decided to turn up and claim credit for help that is coming too late for many people,”
‘This recovery will be a marathon effort, it will take weeks and months to get our community back on its feet. More importantly, our community need a government that is prepared to take action on climate change and support adaptation measures so we are all prepared for these extreme weather events that will become more frequent in the future.’
Shocking stuff
Speaking to The Echo this afternoon, Sue Higginson said, ‘It’s unbelievable. It’s just absolutely shocking that a community that almost drowned and has been devastated, came to meet their prime minister. And he did not even look at them. Instead he sent I think about 70 police officers instead.’
Are they Federal Police? ‘No, but there’s definitely police from Sydney here as well.’
What’s happening now? ‘I’m not sure whether he’s still in the building, or he left. It all got a bit messy.’
There are reports on social media this afternoon that only limited media were allowed inside. Is that true?
Sue Higginson said she saw cameras, but ‘no protesters were allowed anywhere near him…. and it wasn’t just protesters. There were people who came to tell their story. And they were not allowed to. Nobody was allowed near him.
‘No community was allowed through. They waited for hours just to talk to him. And he he did not even look at them as he drove past.’
Not politics
Ms Higginson estimates there were 150-200 local people waiting to talk to the PM. ‘It was shocking that he did not come and speak to or even look at the people who were standing there who had lost their homes.
‘This is not politics. This is not how it’s done. There needs to be a different way.
‘It’s become pretty clear he was not really here to talk to the people who are affected… This was his opportunity. Yes, there were some upset people and yes, there are some angry people. But more importantly, there are people who have lost everything here and he did not address them.’
The PM is expected to make a statement imminently.
First of all you can’t declare a national emergency in a region. That would be a regional emergency, cause words.
I think you mean a Federal Emergency in our region, or more properly, a Commonwealth Government declared emergency in our region.
National, Federal, and Commonwealth all mean different things.
Last time I looked he was spreading bat anus cooties everywhere so what’s he doing hanging out with the plebs?
It’s like the news reports lack self consistency. That hardly ever happens all the time.
He was probably outside with his welder making you guys a holocaust memorial or something.
Detestable. And that ghastly person beside him–the pork barrelling rorter. She said she loves killing animals. She’s a shooter. Pure evil.
Feral animals need controlling by all means possible VA Thompson.
Travelling the world for two years, doing the rounds and he conveniently gets covid now.
Thank God he took the booster…
Maybe he can rock out the ukelele and write a song for the the sheep he pushed through the gate.
Must be an election coming up is there Sue? Just couldn’t resist the chance to drum up a few votes could you !
Once a leader becomes so repugnant to the people and refuses accountability and forcibly bans media and scrutiny of his failures, he has effectively forced a dictatorship!
You are incredibly naive. This rant shows little comprehension of the facts and reasons behind the actions. Words like “repugnant” and “dictatorship” reveal you own emotions are running rife. Lets have some rational balance.
It is a bit disingenuous to complain “he wouldn’t talk to us” if one only wanted to scream at him.
But then, after all, the ADF didn’t arrive to rescue psople until the day of the flood
McKenzie mentioned three lucky LGAs’ floodvictims to receive a second and third $$$$ payment. Clarence, Richmond and Lismore.
Odd that they are mainly libNat swinging seats.
The Greens n labor areas of Byron n Ballina are punished. And Tweed.
Despicable really. I thought carpark favouritism was bad enough but this is truly horrid!
How can you lie like this!! Didn’t want to talk to the people?? That’s what he did, and without the squawking hounds of the press around to distort any communication to their own particular political persuasion. I don’t think that trying to “talk” with an angry mob of protesters would have been productive.
I do not necessarily support ScoMo or his party, but let’s give the man a chance! Would, could, any other leader done better? Yes the response was, to many, far too slow for our liking, however the extent of the catastrophe wasn’t appreciated for many days and in our own little worlds not many people would had had any appreciation of just how big and widespread the issue was.
I get it that people are angry as they didn’t get their needs met according to their time frame. But lets have some common sense, realise that this event is unprecedented and the people in charge everywhere are only human.
Most of all stop telling lies, it is not helpful, and just stirs up even more malcontent.
He did NOT talk to the people, he met with a few hand picked locals. Yes the press can be inane but a PM making him/herself available to both the electorate and the fourth estate is called accountability. Carefully vetting reality for the telly is a combination of desperation and playing us all for mugs. It’s not like he’s been exactly camera shy in the past.
Yes the flood was unprecedented but not unpredicted. Just like the devastating fires the PM refused to listen to the ex fire chiefs about. No one is blaming those on the ground trying their best – the responsibility lies with those further up the food chain who have been telling us for decades that, regarding global warming, there was nothing to see, nothing to plan for and no need to work globally for solutions. That’s why people are angry and that’s why the PM goes missing at strategic times.
People wouldn’t have an an appreciation of the magnitude? It was on 24 hours news rotation nationally. If the government didn’t know the extent of the problem what does that say about vital emergency information gathering and level of responsibility.
Liz, 100%
Our Prime Mopper, enthusiastically for HIS camera posse, gave more time to a broom head on the street and a squeegy on a basketball court than he did for local citizens waiting ( in vain ) to meet him face to face.
Cue, Kenny Rogers and his hit song…”Coward of the County’.
It looks like ‘unprecedented’ is getting a little warn out , like the Prime Minister …. at least the Qld premier had to use ‘climate change’ on live TV to at least shift some immediate blame from her gov for being so unprepared for floods again. She was looking dumfounded when she announced 80% of the SEQ rain had fallen in 3 days in some places … ‘Lets face it’ she said ….. Trouble is a huge number have faced it, add suffered it for a long time and are very impatient with the solid grip the fossil interests have on our politicians. Kicking the can down the road and being pretenders is getting as old as the vested interests but really the fossil interests need to retire now and let the next generation come through . Pretending has also worn out.
If one tries to get Sue Higginson to talk about her policy to create $30 million dollars worth of conservation jobs in Kyogle, but only for Aboriginal people via the Aboriginal corporations whom she intends to award the public works contracts without tender, then one gets exactly the same unwillingness to talk about it from her. In a non-crisis situation
Wake up! Photo staging is all the go along with his pet squeegee
and preordained as it always is. No ifs or buts. “The Nowhere Man”
messes up again & again. Why is that. . . you may well ask. He’s not
not grown up.
Stefanie, it must be ‘end of days’ calling for ScottyfromMarketing when his go to of staged photo ops and pressers hit the skids.