Incoming Greens MP Sue Higginson met with the Premier Dominic Perrottet and Deputy Premier Paul Toole today in her hometown of Lismore.
She says her community desperately needs more than the $20,000 recovery package announced today, on top of previous announcements.
‘Having the Premier visit today on his first day back on the job was a good sign and the immediate funding announced is welcome, but once again it is not clear what the eligibility criteria is and even if you qualify, it’s just not enough.
‘We need a response commensurate with the harm and the cause of the harm,’ said Sue Higginson.
Communities devastated
‘Our communities have been absolutely devastated by a catastrophic weather event which was followed by an extreme weather event in a matter of weeks,’ she said. ‘People have lost their homes and their livelihoods. We need more than just a quick cash splash to have any hope of recovery.
‘We need guaranteed income support for all affected communities and for the Premier to stand up to his Liberal-National mates in the federal government to demand they match all funding.
‘For the sake of our future, it’s also time to call this out for what it is: this is a climate emergency. Until we get serious about that nothing else really matters. We must never forget that lives were lost and hundreds of people just avoided death by clinging on to their roofs while their neighbours in tinnies rescued them.
‘With the climate changing, extreme weather events like this are becoming more frequent and more disastrous. Climate resilience and adaptation needs to be a core component in building and rebuilding our communities so that we are prepared for the future,’ said Ms Higginson.
‘If we have any hope of limiting climate catastrophe we must also begin rapidly decarbonising our economy including by phasing out coal and gas by 2030.’
Very valid points raised by the Sue.
“With the climate changing, extreme weather events like this are becoming more frequent and more disastrous. Climate resilience and adaptation needs to be a core component in building and rebuilding our communities so that we are prepared for the future,’ said Ms Higginson.
The rebuilding of Lismore needs some considered thought, to just rebuild / replace like it all was before the flood is just inviting more misery and despair when the next 14 metres plus flood arrives.
For those who believe Co2 caused the floods , Co2 is only .4% of the atmosphere, 3% of this .4% is produced by man, of this 3% Australia’s contribution is about 1%, Australia’s chief scientist has told the Australian government that if we reduced our Co2 to zero it would have no effect on world temperature, so if all you climate fear catastrophists believe Co2 is causing all this why do we hear no mention of China’s contribution , who produce in about 3 weeks what Australia produces in 1 year and they don’t have to do anything till 2060, so could the Echo produce the science that shows if Australia reduces Co2 to zero the climate will change.
Anton, you “Doing a Barrow” with your reference to Professor Alan Finkel.
I have extended the invitation to the Barrow to write in full what Prof Alan Finkel said about emissions reduction.
The Barrow hasn’t said a peep in response.
So I’ll extend the same invitation to you Anon, to write in full what Prof Alan Finkel said about emissions reduction.
By how much did Alan Finkal say the temperature would be reduced?
Anton, still “Doing a Barrow”.
We waiting…….write in FULL what Dr Finkel said.
You are cheerful soul Joachim !
If you know your NR flood history, you could know the 1800s were a terrible time for floods, the Clarence system being the worst.
The climate never stands still, it is always changing.
Not much extensive use of “fossil” fuels in 1800s – but they still got big floods and bush-fires…
Rob, the flood history is not pleasant.
Lismore didn’t before have a 14.4 metre high flood ,that broke the previous record by 2 metres, that was then followed 4 weeks later by another 12 metres high flood.
The climate science is in, a warming atmosphere fuelled by increasing GHG emissions from burning FF, is turbo charging extreme weather events and making the joint increasingly uninhabitable.
If Co2 is the cause of the floods why isn’t the whole of Australia flooded .
Did you know that between Jan to May during the cyclone season brings rain to eastern Australia and this being the El Nino season we are to expect more rain than usual ?
“…we are to expect more rain than usual”.
Lismore, SE QLD, Nepean-Hawkesbury, don’t worry that we had r e c o r d breaking rain event and devastation.
Just suck it up, nothing to see here, we just have to “expect more rain than usual.”
Yes indeed, more intense rain events is the new reality.
That’s what a warming climate that is fuelled by increasing GHG emissions delivers to us.
Joachin – if all use of ‘fossil fuel’ happened right to-morrow, all over Australia, it would make ‘diddly squat” to additional Global climate warming.
Perhaps to be true to your zealotry, you should should try to control Russia & China with their 1,000s of new and proposed coal-fired power stations ?
They are increasingly becoming economically and militarily stronger.
Be true to your warped ethos and start learning Cantonese/Mardarin now if you continue to go on with your one-eyed, country-destroying rant, or learn to defend Australia.
Oh dear, “Doing a Barrow” now.
If it’s not fully broken along with people’s life-lines & deaths mean nothing
then we can all just call it a day & tell science to rack-off & go back to the
middle ages as we ‘believe’ they were. The muddied mind accepts the easy
way out. Whatever you can do don’t bother doing it. It takes guts to make
a stand. Several scientists won’t call it a day. Guts & know-how is important
when the truth’s known. Have a happy day.
AD on. Forget Finkle . . . the world is now savaged with over-population & greed.
We need to sit down at the round-table & redesign our quite stupid wants (MMs)
that we demand & learn to be human again. NO NUKES for starters. Being over
governed by world-wide fools is no laughing matter.
Dear Anton, Rob Andrews & Neville C. Thompson – you misunderstand the situation. Australias emissions go globally and are contributing to a denser band at our atmospheres periphery that is letting light through but increasingly insulating the radiated heat – its the laws of Physics. As to Australias contribution – we are the second highest greenhouse emitters after Saudi Arabia per head of population – ie per head of population we emit more emissions than 25 million Americans or Chinese, under the management of our govt. Additionally now, the arrangement where each country accounted for the emissions from its imports, is broken, China, India etc have removed themselves from even that arrangement. So as one of the major coal and gas exporters we are exporting emissions to countries that have not even committed to net zero by 2050. Australia is a world leader in pollution per the population number. If you think that ‘our little bit’ doesnt matter, then see what response you get by chucking your garbage onto the street instead of into a bin for collection.
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