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.’
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