NSW Labor no show with flood funds

A NSW government spokesperson has refused to answer Echo questions around why NSW Labor are yet to ask the federal government for grant money that was promised for flood-affected residents.

Flood-affected community groups are renewing their calls for the NSW Premier Chris Minns to request assistance from the Commonwealth to fully fund the promised flood recovery.

A February 13 letter to Mayor Michael Lyon from Labor Prime Minister Albanese expresses his willingness to jointly fund further flood recovery efforts in the Northern Rivers.

The Resilient Homes Program, administrated by the beleaguered NSW Reconstruction Authority, has been allocated half of the $1.5 billion promised.

Residents last year were told that new flood mapping excluded many homes from the Resilient Homes Program.

This was despite them being flooded in 2022, and residents applying for the program in good faith.

Thousands unsafe or unable to return home, says community group

The Community Disaster Action Group (CDAG) said in a statement last week, ‘thousands of families are still living in homes that are unsafe from future floods or unable to return home at all’.

‘The recovery and adaptation process has been inadequate, leaving thousands of people without dignified living conditions nearly two years later.’

A NSW government spokesperson told The Echo, ‘the NSW government holds regular discussions with the Commonwealth on the recovery effort in the Northern Rivers’.

‘The $700 million Resilient Homes Program and the $100 million Resilient Lands Program are the largest projects of their kind in Australia.

‘Our focus has been on delivering these programs and making sure they’re helping those who need it.’

CDAG added, ‘our community was explicitly told that if their homes flooded, they would receive support, yet we’ve been met with broken promises, delaying tactics and a lack of transparency’.