Following the devastating 2022 floods residents from Cabbage Tree Island have fought long and hard to be able to return to their homes on Cabbage Tree Island.
Fighting for homes
Residents challenged the decision to not allow them to return to Cabbage Tree Island and that was supported by the new Jali LALC board that was elected on 20 November.
New Jali LALC
Kylie Jacky was elected as Chair and Joanne Bolt as Deputy Chair of the new board at the Jali LALC’s AGM. This has led to a change of approach with the board meeting of 28 October, 2024 now voting ‘to support residents of Cabbage Tree Island to return to their homes’.
Jali Chairperson Ms Jacky alongside other board members including Virginia Paden, Marcus Ferguson, Joanne Bolt, Nathan Jacky and Jill Rokovada strongly encouraged members to ‘vote with their hearts for our family who have been displaced for almost three years’ and living in temporary accommodation at the Wardell Pod Village.
‘This is a momentous milestone in the long history of self-determination for the Nyangbul people of the Bundjalung nation to return to our beloved Cabbage Tree Island,’ Ms Jacky told the meeting.
James Davidson of JDA & co, who has had numerous years of experience rebuilding flood resilient homes throughout Queensland and Northern NSW, addressed the meeting of members and tenants saying he could not understand why the tenants had not been able to return to their homes in the days and months after the floods of 2022.
‘Cabbage Tree Island can be an example of a flood resilient community for NSW and Australia,’ said Mr Davidson.
Three pronged approach
Speaking to The Echo Ms Jacky said the Jali LALC is taking a three pronged approach to returning residents to Cabbage Tree Island.
The first approach is to retrofit and build back better for current housing at Cabbage Tree Island.
‘We will be using strategies that have been around for decades to rebuild with flood resistant materials so they are able to withstand future flooding,’ she explained.
‘This will be done under exempt development using rebuilding strategies that have been around for decades in Queensland. We are just leaning into what already exists. Once we have a new project manager selected and the materials ready then we estimate it will be six to twelve months to get the work done.’
In a series of member consultations prior to the vote at the members extraordinary event, consultant Rob Van Lersel from local planning company PlanIT reinforced local Ballina Shire Council and NSW state government agencies committed to supporting the members decision to return to the Island and to ‘build back better’.
House raising
The second pathway involves raising homes to the probable maximum height level and will involve submitting development applications (DA) for this to be done with either the BAllina Shire Council or NSW Planning depending on who is the authority.
‘That will facilitate against the impact of future flooding,’ said Ms Jacky.
‘There are 19 homes to be looked at and two are already are at probable max height level. All the others meet the 100 year level so we are not talking an extreme raise. We are looking at raising the buildings between 20cm and 100cm. With good architectural design retaining mobility access to dwellings etc is not an issue. This process will take up to two years.’
Not returning
For some residents the impact of the flood has left the with a preference for flood free housing and the Jali LALC is seeking to find appropriate housing within the Jali LALC area.
‘A small number of Cabbage Tree Island tenants do not want to experience another flood. They want homes on high, dry flood free land,’ explained Ms Jacky.
‘Weare working with the Aboriginal Housing Office to have spot purchased homes in areas within Ballina, Alstonville, Evans Head, Wollongbar. These will be homes within the Ballina Richmond areas where there is no flooding.’
They have government funding to help with the purchase of up to eight properties that will be owned outright by the Jali LALC.
‘We have been working with tenants over the past year and we are confident we have got the mix of housing needed right for our tenants and their future needs.’
This third approach is estimated to take between six to twelve months depending on availability in the market.
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