The latest NSW Auditor General report around The Resilient Homes and Resilient Lands Programs, administrated by The NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA), has found that programs were not effectively planned.
The $980m programs were established by the NSW government to support homeowners to recover and to build housing resilience in the Northern Rivers after the 2022 floods.
Additionally the AG found, “There have been persistent delays in the Resilient Homes Program” and “The Reconstruction Authority has not effectively administered the Resilient Lands Program”.
One per cent completion rate
Lismore resident, Greens MP and North Coast Spokesperson Sue Higginson said the program to protect flooded Northern Rivers homes has just one per cent completion rate.
She said, “Just 54 Northern Rivers homes have accessed house-raises and retrofits to protect against floods, despite promises of 4,400 house-raises and retrofits made in the aftermath of the 2022 flood catastrophe – a 1% completion rate in 4 years”.
“The NSW Auditor General has today released a report criticising the design and establishment of the Resilient Homes Program set up in the aftermath of the 2022 floods to assist in buying back, raising or retrofitting flooded homes.
“The report also highlighted that the Resilient Lands Program is yet to deliver a single home.
“The climate-fuelled floods of 2022 decimated the Northern Rivers region, and the Auditor General’s report today has illuminated just how botched and traumatic the flood recovery has been for our community,”
“As a Lismore local I saw first hand how communities were asked what they needed, told they couldn’t have it, were kept in the dark, and then promises that were made to flood survivors have been broken,”
“After the floods the NSW government swooped in and told our community they knew best. We made a considered and concerted call for relocations but we were told we couldn’t have that. Instead the government promised to buy back uninhabitable homes, and to mitigate flood risk by raising and retrofitting thousands of flooded homes. These promises have since turned to rubble,
“4,400 flooded households were promised raises or retrofits, but just 54 households have actually received them – a dismal 1% completion rate in 4 years, and a result of Labor Premier Chris Minns’ funding cuts,
“The failure of this program is having serious impacts on our community’s capacity and wellbeing. Lismore is changed forever, many of our kids have left because of the flood, they know there will be more climate fuelled floods to come and our once vibrant upbeat beautiful Lismore flood town community is still grasping for a vision of our future.
“I am calling on Labor Premier Chris Minns to urgently announce funding to raise and retrofit the thousands of flooded homes that remain in harm’s way. Every dollar we spend protecting homes now is hundreds of dollars we save in the future,” Ms Higginson said.
“The Auditor General has today released a report on the Resilient Homes and Resilient Lands Programs established after the 2022 floods, finding:
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There was no business case or cost-benefit analysis to inform the design and establishment of the Resilient Homes and the Resilient Lands Programs
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Key milestones for the Resilient Homes and Resilient Lands Programs were not set at program establishment
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Timely support for recovery was not available to flood-affected homeowners due to delays in program delivery
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The Reconstruction Authority has extended timelines for completion of the Resilient Homes Program twice
“In 2023, internal government documents compelled by Sue Higginson revealed the Prime Minister and Premier had agreed to slash $100m from the raise and retrofit stream of the Resilient Homes Program, reallocating the funding towards home buybacks. At a maximum cost of $100,000 per house-raise, this decision impacted at least 1000 homeowners across the Northern Rivers”.
The NSW Auditor General recommendations:
“By September 2026, the NSW Reconstruction Authority should”:
“1. identify and act on opportunities to accelerate the delivery of sites under the Resilient Lands Program, to ensure current program timelines and targets are met.
“1. identify and act on opportunities to accelerate the delivery of sites under the Resilient Lands Program, to ensure current program timelines and targets are met.
“By June 2027, the NSW Reconstruction Authority should: 2. work with councils to finalise and implement plans for: a) each of the areas with significant numbers of buybacks b) parcels of bought-back land that are isolated from other buyback sites
“3. document lessons learned to inform planning for future disaster resilience, recovery and adaptation programs, including land use planning activities
“4. ensure readiness for future natural disasters by: a) developing and implementing resilience and adaptation programs in anticipation of natural disasters and outside periods of declared natural disaster b) planning in advance for the timely implementation of disaster recovery programs, including meeting requirements for business cases and cost-benefit analyses.
“By March 2028, the NSW Reconstruction Authority should: 5. complete and publish the evaluation and ex-post cost-benefit analysis of the Resilient Homes Program and the Resilient Lands Program”.
Federal MP responds
Federal MP for Page, Kevin Hogan, said, “OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN LEFT BEHIND WITH THE LABOR GOVERNMENT’S FAILED FLOOD RECOVERY EFFORTS”.
“The NSW Auditor-General report released yesterday has reinforced everything that our community has been saying for years. The Resilient Homes and Resilient Lands Programs have failed.
“For a cost of nearly $1 billion little has been achieved. Lismore and surrounding villages are still exposed; our industrial estates and CBD are still no safer.
“There has not been 1 home built after 4 years. It will be over 5 years since the event before 1 home will be ready to move into. This is obviously not good enough.
“The buyback scheme has also failed. It has moved half a street and left the other half there. Over 1,000 homes identified to be bought back won’t be.
“The CSIRO Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative Report will be released next month. Governments must commit to funding and delivering recommendations to take 2 metres off the next flood.”
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