Govt must urgently act on Upper House Floods Inquiry Recommendations: Greens
The Government must immediately implement the recommendations of the Upper House Flood Inquiry and do more to assist devastated communities, many of whom are still homeless, five months after experiencing extreme flooding, says Greens NSW MPs Cate Faehrmann and Sue Higginson, both of whom participated on the Inquiry.
Quotes attributable to Cate Faehrmann, Greens MP and member of the Select Committee on the Response to Major Flooding across New South Wales in 2022
"We urge the Government to immediately act upon these recommendations. It's completely unacceptable that people are still homeless more than five months after the floods hit Lismore and other parts of NSW,” said Cate Faehrmann.
“The stories that we heard from the many community members who gave evidence to the Inquiry were absolutely heartbreaking. They feel forgotten and ignored and worry that their circumstances may never improve.
“I was pleased that the committee recommended that the Government work with local government, industry and sustainable planning experts to help deliver more resilient and sustainable homes, buildings and places. This is a no-brainer but was a necessary recommendation after the scrapping of the Design & Place SEPP by Planning Minister Anthony Roberts soon after he got the portfolio to appease the developer lobby,” said Ms Faehrmann.
Quotes attributable to Sue Higginson, Greens MP, emergency services spokesperson, Lismore resident and participant on the Select Committee on the Response to Major Flooding across New South Wales in 2022
"The reality for many flood affected residents in my home on the North Coast, particularly Lismore, is that the delays in announcing land swaps and buybacks have been far too long and will now exclude some severely affected residents,” said Sue Higginson
"This report has recommended that long term housing solutions meet individual and community needs and that is exactly what traumatised flood survivors need. The last thing that these flood affected residents need is to be forced through more arduous bureaucracy and a reliving of their traumatic experiences.
"If the Government wants to help the survivors of these catastrophic floods then they should pay attention to the findings and recommendations of this report and act accordingly. The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation should be meeting the expectations of the NSW community and focussing on getting people at risk of floods away from the floodplain should they want it," said Sue Higginson