New Premier Chris Minns visits Lismore in the NSW Northern Rivers region

 

https://youtu.be/VjhckdT2Caw

 

Addressing flood trauma in Northern Rivers children thirteen months after a catastrophic unnatural disaster

 

The Sydney Morning Herald, “Northern Rivers in youth mental health crisis”, 20 March 2023, excerpt:

A soon-to-be-published resilience survey has found levels of depression and anxiety symptoms are now higher among Northern Rivers children and young people than the national average of earlier survey participants for some student groups.

Conducted almost six months after the February 2022 disaster, the survey was taken by 6611 school students, nearly 13 per cent of all young people aged between five and 19 in the region.

It found that almost one in three Northern Rivers primary students and more than one in three secondary students were at risk of depression and anxiety.

More than 40 per cent of primary students were at risk of trauma-related stress. For secondary students, it was almost 20 per cent.

Inundated, isolated, in despair: Floodwaters around Lismore’s St Carthage’s Cathedral and Trinity Catholic College.CREDIT:GETTY

Healthy North Coast, a not-for profit organisation delivering the Australian government's Primary Health Network program in the region, commissioned the research as the first step in its Resilient Kids initiative, funded by a $10 million grant from the National Emergency Management Agency.

Healthy North Coast chief executive Monika Wheeler said that the survey established a baseline which could help to measure the mental health and wellbeing of young people in the Northern Rivers over time.

She said young people reported generally feeling supported and connected within their schools and communities. However, the survey also highlighted areas to focus on in future.

"The Resilient Kids initiative will use local insights to design tailored mental health and wellbeing supports," she said.

"We know that successful recovery is based on understanding community context and is not a one-off event.

"It's multi-year, multi-layered, and our approach to supporting our young people might change over time as we see how they respond."

Tens of millions of federal and state dollars has been promised for mental health and wellbeing programs in the region's schools and wider community.

Safe haven hubs have opened across the region to provide free mental health support. Drop-ins are encouraged and there is no need for referrals or appointments. For young people, dedicated online and phone services also are available.

The difficulty is reaching those who won't, or can't, use these services.

Children's charities Unicef Australia and Royal Far West are rolling out a $4.5 million support program covering 30 state primary schools and preschools in the Northern Rivers and south-east Queensland.

Social workers, psychologists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists will enter school communities to help staff address learning delays in children.

Unicef Australia chief advocate for children Nicole Breeze said thousands of children will need intensive support, as the effects of the disaster can potentially remain hidden for years.

"Our first engagement in this space was after the Black Summer bushfires," she said. "With children the impact can stay hidden, it can take a year or two, sometimes three. The good news is that with the right support, at the right time, they can bounce back."

The plight of Northern Rivers children garnered international attention Last April when Prince William spoke online with Jeanette Wilkins, the principal of St Joseph's Primary School Woodburn, who told him the community had lost its school and "everything in it" and the mental health of the community had taken a major blow.

The school was underwater for eight days.

"We're two months down the track and nothing has changed, those 34 families are still displaced, so there's no certainty for those children," she told the prince.

"For us, the most important thing was to make contact with our families and our children, and as fast as possible to set up a school somewhere just to get the children back to some form of normality and start dealing with their trauma."

At Christmas, 29 families of students and staff at St Joseph's (more than half the students) were still living in some form of temporary housing such as a caravan, shed, shipping container or the shell of their flood-stripped home.

Ten Catholic schools in the Lismore diocese were directly affected by the floods, including St Joseph's. Three schools are inaccessible, and 1250 students are being taught in temporary facilities.

Morning tea and lunch are provided in some schools, as are new school uniforms and shoes, to help address absenteeism. A team of 30 counsellors is working in 23 schools, and community services provider Social Futures is operating in seven of the flood-hit schools to assist families in gaining to access additional mental health social and financial support.

Thirty-seven state facilities suffered significant damage, and five schools still operate away from their original site.

Northern NSW State of Play 2023: seven days out from the first anniversary of that catastrophic unnatural disaster, the Lismore & Northern Rivers Floods of 2022

⚡️⚡️NEWS FLASH ⚡️⚡️We are just about to hit the 1 year anniversary since the #LismoreFloods & just 1 person has been offered a buyback leaving 6999 people in limbo. My son & I were rescued from partners home (pic below). My partner has not even received a phone call #nswpol #fail pic.twitter.com/duPLUb7bY7

— Eddie Lloyd (@worldzonfire) February 19, 2023

 

The Guardian, 20 February 2023:

In February the hills and valleys of the New South Wales northern rivers are green and lush and fertile in the late summer sun. There is brightness in the madly proliferating tropical flora, radiance in the golden hour of the evening.

In the towns the mud has gone, mostly, and the smell too has faded; a semblance of normality returned to the main streets. As the foliage has returned, the devastation of the 2022 floods is more hidden now; the scale of what happened. The people who are changed.

As the anniversary of the disaster approaches, along with the cyclone season, for those left in the flood’s wake the impact is still unfolding. When the flood waters receded a year ago, for many, the disaster was only beginning.

“You could hazard a guess that something like 15 to 20,000 people were impacted,” says Professor James Bennett Levy from the University of Sydney Centre for Rural Health. “I would say there’s been huge collective trauma as well as individual trauma.”

“If I am doing a community event,” says Naomi Vaotuua, recovery and resilience officer for the Red Cross, “I will literally have grown men crying in my arms because it’s a cloudy day and they thought they were doing alright but they have been triggered.”

Kerry Pritchard, coordinator of recovery Hub 2484 in Murwillumbah, says: “I guess what is surfacing now is more residual complex trauma. We feel like we are still very much in the middle of it, at the coalface of supporting people. That is both in terms of rebuilding in a physical sense and also healing from that traumatic event.”

The northern rivers floods were Australia’s biggest natural disaster since Cyclone Tracy in 1974. It was the second-costliest event in the world for insurers in 2022, and the most expensive disaster in Australian history. Many residents had found premiums unaffordable and had no insurance at all.

The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC), funded by the federal and NSW governments, is currently assessing over 6,000 flood-impacted residences for buyback, raising or retrofit.

A survey released this month by Southern Cross University revealed that nine months after the event, at the end of 2022, almost 52% of flood victims were living in the shells of homes that had flooded; 26% were living in temporary accommodation such as caravans, sheds or pods, or with friends or family; 18% were living in insecure accommodation such as tents or temporary rentals; and 4% were no longer living in the region.

The departure of thousands of locals is one of the things that broke the heart of city councillor and executive director of Resilient Lismore, Elly Bird. “They are disconnected from their community and the people they went through that experience with and disconnected from our recovery journey and support. They are probably having a hard time,” Bird says.

Hanabeth Luke, senior lecturer in science and engineering at Southern Cross University, and one of the researchers behind the survey, said she was “shocked to see the low, low levels of mental health. Twenty percent of people said they were coping with the stresses and challenges of recovery and 60% said they were not coping.”

It is the housing uncertainty causing mental health strain, Luke says; the stress of “not being able to move forward, making do without a clear plan”. People live in substandard dwellings while they wait on government assessments or insurance payouts, not knowing whether to fix a house or if they might get a buyback. People camp out in caravans outside dilapidated abandoned houses, houses they are still paying mortgages and rates for. Families squeeze into a single motel room where they are not allowed to cook or have their pets.

Up until last month, the Koori Kitchen was still serving around around 700 free meals a day at Browns Creek car park in Lismore, says Koori Mail general manager Naomi Moran. It was forced to close as the council wanted the car spaces back to help support local business recovery.

These things take their toll.

“What has been found is that the more you were likely to have been scared of injury or death, the higher the likelihood of PTSD,” says Bennett Levy. “Similarly, the more extensive the inundation the more likelihood of significant mental health issues. If we go back to the data we can say that the people who are displaced from home for more than six months are at very high risk of PTSD.”

Pritchard sees the data borne out in real life. “A year out and people are just worn down, they’re exhausted, they’re losing hope and just can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re seeing a lot of suicidal ideation.” People who have always worked hard and supported themselves find themselves having to ask for help, she says. “There are a lot of feelings of shame and impotency around that.”

Those who could afford insurance are now coming to the end of the 52 weeks of temporary accommodation paid for by their insurers. For those locals, there is anxiety about whether they will get into the 11 pod villages built by Resilience NSW across the region. The villages aim to house 1,800 people for up to three years. Another 300 people are still in emergency accommodation…..

Read the full article here.

Southern Cross University, New Southern Cross study reveals ongoing housing and mental health challenges for flood-affected, 7 February 2023:

A new Southern Cross University survey has shown almost 50 per cent of Northern Rivers flood victims were still displaced nine months after the devastating floods and landslides of 2022.

The survey, conducted by Southern Cross researchers in the latter months of last year, aimed to gain a better understanding of the ongoing struggles faced by flood-affected communities. The results paint a stark picture.

Of the 800 survey respondents, 52 percent were back living in a home that had flooded, while 26 per cent were either living in temporary accommodation such as caravans, sheds or pods, or with friends and family. A staggering 18 per cent of people reported they were living in ‘other’ insecure or crisis accommodation such as tents or temporary rentals and four per cent were no longer living in the region.

One fifth of respondents reported it was hard to find out what support was available to them, suggesting insufficient variety in information channels used to communicate with flood-affected residents. Additionally, nearly one third of insured survey respondents reported being ineligible for an insurance payout, and many cited excessive bureaucracy as a major barrier to accessing funding for recovery efforts. Survey respondents had to fill out an average 6-8 forms each to receive any financial assistance.

The Insurance Council of Australia estimates the cost of the 2022 east coast floods to be around AUD $5 billion in insurance damages. The Southern Cross survey results showed that while the most common cost of the flood was between $201,000-$500,000 to each respondent, the most common maximum amount received at the time of completing the survey was a tenth of that, at $21,000-$50,000.

"The findings of this survey are a sobering reminder of the ongoing impact of the floods on the Northern Rivers community," said lead researcher Dr Hanabeth Luke.

“Flooding has affected dozens of rural and urban communities around the country and continues to do so, most recently in Western Australia. There are important learnings from this that can guide us and others to be better prepared next time,” she said.

Elly Bird, Executive Director of Resilient Lismore – a community organisation and partner in the survey – said "just 20 per cent of respondents report they are coping with the stresses and challenges of recovering from the floods, and more than 80 per cent agree that community hubs have been essential to their recovery.

“Nearly 60 per cent of respondents still need help with access to tradespeople, and more than 45 per cent require access to building materials. This is holding up the recovery and needs to be addressed urgently.”

Many respondents reported not ‘being able to plan’ as a significant challenge.

The majority (96 per cent) of survey respondents saw community preparedness as most important for mitigating future events, with engineering solutions receiving a lower level of support than all other options.

"This study is a crucial tool in the ongoing efforts of our community to build back. Tapping into the experiences of those affected will help shape services and streamline processes and hold us in better stead for future events,” said Ms Bird.

Download the survey results here [PDF]

A year on and people still don’t know what the Government is going to do.

The NSW Gov has failed the Northern Rivers.

— Donatello (@Donatello_Oz) February 20, 2023

https://youtu.be/vfAF60gjnMA

NORTHERN RIVERS NSW STATE OF PLAY JANUARY 2023: in 39 days time it will be exactly one year since a catastrophic extreme flood devastated Lismore

 

As this sad milestone approaches for Lismore residents it must often feel as though the pain will never stop.

ABC News, 18 January 2023:

The Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW says it has received dozens of complaints about power bills issued for unoccupied flood-affected homes & businesses on the state's Far North Coast.

Lismore business owner Anne Walker said she had not used her business premises since it was flooded in February 2022, but months later she received messages from her retailer that said she owed more than $700.

"The texts were coming in saying if I didn't pay this amount, they were going to discontinue my electricity, which is ironic because there was no electricity," she said.

Ms Walker spoke to her provider in October to address the issue, but it took until last week to be resolved.

"It was very stressful — extremely stressful," she said.

The ombudsman's office recorded 55 complaints from the Northern Rivers since the start of September, including 28 from the Lismore area.

"Often there's no resident there, the property is not occupied and, of course, the billing doesn't reflect the fact that," said ombudsman Janine Young.

"[There is] either no usage or, where there is some usage, it's overestimated."

Estimated bills to be reviewed

Residents who spoke to the ABC said the incorrect bills they received were based on estimates of their usage.

This occurs when a meter reader is unable to access a property to record the energy usage, so an estimated bill is issued by the energy provider.

In the case of a situation that has led to vastly reduced energy usage, or no usage at all, Ms Young said the rules for bill estimates needed to be reviewed.

"When estimates are done, the rules allow an estimated bill based on the same period the prior year, or on what a comparable customer might be," she said.

"When there's been floods & there's been no usage, if you're getting an estimate based on the prior year, that's completely wrong.

"Those rules have to be looked at."

Customers should first try to resolve any dispute with their retailer, but those left dissatisfied could turn to Ms Young's office for help, she said.

"We've had outcomes where we've got the bill waived, where we've had the daily supply charges waived as well," Ms Young said.

"The retailer is much more aware of the customer circumstances & when it's likely that the property can be again inhabited — if it can be."

No meters, no power

Adrian Walsh from Broadwater said he received an estimated usage bill of about $800, despite not having power after the flood.

"When I first rang up & complained [to the retailer] ... their solution was to pay the bill & perhaps I could claim it back later," he said.

"I wasn't really in the mood for that."

Bungawalbin's Keely Patch said metering equipment damaged by the floods was still not working in her area.

Despite having only a single working power point in her home, Ms Patch said she was sent estimated usage bills that totalled $800.

"If estimated bills are based off previous usages, that kind of gets taken out of the picture when, for months, there was no usage at all," Ms Patch said.

"Since the bills have come in, I've only been running a fridge & some lights & that's pretty much all I've got."

The ABC heard from people who were experiencing similar issues across a range of energy retailers.

In a statement, Origin Energy said it was committed to supporting customers affected by floods…...

Red Energy said it stopped billing & debt collection activities in the aftermath of the floods while it assessed the situation…….

Exclusive: Only one-fifth of the $1.6bn promised to flood-ravaged communities in the Northern Rivers region of NSW has been paid out by the Perrottet government, new data reveals. @australian https://t.co/SAmCfpvdxe

— Max Maddison (@maxmaddison) January 18, 2023

....Eleven months ago, an unprecedented deluge swept across the eastern seaboard, inundating towns across southeast Queensland and northern NSW, in one of the worst recorded flooding disasters in the nation’s history.

With communities such as Woodburn, Kyogle and Nimbin in the northeastern corner of NSW facing a monumental rebuild, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet vowed not a dollar would be spared in the recovery effort, saying those who had lost homes were a primary concern.

But of the $1.6bn promised by the government in May last year, Service NSW data reveals only $322.2m has been distributed eight months later.

Inordinately high numbers of grants had been ruled ineligible by the government, with more than 67 per cent of small business grants rejected.

South Lismore cafe owner Tony Zammit said his experience in the aftermath of the floods had been positive, but he had faced issues applying for the small grants program later on, with multiple applications green-lit by Service NSW staff before being subsequently rejected.

“Early on they were helpful but as time went on it became daunting. By the end, honest claims and applicants were treated as criminals,” Mr Zammit, the owner of The Sassy Bean cafe, said.

One near-$50,000 claim was deemed ineligible by Service NSW because assessors could not verify an $1100 electrician’s bill, he said. When he attempted to resubmit his claim, Mr Zammit was told he could not submit any of the same receipts as they had all been deemed fraudulent.

More than 80 per cent of rental support applications have been declined, while of special disaster grants available to farmers and primary producers, only $116m of $302m claimed has been paid out, despite 86 per cent of applications being approved or rejected.

Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke warned in May last year the government had an “obligation” to ensure the proper processes were in place to filter out fraudulent grant applications. The NSW government’s independent 2022 flood inquiry noted concerns among flood-impacted farming communities that there were “onerous processes for accessing grants, and for submitting development applications”.

An upper house inquiry reached similar conclusions, finding a lack of streamlined grants processes meant applicants were repeatedly interviewed, “leading to frustration and trauma”, while a lack of assessors on the ground “delayed the rollout of grants”…..

The Promise vs The Reality of post-flood housing for homeless victims of the Northern Rivers climate change-induced 2022 unnatural disaster

 

THE PROMISE

NSW Government, website excerpt retrieved 28 December 2022:

Northern Rivers temporary housing sites

Temporary housing sites will host groups of temporary modular homes (also called pods) and caravans. The sites will include supporting infrastructure and amenities. They will vary in size, depending on the land and available amenities.

The temporary homes are stand-alone accommodation units that range from studios to 3-bedroom units. Some temporary homes will have their own internal facilities. Some sites will have communal bathrooms and kitchen facilities.

Temporary homes are rent-free for up to 2 years. Power and water costs are also included during that time. Residents are responsible for their own internet costs. For caravan residents, there may be some costs for waste management. The community housing provider will discuss any ongoing costs with residents.

How long will the temporary homes be available?

The temporary housing sites will be available for up to 3 years. The time will depend on what is needed by the community. Residents can live in the pods while they find and settle back into long-term housing. This will allow time for rebuilding homes, moving, or finding a rental property.

THE REALITY

The Daily Telegraph, 27 December 2022, p.6:

Flood victims are calling for urgent help after many spent Christmas sleeping in their cars or under their houses while emergency housing pods built specifically for them stand empty on the side of the road.

The Daily Telegraph found 10 empty purpose-built pods on the roadside just four kilometres from the centre of Lismore where Julia Melvin is still living in her car under her flood-damaged home.

Ten months after the catastrophic floods there are still officially 765 people in emergency accommodation – not counting those staying with friends or family or in their cars – and four of 11 pod housing sites still under construction.

Frustrated residents believe the $350 million spent on temporary housing, including unused pods by the now decommissioned Resilience NSW, could instead have been used to help fix the shortage of 18,600 homes across the Northern Rivers.

Ms Melvin, 62, is sleeping in her car underneath her home near the river in Lismore with her dog Bella after being rescued from the house in a tinny last February.

“I cannot live in the house so I have to sleep in the car,” the graphic designer said through tears. “Talking about it is still pretty tough.” Ms Melvin would like to move her entire house to a new location but while she battles to do so she could have been living in an emergency pod.

“I haven’t been offered anything,” she said.” It’s been inertia, totally shambolic.” The emergency housing pods, costing up to $170,000 each, were meant to be a quick fix to provide flood victims with temporary housing. But the rollout has been slow with local residents opposing their construction on ovals and public land.

A site with 52 self-contained pods that can house 200 people only opened on land at Southern Cross University in Lismore last month – nine months after the floods hit. There are other sites at Coraki, Evans Head, Kingscliff, Pottsville, Wardell and Wollongbar. Four more are under construction.

Lismore state Labor MP Janelle Saffin, who is still working out of a temporary office because hers was damaged in the floods, said rather than leaving 10 pods empty on the side of the road it would have been better to put them on private land so people could use them.

“It could have been managed better. No one knows what is being spent. It is awful and heartbreaking,” she said.

“They have said people will be in the pods for a couple of years. It might have been better to do modular homes in the beginning and let people buy them in the future.” NDIS worker Gray Wilson and partner Lisa Walmsley were due to move into their new home in Brewster St the day after the floods hit. They desperately want one of the pod homes.

“I was waiting for someone to contact me but I never heard back,” Mr Wilson said.

A NSW government spokeswoman confirmed there were 765 people in emergency accommodation in northern NSW, including in motorhomes and motels, despite $350m being spent on “medium-term accommodation”.

“The rollout of this housing program has faced challenges, particularly the persistent wet weather which has hampered construction,” she said.

The spokeswoman said 546 temporary housing units across 11 sites would eventually have the capacity to house more than 1800 people.

On 25 December 2022 SQM Research recorded a total of 110 rental listings for the Lismore City postcode of 2480, which includes East, West, North and South Lismore, Goonellabah and Girards Hill . Only three of these properties were long-term rental, the majority (92 dwellings) being rented out for periods under 30 days.

Property investors are reportedly buying up flood damaged dwellings on the market at bargain prices with the aim of renovating and placing these properties on the financially favourable rental market.

Taking a walk with Twitter through Lismore City's still devastated streets

Mali brave young person from my flood ravaged community Lismore charged with NSW Govt draconian protest laws. Court heard what climate anxiety is - dismissed charges. Imagine if Coalition did as much to stop climate change as it does to criminalise people who are worried about it pic.twitter.com/GtFDXvDPUb

— Sue Higginson (@SueHigginson_) September 27, 2022

Lismore today, a full seven months after the February floods this year. pic.twitter.com/FgxEtfLPwO

— Spiritonajourney (@LawsofLORE) September 30, 2022

This is a main street in Lismore today, 7 months after the flood. This is NOT GOOD ENOUGH. We are stuck in limbo, traumatised & losing hope. Pls sign this petition calling on ⁦@Dom_Perrottet⁩ to front up to Lismore & give us some answers. #nswpol https://t.co/O9aXvD1b96 pic.twitter.com/4EJkEb4zyi

— Eddie Lloyd (@worldzonfire) September 29, 2022

Saturday morning in Lismore CBD Molesworth st. People writing on their boarded up shops, crying out for help. Please sign our petition calling on the Premier to come to Lismore & give us some answers about our future #LismoreInLimbo ⁦@Dom_Perrottet⁩ https://t.co/r5yhnNZr6c pic.twitter.com/1MBnZZ9ecv

— Eddie Lloyd (@worldzonfire) September 30, 2022

Saturday morning in Lismore CBD Molesworth st. People writing on their boarded up shops, crying out for help. Please sign our petition calling on the Premier to come to Lismore & give us some answers about our future #LismoreInLimbo @Dom_Perrottet https://t.co/3pPktW4gIL pic.twitter.com/rHrmnKjSrB

— Eddie Lloyd (@worldzonfire) September 30, 2022

@worldzonfire, 1 October 2022

There are currently around 77 Apprehended Violence Orders listed before Lismore Local Court from 4 to 24 October 2022.

Possibly one of the signs that since March 2022 post-flood stress has been taking a heavy toll on the community.

BACKGROUND

The Northern Star, 26 September 2022:

There are approximately 4000 businesses in Lismore, and 3000 were flood affected, according to Lismore Chamber of Commerce president Ellen Kronen.

Many businesses relocated to surrounding towns like Ballina or Alstonville temporarily, but it’s unlikely some will return.

Very few Lismore businesses have publicly announced they are leaving permanently.

About 100 have left so far, but Ms Kronen suspects as many as 10 per cent won’t come back.

“I think some of those have an intention of coming back but they probably won’t,” Ms Kronen said……

The bigger corporates like Officeworks and Spotlight are coming back just fine. But the problem is the local small, and micro businesses are struggling to get back operational.

Ms Kronen said 80 per cent of flood damaged Lismore businesses are still operating on one power point six months on from the devastating February floods – with commercial landlords struggling to finance repairs.

Grants for flood affected businesses may be the difference between shop owners who’ve been struggling to generate an income for six-months staying or leaving, Ms Kronen said.

“When you look at the number of buildings that are empty, often it’s a lack of money that the landlords just don’t have, or they’re just so stretched that you know, they can’t finance anymore.” she said.

“I know people love bagging landlords, but my experience with landlords ... they want businesses back in their building, because that’s their income.”

Lismore business owners have been left in the dark while electricity retailers and government play hot potato on the responsibility of reconnecting flood damaged premises, Ms Kronen said.

Stores are reporting service fees and power bills for electricity for derelict and uninhabitable buildings, followed by threatening debt collection notices.

“It’s just another layer of stress on top of everything else,” Ms Kronen said.

Electricity retailers are working to resolve the issues with individual businesses, but Ms Kronen, owner of Made In Lismore, said it’s too little too late.

“They seem to be a little bit tone deaf when they’re fielding complaints or trying to explain the situation,” she said.

“I had someone from overseas answer my call who didn’t even know about the Lismore floods.”

Ms Kronen said Essential Energy did a great job getting power back online in Lismore, but the town has been left with the bare minimum and shop owners are surviving on emergency infrastructure.

Murray Watts, Senator for Energy Management, was going to visit a delegation of flood affected Lismore businesses - only to cancel at the last minute, Ms Kronen said.

“If all levels of government know what’s going on then we might actually see something happen,” she said.

“The government could have a conversation with the power companies to have a better response next time.

“I hate saying ‘next time’, but there will be a next time.”

The Australian (Online), 26 September 2022:

Medical peak bodies are calling on the federal government to provide an immediate $15m injection of funds to help health services recover, endorsing a proposal put forward by the NSW Rural Doctors Network.

They also want all regional and rural health services classified as essential services for the purposes of support and recovery in the event of a disaster, which would open up access to immediate financial support and resources to rebuild damaged or destroyed health facilities and replace equipment.

The calls to prop up struggling medics in Lismore comes as the nation faces a looming doctor shortage crisis, particularly in the regions and the bush. The Royal Australian College of GPs has called a General Practice Crisis Summit in Canberra on October 5 to “tackle the most pressing issues affecting patient care”……

In Lismore, local medics estimate that about half the private medical workforce is no longer practising in the area. The town lost three major GP clinics and Lismore Base Hospital’s emergency department is overloaded.

With most given only $50,000 emergency relief grant funding, doctors and pharmacists have been struggling to repair destroyed premises and replace expensive medical equipment lost in the floods. Many were not insured for flood, given the risks in the area, and have had to take out hundreds of thousands of dollars in commercial loans to rebuild.

Pharmacist Kyle Wood, owner of Southside Pharmacy which has two premises in Lismore destroyed in the floods, estimates he has had to spend between $1m and $1.5m to rebuild and restock the chemists.

“Everyone is just running on empty, stressed and fatigued,” Dr Wood said.

The business lost a lot of specialist equipment it used to supply to patients and the hospital, such as commercial breast pumps, electric patient lifters and rehabilitation equipment.

Dr Wood has received an extra $150,000 in relief from the NSW government but it is only a fraction of his costs. “The government was willing to give Norco $35m to keep them alive, I think they had 170 jobs there. We’re asking for half that. There’s far more people employed in health services in Lismore. We have more than 30 people employed in our two stores.”

Australian Medical Association president Steve Robson said he was not prepared for the devastation and the conditions health workers were dealing with when he toured the region last week.

“The personal toll still being borne by the community is shocking,” he said.

“No community health service provider should have to experience the funding uncertainty that healthcare businesses in the Lismore region have faced over the last 6½ months.

“Lismore is the blueprint for ensuring all health services are treated as essential services. It’s time to act now before parts of this great country become dystopian landscapes of desperate climate refugees with no access to health, housing and other basic human rights.”

ABC North Coast, 27 September 2022:

…...Former Lismore City councillor Eddie Lloyd launched the petition, saying the uncertainty was compounding people's trauma & anxiety.

"It's been seven months now & we're still in limbo in terms of our future, waiting for bureaucrats to tell us what's going on & who will be eligible for a buyback & land swap," she said.

Premier Dominic Perrottet & Deputy Premier & Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole have been approached for a response.

The state member for Lismore, Labor MP Janelle Saffin, said the "radio silence" from the government was unacceptable.

"People need to be informed," she said.

"We can live with things slowing down a little bit if we know it's coming … [but] the communications from the state government on flood recovery [has been] appalling."

In August, the government's independent flood inquiry was released, recommending people in the highest-risk areas of the Northern Rivers be "urgently" relocated by way of land swaps & buybacks.

Many expected expressions of interest for such schemes to have been announced in late July or early August following an announcement by the head of the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation.

They were disappointed when it was later announced that expressions of interest would be used to identify land that could be considered for future developments…..

Mr Witherdin [Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation chief executive] said an announcement about buybacks, land swaps, house raising or resilient rebuilding was contingent on funding from the state & federal governments.

"These are really significant investments from a government perspective — you're talking hundreds of millions, into billions, so it's a matter of getting the data there to support that," he said.

"Once we get that [decision] we can lock in on clear dates & give the community that road map of how we roll [it] out."

Ms Saffin said despite the delays there would be assistance for flood affected residents.

"There's a commitment there to do it, so please take heart in that," she said.

"But equally, the government should have done it sooner — & it was promised that it would be done sooner & we're still waiting for those expressions of interest."

As Northern Rivers residents brace for a third consecutive La Niña & the very real possibility of more flooding, Ms Lenane said having hope for the future in the form of some certainty around rebuilding or relocating would be like a light at the end of the very dark tunnel.

"I'd really love a piece of that hope right now," she said.

Australian Bureau of Meteorology, 27 September 2022:

La Niña conditions increase the chance of above average spring and summer rainfall in northern and eastern Australia. When a La Niña and a negative phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole coincide, the likelihood of above average rainfall over Australia, particularly over the eastern half of the continent, is further increased.

Bureau climatologists will continue to closely monitor conditions in the tropical Pacific as well as model outlooks for further developments.