$312 million roads funding boost. It's a little being asked to go a long way in flood ravaged regional NSW, but it's still good news

 Approaches to Main Arm, NSW, March 2022

IMAGE: Byron Shire Council

IMAGE: ABC News

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Byron Shire Council, media release, 22 April 2022:

Byron Shire to share in $312 million roads funding boost

Byron Shire Mayor, Michael Lyon, has welcomed the news of the Australian and NSW Governments’ $312 million Regional Roads and Transport Recovery Package saying it will have long-lasting benefits for communities in the Byron Shire.

Mayor Lyon this week met the NSW Minister for Regional Roads and Transport, Sam Farraway, and other Mayors and Members of Parliament in Lismore, to hear details of the funding package and to discuss the way forward in relation to the repair and rebuilding of roads and infrastructure in the Northern Rivers.

“This joint funding from the Australian and NSW Governments will go a long way to ensuring our roads and bridges are not just rebuilt, but they will be to a standard that will better withstand future floods,” Mayor Lyon said.

“The term people use for this is ‘betterment’ – which in the context of a natural disaster is the process of building a damaged road or bridge back better than its original condition prior to the event,” he said.

“This is about building resilience into our road network which is a very encouraging development, it is something European countries do very well, spending money on prevention, rather than recovery.

“Traditionally, the State Government would only fund the restoration of an asset, leaving the cost of any identified improvements which could mitigate damage in a future event to Council.

“Given Council’s usually stretched financial situation, these improvements rarely, if ever, got funded.

“We have been lobbying for years for the idea of betterment to be funded as part of the recovery from a natural disaster, because it makes sense and it saves dollars in the long run as well as minimising disruption caused by these events,” Mayor Lyon said.

“The meeting with Minister Farraway, NSW Transport officials, local Members of Parliament, Mayors and General Managers was most valuable as we talked through how we can most effectively respond to the enormous rebuilding challenge before us and ensure that we have a coordinated, regional approach, given we are all competing in some way for the same resources.

“Minister Farraway has visited the region several times since the first flood and it has been impressive to know he listened to our concerns around betterment, the need for it and then to effectively lobby on behalf of our region and come up with a result for our community.

“It sets a good precedent for the future and our ability to be resilient in the face of the expected increased frequency of natural disasters.

“Simon Richardson, our previous Mayor, was very good at recognising the desire in other people to do good things, irrespective of their political flag and he was able to obtain funding for our area through this approach.

“I intend to seek to emulate this approach with the intention being to secure as much funding as possible for the benefit of our residents and businesses.

“The recovery in the Byron Shire, and in the Northern Rivers, is going to be a long, slow process, and it’s going to test everyone.

“This sort of financial package takes some of the pressure off and for this I am very thankful,” Mayor Lyon said.

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Palmwoods Road Reconstruction
March 2022
IMAGE: Byron Shire Council

Richmond Valley, Northern NSW, April 2022: in the aftermath of climate change-induced flooding the scale of devastation is still unfolding

"Rebuilding from this catastrophic event will require a supreme effort and support from all levels of government....

After seven Natural Disaster Declarations in just three years, as well as a global pandemic, Council believes this latest crisis will stretch our Northern Rivers communities to their very limits. 

There are strong connections across this region for employment, services and supplies and we are only just beginning to understand the potential flow-on effects of losing key industries, facilities and workers. 

In a region already challenged with severe housing shortages, rising unemployment, and limited access to essential building materials and services, providing short-term assistance will not fix the scale of devastation the Northern Rivers faces. 

It will take an enormous amount of effort and support for those affected to rebuild their lives"

[Richmond Valley Council, "Richmond Valley Flood", 5 April 2022]

Coraki on the mid-Richmond River before peak flood on Monday night. Photo: Supplied. The Land, 1 March 2022

Richmond Valley Council, April 2022:

Richmond Valley Flood 2022 Response

Richmond Valley Council has responded to the recent flooding crisis with a detailed report outlining the extent of the recovery challenge and its plans to rebuild its infrastructure, economy, and community.

The Richmond Valley Flood 2022 Response, which was handed to NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet on Tuesday, outlines the measures Council is taking in immediate response, and breaks down the estimated $150 million cost to repair critical infrastructure throughout the Richmond Valley, as well as the cost to local homes, businesses, the natural environment and the wellbeing of our communities.

It also looks to the future with plans to restart our regional economy and build back better so our community is more resilient to future natural disasters.

The study found the Richmond Valley’s economy could expect to experience significant loss of production over the next two years – estimated at $250 million. The biggest impacts are forecast to be in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors.

The unprecedented flood levels of the past month had damaged homes, businesses, and public infrastructure across the Richmond Valley and the report called on authorities and the government to assist in the recovery. Council has played a strong role in the initial disaster response but rebuilding will take a supreme effort and support from all levels of government.

The report details the response needed across infrastructure such as roads, waste, water and sewer and property damage. It outlines Council’s strategy for economic and social recovery with plans for housing, business, industry, the environment and future-proofing our area from natural disasters.

Council and the community acknowledge the tremendous support from emergency response agencies, NSW Police, the Australian Defence Force, Council staff and the many community volunteers who stepped up to help in one of the most challenging times for the Richmond Valley and Northern Rivers region.

The report can be found here: https://richmondvalley.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Rebuilding-Richmond-Valley-Revitalisation-Plan-s.pdf

NSW parliamentary committee calling for submissions to the Inquiry into the response to major flooding across New South Wales in 2022

Northern Rivers Times, 14 April 2022:

A parliamentary committee is calling, for submissions into an inquiry into the response to major flooding across New South Wales recently.

In particular, the inquiry will consider the preparation, coordination and response to the flooding experienced on the North Coast and in Western Sydney.

Committee Chair and Shadow Minister for the North Coast, the Hon Walt Secord MLC, stated: ‘The floods we have seen on the North Coast and in Western Sydney over the last few weeks have been devastating on local communities. A parliamentary inquiry was established to examine concerns raised by local communities about the adequacy of support and resources available to them.’

The Chair continued: “The committee encourages all interested stakeholders, including affected communities, organisations and experts, to share their experiences and views on the response to flooding across the state as this will help us to consider lessons for the future.”

In particular, the committee is seeking views on the:

• preparation, coordination and response by government agencies to the floods

• role, composition and resourcing of key government agencies involved in the flood response

• coordination between various stakeholders including the state government, federal government, local governments, private sector organisations and the community

• public communication, systems and strategies

• implementation of recommendations from inquiries into previous natural disasters

• overall effectiveness of the flood response.

Submissions close 8 May 2022 and can be lodged online.

[my yellow highlighting]

The committee will also be reaching out directly to local communities to encourage participation given that many people may be disconnected from the internet or otherwise may not have the resources to make a submission.

The Chair said: “We are aware that people in the most affected regions may be without services and are understandably focusing on rebuilding. For this reason, we are making every effort to liaise with local, state and federal members as well as local community groups to ensure that as many people as possible can contribute to the inquiry if they wish and as they are able.”

The committee will also hold public hearings on the North Coast and in Western Sydney, providing an opportunity for local communities to contribute directly to the inquiry.

[my yellow highlighting]

For information on making a submission please see the committee’s website and the terms of reference for the inquiry.

While the personal stories of those directly affected by the floods will be valuable to the inquiry, it is important to note that the purpose of the inquiry is to make recommendations to the government.

If you have a question about how you can make a submission or contribute to the hearings, please contact the committee secretariat on 02 9230 3067 or email floods@parliament.nsw.gov.au.

Click on image to enlarge

Select Committee Membership

Chair: Walt Secord, (ALP, LC Member)

Deputy Chair: Mark Banasiak, (SFF, LC Member)

Members:

Scott Barrett, (NAT, LC Member)

Catherine Cusack, (LIB, LC Member)

Cate Faehrmann, Cate (GRNS, LC Member)

Rod Roberts, (PHON, LC Member)

Penny Sharpe, (ALP, LC Member)

• Resolution establishing the committee - 23 March 2022

• Terms of reference - Response to major flooding across New South Wales in 2022

Cabbage Tree Island 2 April - post Northern NSW Floods Feb-March 2022 the island community's homes are in ruin and its families scattered and longing to return home

Cabbage Tree Island is on the Richmond River in Ballina Shire, Northern Rivers region. This area is within Nyangbul country of the Bundjalung Nation. In 1892 the NSW Aborigines Protection Board gazetted the island as an Aboriginal reserve.

According to Bundjalung oral tradition, during the 1890s a group of Aboriginal people in north-eastern New South Wales (NSW) walked from Wyrallah near Lismore and crossed to Cabbage Tree Island. They aimed to take possession of the land and clear the thick scrub to begin cane farming.

They quickly became self-sufficient. Kitchen gardens provided fresh vegetables; orchards and banana plantations provided fresh fruit and the rearing of cattle provided fresh meat and milk. The establishment of cane farms on the island gave the community a sense of independence.

The rivers, and the estuarine, wetland and sand dune environments on and around Cabbage Tree Island provided an abundance of wild food. There were always plenty of resources to share among the community:

‘… In those days, it was nothing, you know, to go out there [and] get pipis and bring them home. There was plenty to eat … when they’d go, the men used to go up the creeks and early in the morning in the boat, and come back with all these wild foods … they’d have koala, kangaroo, water lily bulbs and swans’ eggs and ducks’ eggs … but everything was shared, that was the beauty of everything.’ Aunty Yvonne Del-Signore, interview 26 January 2005, Boundary Creek. [Planet Corroboree, 28 September 2016] 

In 1911 Cabbage Tree Island's status was changed from reserve to station and the community lost its autonomy, freedom of movement and full right to farm the land. A non-Aboriginal man was installed a manager of the island and in practice farmed it on his own behalf.

It wasn't until the 1960s that autonomy began to be returned to Aboriginal families living on the island. 

The February-March 2022 floods have devastated this small community.

Cabbage Tree Island as floods recede & post flood 2022

That Lismore City has flooded a second time in 31 days is a surprise to no-one except perhaps the Perrottet and Morrison governments

 

Lismore Levee
IMAGE: ABC News 30 March 2022

The Wilsons River at Lismore began flooding again at 4.43am on Tuesday 29 March 2022. This is the second flood in thirty-one days - the first setting a flood record on 28 February 2022 when it peaked at 14.4m causing widespread devastation from which Lismore City Local Government Area is yet to recover. 

This should have come as no surprise to federal and state government cabinet ministers ensconced in Canberra and Sydney, as Lismore has a history of two floods in a year dating back almost as far as records have been kept.

However, the unfolding official response to this second flood event is almost as fractured and leaderless as the first. Once more communities are coping with just the assistance of local emergency services already stretched thin by the first flood's aftermath.

According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology at 2:10 am EDT on Thursday, 31 March 2022:

River level peaks were observed along the Wilsons River at Woodlawn around 3pm Wednesday and along Leycester Creek at Tuncester around 8pm Wednesday. 

A major flood peak of 11.40 metres was observed at Lismore around 5pm Wednesday. 

River levels along the Wilsons River at Lismore are likely to remain above the height of the levee during Thursday morning with major flooding, before easing further during the afternoon. 

Flood waters along the Richmond River combined with inflows from the Wilsons River have resulted in major flooding along the Richmond River at Coraki and Bungawalbin. Moderate flooding is occurring at Woodburn with major flooding possible. The main flood peak at 13.81m passed through Kyogle Wednesday night and is now approaching Casino where minor flooding is possible. 

 At 2:11am on Thursday 31 March 2022 the Wilsons River water level was recorded at 11.12m and rising and at 3am the Richmond River at 13.27m (Kyogle) and 11.70m (Casino). 

This could not be happening at a worse time in the history of Lismore City with a manifestly incompetent mayor at the helm of a new council and, state and federal governments more focussed on politics surrounding the forthcoming federal general election than they are on climate change-induced adverse weather events causing widespread regional flooding or the plight of the thousands of flood victims. 

NSW Floods February-March 2022: as Northern NSW prepares itself for another night of rain and flooding

Australian Bureau of Meteorology, 6:45pm Wednesday 30 March 2022

Tweed, Wilsons, Richmond, Orara and Clarence rivers currently 

experiencing minor to major flooding.

Click on images to enlarge for clarity

 

Northern NSW Floods February-March 2022: first the Prime Minister failed us, is he now setting out to betray us as well?

“The crisis was also the first true test of newly legislated powers introduced by the Commonwealth in response to royal commission recommendations following the unprecedented Black Summer bushfires – powers expressly designed for immediate and unilateral action by the federal government. These were not invoked until the 10th day of the flood event, when Morrison was able to get out of Covid-19 isolation and appear in Lismore personally for the announcement…..

There were three ADF helicopters in the air when conditions allowed on Monday, February 28, performing rescues of residents from their roofs and from churning floodwater. Clearly, any bureaucratic requirement for the ADF to become involved had already been triggered.

On March 4, the federal government offered NSW fewer than 300 Defence personnel for the flood crisis……

On March 5, almost a week after the Northern Rivers’ historic floods, the number of ADF personnel supposedly available for the response had more than doubled to 5000, although authorities could not explain where these troops were.

[Senior journalist and author Rick Morton, writing in The Saturday Paper, 19 March 2022]

Motorists trapped on Woodburn bridge cut off by floodwaters rescued.
IMAGE: ABC News, 1 March 2022

Cattle seek high ground in flood-hit Ballina, northern NSW. Farmers report ‘devastating impacts’. Photograph: Australian defence force/AFP/Getty Images, The Guardian, 2 March 2022.

The Saturday Paper, 19 March 2022:

Last week, New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet secured a “handshake agreement” with Prime Minister Scott Morrison that they would do “whatever is required” to support residents devastated by floods in the Northern Rivers region.

Over the weekend, NSW ministers and departmental officials worked to develop and test a recovery funding package. The details were finalised on Tuesday, before being signed off by the premier and passed through an out-of-session expenditure review committee.

At time of press, however, there had been no response from the federal government. Morrison’s office has gone silent.

“I’m not sure what the hold-up is,” a senior NSW government source told The Saturday Paper. “We’ve signed our package, is my point. And the prime minister’s office or the treasurer’s office has not come back to us to say ‘Hey, we have a question about this.’ ”

On Thursday morning, the source consulted another person while on the phone, to see if there had been any movement on the package.

“Still nothing. We are still waiting on the prime minister,” they said, and then, to the other person: “Do we know what the hold-up is? He’s campaigning in Perth? Is that the actual answer?” The second person clarified they had been told simply that Morrison is “unavailable”.

“Well, is he unavailable to review the package? Or unavailable to sign it off? Or unavailable to do the media announce?”

There was a pause. “Okay. So he’s not engaging on it.”

This is a story about the politicisation of a national catastrophe, and the lengths Scott Morrison will go to in order to deflect blame while manoeuvring to collect credit for doing the bare minimum….. [my yellow highlighting]

Read the full story here.

Refresh your memory about the scale of this catastrophic flooding.....

 

Posted by A Current Affair on 2 March 2022.

On 18 March 2022 both Scott Morrison & Damian Perrottet separately released details of a joint funding arrangement - some parts of which à la Morrison were re-announcements rather than new provisions along with unspecified assurances. Neither made mention of the proposed $10,000 grant to flood victims in NSW Northern Rivers region returning to their own homes or of $5,000 to renting flood victims.

BACKGROUND

News.com.au, 17 March 2022, excerpt:

News.com.au revealed on Wednesday night that residents of flood-ravaged towns in NSW would be offered $10,000 “back home” grants to rebuild their homes as thousands face months living in tents and caravans.

The grants are up to $10,000 if you own your own home and it is your principal place of residence. Renters will be eligible a $5,000 grant.

Landlords will also secure a $5,000 grant to clean up properties they rent out to tenants.

The package is also looking at further grants to primary producers of up to $25,000.

But a bitter war of words breaks over frustrations the Prime Minister is holding up the announcement, amid claims he refused to announce it on Wednesday because he was campaigning in Western Australia.

If Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison thought his partisan funding decision in the middle of a national emergency would go unnoticed, he has been daily disabused of that notion

ABC News, 17 March 2022:

NSW Liberal MLC Catherine Cusack says she is 'outraged' by Scott Morrison's announcement only some LGAs will be eligible for disaster payments.(ABC News)

A Liberal upper house MP is resigning and a Northern Rivers mayor has gone to the Governor-General over concerns about perceived favouritism in the allocation of federal flood assistance.

The neighbouring flood-affected LGAs of Ballina, Byron and Tweed – all in the Labor-held seat of Richmond – have not received the extra $2,000 per person support.

Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader said she supported the need for targeted funding, but the delay in emergency funding to hundreds of people in her region was not good enough.

"Why can't our people be supported now when they need it?" she said.

Ms Cadwallader met Governor-General David Hurley last week when he visited the flood-ravaged Northern Rivers region, including parts of the Ballina shire.

She decided to phone Governor-General Hurley again on Wednesday after "getting the run around" between ministers and government officials over the past week over the funding.

"He said: 'Haven't you got it yet?' And I said: 'No, we haven't your Excellency.'

"I've been doing lots of lobbying and getting nowhere."

In a statement, a spokesman from the Governor-General's office said General Hurley "is not involved in and does not intervene in operational or policy decisions" but noted he was "struck by the scale of the devastation and inspired by the grit, determination and generosity of the response".

Liberal MLC intends to quit

This issue of additional emergency disaster funding has been the catalyst for North Coast-based Liberal MLC Catherine Cusack to announce she will leave Parliament.

"The idea that being a flood victim in a National Party-held seat makes you more worthy than a flood victim who is in the Richmond electorate ... is probably the most unethical approach I have ever seen," she said.

Ms Cusack has been a vocal critic of her party before, crossing the floor on koala policy.

She said she has informed the Premier and Liberal Party state director of her decision and understood there would be a preselection process to follow.

"I can't defend it and I'm outraged by it."…..

"The whole Northern Rivers should have been given funding according to their need, not according to their LGA, it's unprecedented."

Ms Cusack was elected to the upper house in 2019, with her term due to end in 2027…... 

The Guardian, 17 March 2022:

Cusack, an outspoken upper house MP who represents the north coast, said she had informed the party’s state director of her intention to resign as soon as the party was able to hold a preselection for her position.

“I am so tired of it,” she said. “I don’t want to spend all day attacking and sounding bitter. I am not bitter – I just don’t fit into the new Liberal party culture and it drained all my energy trying.

“It’s an enormous relief to step away from it.”

While initial reports suggested Cusack would immediately quit, she told Guardian Australia she would wait until local branch members were able to vote for her replacement, both out of respect for her colleagues and to ensure “a constitutional preselection”.

“You may have noticed the Liberal Party finding it difficult to have aconstitutional preselection even for federal seats,” she said.

The NSW Nationals MP for Tweed, Geoff Provest, told local ABC radio he had lost faith in Morrison, saying he was “disgusted with the prime minister”.

“I just think the federal government has really messed this up … I can put it no other way, they’ve lost the faith of the people,” he said.

“Whether in the caravan parks or one of the little villages, there’s a real venom out there directed at the prime minister that he doesn’t understand what’s occurring on the ground. This is like a remake of the bushfires some two years ago.”

He said the decision to exclude residents in his seat and neighbouring Ballina was “deplorable”.

“You just have to drive around the area to talk to the people to see they’ve lost everything,” he said.

“The federal government is disconnected with the good people of Australia and we’re paying the price for it here … I think they should hang their heads in shame.”…..

NOTE: My yellow highlighting throughout.

In which Scott Morrison backpedals furiously in the face of Northern NSW anger – finally realising that it can be politically dangerous to test the patience of this region

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Senator Bridget McKenzie, Ministerial Media Release

Release Date

17 March 2022

Additional Commonwealth financial assistance made available for flood victims in Ballina, Byron, Kyogle and Tweed

More support is now available for families, farms and businesses affected by the catastrophic flooding disaster in northern NSW as part of an additional package of support from the Commonwealth Government.

The National Recovery and Resilience Agency (NRRA) and Emergency Management Australia have further assessed the flood extent area, the proportion of the populations affected, the latest residential impact assessments and the proportion of population seeking assistance for Disaster Recovery Payments to declare the Ballina, Byron, Kyogle and Tweed Local Government Areas (LGAs) impacted areas in need of additional support.

This next phase of support includes:

• An additional two weekly disaster payments - known as Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) Special Supplement - for affected residents in Ballina, Byron, Kyogle and Tweed will be automatically paid to those who have already claimed and received the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment, at the current rate of $1,000 per adult and $400 per child. These payments will be made from 22 March.

Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie said the NRRA has undertaken assessments of the affected areas and as a result the government had agreed to extend the AGDRP in the Northern Rivers Region.

“As the full scale and impact to these areas in northern NSW is being realised, the Liberal and Nationals Government is implementing this extra support as quickly as possible,” Minister McKenzie said…..

Full media release here.

Funding announcement delayed to meet election campaigning needs of Prime Minister 'Scotty The Announcer'  Morrison and time required to compare proposed grants with Minister for Emergency Management Bridget McKenzie's Coalition electorates white board?

News.com.au, 16 March 2022:

Flood-ravaged families in NSW will be offered $10,000 “back home” grants to rebuild their homes as thousands face months living in tents and caravans.

But a bitter war of words has broken out between the NSW Government and the Morrison Government over the announcement, with state MPs accusing the Prime Minister of holding up the cash relief as he campaigns in Western Australia.

The $1 billion plan is being finalised in a 50:50 split with the Morrison Government ahead of the May budget…..

The $1 billion “back home” program was signed off on by the NSW government in the last 24 hours at an extraordinary meeting of the expenditure review committee.

According to federal sources, it was sent to the Morrison Government on Wednesday morning.

Late last night, the Prime Minister’s office confirmed the $10,000 grants were under “urgent” consideration.

“The NSW Government’s proposal documentation was received this morning by the National Recovery and Resilience Agency and is under urgent consideration by the Commonwealth Government to ensure it meets both governments’ objectives to deliver immediate and longer term relief and support,” a spokesperson said.

“The Commonwealth Government hopes to finalise the details of the additional support very shortly.”

Somehow I don't think Scotty has heard the last of his monumentally inadequate Flood Feb-Mar 2022 National Emergency response....

The Australien Government has made an ad about this summer’s floods, and it’s surprisingly honest and informative 🇦🇺👽🌊https://t.co/Say9Kd0Haz

— theJuiceMedia (@thejuicemedia) March 17, 2022