When it comes to trashing the built environment & amenities in small regional towns the Minns Labor Government is as big a destructive bully as its Liberal-Nationals predecessors

 

This is a cruel hoax being perpetrated by the NSW Minns Labor Government which benefits no-one except financial speculators and slapdash property developers 

Echo, 21 December 2023:

The latest ‘affordable housing’ reforms by the NSW Labor government have been roundly criticised by the peak body representing councils, with Local Government NSW (LGNSW) saying it ‘further erodes council involvement in town planning, giving developers increasingly free rein in both city and country’.

The legislation that governs NSW ‘affordable housing’ is the State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP), and a revamped SEPP came into effect last week under NSW Labor, which aims ‘to make it faster and easier to build more affordable housing’.

It followed the original policy announcement made earlier in June.

A joint statement by Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully, and Minister for Housing, Homelessness and the North Coast, Rose Jackson, spun a positive message around the reform, including amendments ‘to ensure the bonuses are available to Build to Rent developments, by allowing them to apply in commercial zones, even if residential accommodation is prohibited under the relevant Local Environmental Plan (LEP)’.

Inconsistent statements

Ms Jackson said, in the media release, ‘These reforms are about bringing together all key delivery partners while making sure we consider the views of councils and communities, so we get high quality homes supported by the right infrastructure and amenity.’

Yet LGNSW president, Cr Turley, said the new SEPP removes councils from the approval process, which removes community checks and balances, and that the reforms also do not address how the infrastructure required by the additional density and growth in population would be funded.

‘You can vote out a council which makes planning decisions you don’t support, but you have no such power to get rid of the bureaucrats,’ she said.

The Echo asked the office of Ms Jackson why she believes councils’ views were considered in the revised SEPP, given the views of LGNSW.

Additionally, The Echo asked how can the NSW government ‘be confident that their affordable housing reform will be effective, given there is no measure of effectiveness in this reform?’.

Also, ‘Does Ms Jackson support a parliamentary inquiry into the SEPP to establish how affordable housing outcomes can be measured and improved?’

Ms Jackson’s reply will be published if received.

Cr Turley added the SEPP change also allows developers of the biggest buildings to bypass every single component of the council approval process, leaving no protection for local communities.

‘Under the State Significant Development (SSD) pathway, communities will be at the mercy of faceless government bureaucrats any time a building costs more than $75m in the city, or $30m in regional areas’, she said.

The NSW Minns Government continues to make the right noises about ceasing residential development on the state's floodplains, however it is uncertain how committed it will be in practice given the pressure construction & development industries can bring to bear

 An number of uncomfortable caveats are apparent in the following statements made concerning New South Wales floodplains....

*yellow highlighting in this post is mine*

AAP General News Wire. 3 November 2023:

More planned developments could be scraped in NSW after a state government report found there was a risk to residents' lives in flood plain areas.

Plans to build extra homes on high-risk flood plains could be shelved across NSW after the state government axed the rezoning of land on Sydney's outskirts.

The decision to scale back the developments on the city's northwestern fringe followed a state government flood report that declared there would be a “risk to life” in the case of a mass evacuation.

Planning Minister Paul Scully said the government was considering extending the measure to any dangerous flood plain area, although he declined to give a clear definition of what that would entail.

"It's one, not unreasonably, that puts lives at risk," he told a budget estimates hearing on Friday.

"The definition of dangerous will vary based on the frequency, the severity (and) the capacity for people to leave."

The state government on Sunday announced it was scrapping rezoning plans for Marsden Park North and parts of West Schofields, which were due to be developed with more than 10,000 homes.

Plans for a new Riverstone Town Centre will also no longer go ahead.

The decision followed the release of a flood evacuation report, which found there was a risk to life in areas such as the Hawkesbury-Nepean basin.

Mr Scully on Friday described the area as the plain with the highest unmitigated flood risk of anywhere in Australia.

The report said the number of people unable to evacuate from the region in the case of a flood increased significantly if all potential development was to occur.

"For example, for a 1-in-500 chance per year flood (similar to the worst flood on record), the risk to life would increase from an estimated 980 people under committed development to around 23,700 people by 2041," it read.

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman called on the government to be transparent about its modelling, referring to criticisms of the evacuation report by former NSW Police deputy commissioner Dave Owens.

"Obviously governments cannot be reckless and put people in harm's way," he told ABC Radio.

Pressed at estimates about whether the government would stop housing developments in other flood-plain regions, such as Clarence Valley in the Northern Rivers, Mr Scully said he was "looking at all options".

"Where there are cases where we believe there should be an intervention, that will happen," he said.

"As a broader policy work, that continues.

"We absolutely won't put lives unnecessarily at risk by building on dangerous flood lines."

Mr Scully said if housing developments did not go ahead, the land could be used in alternative ways.

"Just because you can't use a piece of land for residential use, doesn't mean you can't use it for other uses ... there's sporting fields, there's biodiversity, there's the potential for areas to be zoned as industrial or commercial," he said.

Deputy Premier, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces & Labor MP for Wollongong Paul Scully, media release, 29 October 2023:

Focus on prevention to reduce risk to life during floods in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley

Published: 29 October 2023

The NSW Government is delivering on its election commitment to no longer develop housing on high-risk flood plains in Western Sydney.

The Government is today announcing it has rezoned parts of the North-West Growth corridor to ensure NSW does not construct new homes in high-risk areas.

The Government is also releasing the Flood Evacuation Modelling report for the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley, which informed the rezoning decisions.

No more building on high-risk flood plains

We cannot continue to develop and build new residential towns in high-risk areas, and risk putting more people in harm’s way.

Following a rigorous assessment process and review of expert advice on flooding, it has been determined the proposed rezoning and draft plans for Marsden Park North precinct and Riverstone Town Centre will not proceed.

The plans for the West Schofields precinct will partially proceed, subject to strict conditions.

The three projects fall within the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley floodplain and were put on hold in 2020 until further flood risk investigations and evacuation modelling were completed.

It means that, in line with the NSW Government’s election commitment, and in taking a risk-based approach to planning decisions on dangerous flood plains, of the approximately 12,700 new homes previously proposed – but not approved – under the three rezonings, only up to 2,300 will now proceed.

The NSW Government will continue to work closely with councils and other stakeholders to explore suitable land-use options.

Work is also underway to understand where additional housing can be accommodated to mitigate the impacts of these decisions on the housing pipeline.

Flood Evacuation Modelling report for the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley

The land-use planning decisions follow the release of Flood Evacuation Modelling report for the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley.

The modelling was undertaken to help make better decisions on emergency evacuations, land use planning and road upgrades in one of Australia’s most dangerous flood risk areas.

The former NSW government commissioned an independent expert inquiry led by Mary O’Kane and Mick Fuller into the preparation for, causes of, response to and recovery from the 2022 catastrophic flood event across the state of NSW.

Key recommendations in the report included revised and updated flood modelling and disaster adaption plans to help resolve rezoning decisions.

This updated modelling has been instrumental in the NSW Government’s consideration of the three planning proposals in Sydney’s North-West Growth Area.

The Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley covers over 500km2 of floodplain in Western Sydney, stretching from Wallacia to Brooklyn and Wisemans Ferry.

It includes land in Hawkesbury, Hills, Blacktown, Penrith, Central Coast, Wollondilly, Liverpool and Hornsby Local Government Areas with more than 140,000 people living or working in the floodplain.

The valley is often compared to a bathtub – one with five ‘taps’ flowing in and only one drain. Between 2020 and 2022, the area flooded six times with some of the largest floods seen in decades.

Sadly, this area has suffered even bigger floods in the past, and the Government must consider the risk of similar floods in the future.

The extreme depth of floods in the valley means that large numbers of people often need to evacuate at short notice before roads out are cut off. It is not possible to shelter in place in these areas.

Adding to the complexity, thousands of vehicles need to evacuate using roads and intersections that were not designed for those levels of traffic.

This technical Flood Evacuation Modelling report for the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley will be used to reduce the risk to life by informing better planned evacuation routes for flood events, assesses potential road infrastructure options and inform decisions on potential future developments.

While improvements can be made, the flood challenges of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley are not ones that communities can build their way out of.

The report makes clear that the number of people who will be unable to evacuate increases significantly with potential future development and climate change.

Recognising that decisions to limit new homes on the flood plain could raise concerns for small local landowners, the Government has appointed strategic planning expert Professor Roberta Ryan to provide independent community liaison support to help affected landowners them understand and navigate the issues.

Professor Ryan has previously assisted communities in the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and Orchard Hills on land-use planning matters.

For more information read the Flood Evacuation Modelling report or more about flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valleylaunch

A new focus on disaster preparedness

What is clear, is NSW’s ability to prevent and prepare for disasters has been hampered by ineffective funding, with 97% of all disaster funding spent after an event and only three per cent spent on prevention and preparedness.

It’s part of why the NSW Reconstruction Authority was established in December 2022 with the expanded responsibilities to include adaption, mitigation and preparedness for natural disasters.

As part of that, an historic $121 million has been invested in the last Budget to properly resource the NSW Reconstruction Authority and allow the authority to support communities across the state better prepare for natural disasters including bushfires, floods and storms.

The authority is working on a State Disaster Mitigation Plan and new regional Disaster Adaptation Plan to reduce the impact of floods in the Valley and this tool will also be used to better understand the risks.

Today’s announcement is a key example of the preventative work that will be prioritised to reduce the impacts of natural disasters in the state.

Minister for Western Sydney, Deputy Premier Prue Car said:

“Western Sydney residents have borne the brunt of recent disasters including the pandemic and floods in the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley.

“By stopping unsafe development in dangerous areas on flood plains, and with our Government’s work to reduce the risk of disasters before they happen, we’re making sure communities across Western Sydney, in areas including Penrith, Blacktown and Riverstone, are finally supported and better protected.

“When we consider new housing areas, we will look at both the potential for those homes to be inundated in floods, as well as the impact more homes will have on the ability of both new and existing residents to evacuate in emergencies.

“We know we can’t stop natural disasters from occurring, but we are committed to doing more to prepare for and prevent the worst of their impacts.”

“This new tool will not only help us better plan for evacuations but it will also make our amazing emergency service workers safer by reducing the risks they face when responding to floods in the valley.”

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“We’ve all seen the devastation caused by floods in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley – with homes and businesses damaged or destroyed. We also know these communities will only face more and worse flood risks if things stay the same.

“There’s no simple solution but we are working on a suite of measures which includes this tool to help NSW better prepare for disasters.

“These are hard and complex policy problems – we need to deliver new housing, but it needs to be done safely.

“New developments could impact the ability of both new and existing residents to evacuate safely during emergencies, which puts more lives at risk.

“I’d rather a disappointed landowner confront me over a decision we’ve made to keep them safe, rather than console them when they’ve lost a loved one because of floods.

“We’ve been clear that we will put an end to unsuitable development on dangerous flood plains which puts lives at risk and destroys livelihoods - this model gives us the technical data needed to make those informed decisions and balance competing priorities.”

****************************

Frequently Asked Questions

Flood Evacuation Modelling at:

https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-10/Hawkesbury%20Nepean%20Valley%20Flood%20Evacuation%20Model%20FEM%20FAQs.pdf

Surf's Up on NSW North Coast - but so are drownings

 

So Winter has turned to a warmer than usual Spring and a hotter than normal Summer is expected.

Here on the NSW North Coast it means that the number of people - locals and visitors - on the beaches and in the surf or swimming in quieter waters of river mouths and estuaries, is likely to be high this year.

However, it does well to remember that Australian Summer drowning deaths for 2022/23 were the highest for the last 3 years and we all need to take care that we don't become part of those statistics in 2023/24

In the three months between 1 December 2022 and 28 February 2023, 50 per cent of all drowning deaths that occurred across Australia were in coastal waterways (beaches, oceans, harbours and rocks) and 55 per cent of all drowning deaths occurred on weekends and public holidays.

The majority of drowning deaths from all causes in that three months were people aged between 0 to 64 years of age, with the average age for drowning deaths during the heatwave period being est. 52 years.

And it seems in New South Wales we need to take notice of every water safety rule we were ever taught. 

A worrying 40 per cent of all drowning happened in New South Wales as well as 31 per cent of all drowning deaths over the 9 day Christmas-New Year period 25 Dec 2022-2 Jan 2023.

A total of 55 coastal drowning deaths occurred in the state, with 45 per cent at the beach and 13 per cent off shore.

The Echo, 4 October 2023:

With the Surf Life Saving (SLSC) NSW season now underway (September 23, 2023 – April 25, 2024), the Byron Bay Surf Lifesaving Club are urging the community to be safety aware on beaches and waterways.

And both the Byron and Bruns Surf Lifesaving clubs are appealing for recruits to help make the beaches safe this summer.

‘Choosing a patrolled beach and swimming between the flags is the safest way to enjoy the ocean, and can save a life’, says Byron Club President, Paul Pattison. ‘Don’t forget to raise your hand if you’re in difficulty, so you can be seen.’

High drowning stats

‘In summer of 2022/23, there were 54 coastal drowning deaths, all of which occurred at unpatrolled locations. This equates to six drowning deaths every ten days of summer.

‘Byron Shire has recorded one of the highest numbers of coastal drowning deaths since 2013–23, and is now considered a blackspot (an area with a high probability/risk of ongoing reoccurrence).

‘Our coastline is a popular destination for tourists, and it’s essential to improve community awareness of our patrolled beaches.

‘We are hoping to recruit a further 20 patrol members to keep our beaches safe this summer. Members of the community who are interested in, or have previously held their bronze medallion are being encouraged to connect with their local surf club’, Pattison said.

To get involved, visit byronbaysurfclub.org and www.brunswickslsc.org.

BACKGROUND

ROYAL LIFE SAVING SUMMER DROWNING REPORT 2022/23

Every day one person died from drowning across summer, with a surge of deaths during the heat wave in February and a tragic Christmas – New Year holiday week pushing numbers up, the Royal Life Saving Summer Drowning Toll has revealed.

Last year flood-related drowning deaths caused a spike in deaths in February, but this year’s February death toll was even higher – with 31 deaths – despite there not being large-scale flooding in urban areas in 2023.

In total, 90 people lost their lives in Australian waterways and swimming pools between 1 December 2022 and 28 February 2023.

Tragically, 10 per cent of all drowning deaths this year were rescues gone wrong.

Royal Life Saving Society – Australia Chief Executive Officer Justin Scarr said the trends this year were deeply concerning.

“Last year was the worst year on record for summer drowning and we had hoped there would be a significant drop given there was fewer intense flood events this year, but drowning numbers are still too high,” Mr Scarr said.

“It’s supposed to be the happiest time of year, but between Christmas Day and January 2, when people gathered together across Australia 22 people drowned. That’s 22 families, friends and communities whose summer became a period of mourning.

“The heatwave in February also caused a spike in drowning, with 17 per cent of all drowning deaths over summer attributable to that six-day period.

“So many communities were affected by drowning this year, with significant increases in drowning in all states except for Queensland and Tasmania.

“Royal Life Saving continues to promote the need for local drowning prevention and water safety plans, targeting known drowning blackspots.

“We know that this is the tip of the iceberg. Many more non-fatal drowning incidents are likely to have occurred that aren’t recorded in publicly accessible data and so remain invisible.

“We need to get more people in our community getting back into their local pools brushing up on their skills, doing their Bronze Medallion if they’re planning to be at unpatrolled locations including rivers and lakes, and getting their children into learn to swim classes.”

For a full breakdown of NSW drownings in 2022, see: 

https://www.surflifesaving.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/2022-Surf-Life-Saving-NSW-Coastal-Safety-Report.pdf

Tweet of the Week

 

Faaark yes pic.twitter.com/SFZlg4d4iW

— just me 🏳️‍🌈🌈 AJ (@WakeWtfu) October 1, 2023

 

The 2023-24 Summer Fire Season arrived early and is now causing concern

 

By late yesterday afternoon the NSW Rural Fire Service had 115 incidents on its online interactive fire map.

All were bushfires or grassfires, with two listed as Emergency Warning - Out Of Control (Bega Valley & Cessnock).

Bushfires at Coolagolite on the NSW South Coast. CREDIT:JAMES BRICKWOOD. The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 October 2023

In the Northern Rivers region there were 7 fires in the Clarence Valley LGA, one in Richmond Valley LGA, one in Kyogle LGA and one in Tweed LGA.

Having burnt since Friday 29 September, the Richmond Valley bushfire at Northern Boundary Trail, Evans Head, had entered Bundjalung National Park and, by yesterday afternoon covered est. 1,235ha. 

Burning near to the unexploded bomb area of the RAAF air weapons range, it also came too close for comfort to houses in the small coastal village of Evans Head.

Flames lit up the night sky over the small coastal town of Evans Head on the NSW north coast.(Supplied: Allyson Cuskelly). ABC News, 3 October 2023

At 6pm, there are 86 fires burning, with 29 not yet contained. There are currently over 1300 firefighters and incident management specialists working to contain these fires. Extreme and high fire danger has been forecast tomorrow, with 3 TOBANs declared. https://t.co/SwFG8PzKTA pic.twitter.com/d6P3CcVSPT

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) October 3, 2023

Fire Danger Ratings and Total Fire Bans in NSW can be checked at:

https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fdr-and-tobans

In the early hours of Wednesday 4 October the Coolgolite fire ground in the Bega Valley had grown to 4,529ha and fire had broken out on Goodwood Island in the lower reaches of the Clarence River in northern NSW. However the number of active bush or grass fires across the state had fallen to 85 by 1:20am.

Tweed Shire expects to start rolling out water restrictions within next few weeks and rest of the Northern Rivers region likely to be following its lead sooner rather than later

NSWDPI Combined Drought Indicator (CDI) mapping, 23 September 2023. CDI = Combined Drought Indicator. RI = Rainfall Index. SWI = Soil Water Index. PGI = Pasture Growth Index. DDI = Drought Direction Index

Click on map to enlarge

There are 19 large dams on NSW regional regulated rivers and hundreds of smaller dams, reservoirs & weirs associated with a mix of environmental use, off-farm agricultural and urban water storage on other rivers.

Across the seven local government areas in the Northern Rivers region water storage locations include:

Toonumbar Dam

Rocky Creek Dam

Clarrie Hall Dam

Emmigrant Creek Dam

Korrumbyn Creek Dam

Shannon Creek Dam

Bray Park weir

Tyalgum weir

Mullumbimby Power Station weir

Jambour weir

Kyogle weir

Nymboida weir

Rushforth Road 100ML Reservoir.

Tweed Shire Council is strongly alerting its residents and ratepayers as to the current situation and what may lie ahead.

The Echo, 27 September 2023:

Following the devastating floods of 2022 we are back to dry weather. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has declared an El Nino weather pattern and it has predicted that there will be less-than-average rainfall in the Northern Rivers this year. Tweed Council is reminding residents and visitors that it is important to save water as we head into dry weather.

‘Without significant rain, the Tweed will head into water restrictions, with restrictions for Tyalgum looking likely in the next few weeks,’ said Tweed Shire Council’s (TSC) water and wastewater business and assets manager Michael Wraight.

‘We source our water from the Tweed River at Bray Park and Uki, plus the Oxley River at Tyalgum. The river flows are down and the weir pools at Bray Park and Tyalgum are drying up.

‘While Clarrie Hall Dam is currently sitting at 98 per cent capacity, it will now drop about 1 to 1.5 per cent, per week, as we start releasing water to supply the Bray Park Weir – the source of water for most of the Shire.

‘We will trigger level 1 water restrictions when the Clarrie Hall Dam level drops to 85 per cent.

‘Restrictions at Tyalgum will be introduced sooner. The flow of the Oxley River at Tyalgum is down to a trickle and the weir pool there is dropping fast.’

Loss of soil moisture and drought conditions continue to grow across New South Wales in September 2023

 

NSW DPI COMBINED DROUGHT INDICATOR MAPPING

Click on image to enlarge

Data current to 10/9/2023 (AEST)

CDI = Combined Drought Indicator. RI = Rainfall Index. SWI = Soil Water Index. PGI = Pasture Growth Index. DDI = Drought Direction Index

NOTE: The CDI and its individual rainfall, soil moisture and crop/pasture growth metrics are leading biophysical indices of seasonal conditions and drought status. Other factors affecting production and economic responses usually lag the CDI.

From Hastings/Port Macquarie up to the NSW-Qld border 78.7% of the North Coast is Drought Affected and 9.2% In Drought. Only 12.1% is currently considered unaffected by drought.

Water NSW: regional water storage levels as of 14 September 2023

Updates can be found at https://www.waternsw.com.au/nsw-dams/nsw-storage-levels/regional-nsw-dam-levels

According to the NSW Department of Primary Industries, end August 2023:

Drought conditions are continuing to expand and intensify on the North Coast, Northern Tablelands, Hunter and the South East Local Land Services (LLS) Regions of NSW. These conditions are consistent with the onset of a major drought in these regions, and the drought indicators show that the area of this event is growing across the Northern Tablelands and North-West. Producers are continuing to monitor on-ground conditions and climate forecasts closely, while implementing actions in line with their individual drought strategies.

Seasonal Climate Outlook

Seasonal climate forecasts indicate increased likelihood of warmer than average daytime and overnight temperatures for most of NSW for the September to November period.

Rainfall has an increased likelihood of being below average to well below average for most of NSW for the next three months.

The ENSO Outlook status remains at El Niño ALERT. When El Niño ALERT criteria have been met in the past, an El Niño event has developed around 70% of the time.

The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is currently positive