Showing posts with label natural disasters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label natural disasters. Show all posts

Wednesday 9 August 2023

Federal parliamentary inquiry into insurer response to the 2022 floods & other matters gets the go ahead on 7 August 2023


Hon Stephen Jones MP, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, media release, 3 August 2023:


Insurance claims handling under the microscope in parliamentary inquiry into insurer responses to the 2022 floods


Today, the Assistant Treasurer will give notice to the House of Representatives tabling a motion to establish a Parliamentary Inquiry into insurer responses to the 2022 floods. The motion will be presented to the house on the next day of sitting, Monday 7 August.


The inquiry will take a whole of economy view of the ongoing challenges faced by intense and frequent flood events.


It is consumer focussed - investigating land use planning, affordability of coverage, supply chain issues, labour shortages, claims handling, and dispute resolution processes.


The February-March 2022 floods in South‑East Queensland and NSW are the costliest natural disaster for insurance costs, totalling around $5.87 billion, in Australian history.


The Assistant Treasurer has visited the communities impacted by floods in Southeast Queensland with Graham Perrett MP and the Northern Rivers with Janelle Saffin MP; and following a visit to flood ravaged towns in Central West NSW last month announced the inquiry alongside Member for Calare, Andrew Gee MP.


Today, the Albanese Government has released the terms of reference.


The committee will hear directly from affected communities, holding public hearings across the country in regions affected by the 2022 floods. A final report will be handed down during the third quarter of 2024.


The Inquiry will inform the Albanese Government’s broader program of work to address insurance access and affordability. This includes up to $1 billion over five years from 2023-24 (up to $200 million per year) to invest in measures that better protect homes and communities from extreme weather through the flagship Disaster Ready Fund.


The Government is taking proactive steps to mitigate disaster risk and build climate resilient communities. Currently, 97% of disaster funding is going toward recovery and only 3% toward risk mitigation. We want to flip that on its head.


The terms of reference for the inquiry are below.


The Standing Committee on Economics for inquiry and report by quarter 3, 2024:


1. response of insurers to the claims resulting from major 2022 floods, including:

(i) south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW) floods of February and March 2022;

(ii) Hunter and greater Sydney floods of July 2022;

(iii)Victorian, NSW and Tasmanian floods of October 2022; and

(iv) central west NSW floods of November and December 2022;


2. the inquiry shall have regard to the following matters in respect of the aforementioned floods

(i) the experiences of policyholders before, during and after making claims;

(ii) the different types of insurance contracts offered by insurers and held by policy holders;

(iii) timeframes for resolving claims;

(iv) obstacles to resolving claims, including factors internal to insurers and external, such as access to disaster hit regions, temporary accommodation, labour market conditions and supply chains;

(v) insurer communication with policyholders;

(vi) accessibility and affordability of hydrology reports and assessments to policy holders;

(vii) affordability of insurance coverage to policy holders;

(viii) claimants’ and insurers’ experience of internal dispute resolution processes; and

(ix) the impact of land use planning decisions and disaster mitigation efforts on the availability and affordability of insurance.


3. the inquiry shall also have regard to insurer preparedness for future flood events


4. the inquiry will take into consideration findings from other reports such as Deloitte’s external review of insurers’ responses to the 2022 floods, and ASICs Claims Handling review. 


The House of Representatives agreed to the creation of this inquiry on the afternoon of Monday 7 August 2023.


Thursday 3 August 2023

Nationals MP for Page Hogan fails to understand that neither climate change nor the weather gods obey governments

 

No amount of intervention can stop heavy rain or high tides and, in this age of rapidly changing climate, flood mitigation is not just about building levies and dams.


Flood mitigation now means the implementation of actions to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood-damage to buildings and infrastructure which include building disaster resilience into the reconstruction process, while at the same time lessening the impact on communities.


I for one am glad to see that those four tranches in the Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program will make major road evacuation routes more reliable through road & bridge raising. That extra water pump capacity is entering local government systems and pumping stations will be more flood resilient. While in some council areas town drainage will be upgraded where required and in others earth mounds are being created to manage flood flow direction or provide stock refuge.


It is embarrassing to see that the National Party has learnt so little from the unnatural disasters of 2019-20 and 2022, that Kevin Hogan feel comfortable contributing nothing but grumbles and gripes.


Clarence Valley Independent, 2 August 2023:


Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan has criticised the Albanese Government’s $100 million announcement for 20 projects in the Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program as they won’t lower flood levels.


Last Friday, Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt visited Coraki to announce the latest tranche of funding which will see raised bridges, widened flood channels, and improved drainage in the townships of Woodburn, Coraki, and Lismore as some of the projects.


Mr Watt said the projects would help communities be more prepared for future disasters.


We know the job is far from done when it comes to recovering from the multiple recent floods, and we continue to work with all levels of government to roll up our sleeves and fast-track work where possible,” he said.


But while we’re recovering, we must also prepare for the future.


The majority of these new initiatives will improve community connectivity and economic resilience through transport infrastructure and evacuation route upgrades, and they complement the work we’re doing through other programs, like the Disaster Ready Fund which saw over $17 million invested in Northern Rivers projects in round one.”


New South Wales Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib said the NSW Government is working to reduce the risk natural hazards pose to communities across the state to build resilience.


The Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program means we can support communities in the region as they prepare for disaster, with the aim of reducing loss of life, the load on our emergency services and the overall impact of natural hazards,” he said.


Projects included in the funding include raising the level of two low set bridges at Tatham to improve access between Casino and Coraki during floods, widening Browns Creek flood channel at Lismore, new and upgraded pump stations, town evacuation plans, plus reforestation and revegetation in the Clarence, Richmond, Tweed and Brunswick catchments to provide nature-based flood mitigation.


But Kevin Hogan says the money should have been used for flood mitigation projects.


The community would feel exceptionally disappointed by projects announced by the Federal Government today as they contain no effective flood mitigation works,” he said.


These are all flood resilience projects.


They are not flood mitigation projects, which is what this funding was intended for.


Spending on flood mitigation means the level of water would be lower in future flood events.”


The 36 local projects funded under the initiative have been recommended by CSIRO following an $11.4 million review plus extensive community consultation and have been agreed by the Federal and NSW Governments.


Wednesday 1 March 2023

Legal advice to Clarence Valley Council states the way is open to walk back inappropriate planned but as yet unrealised urban development on Yamba flood plain

 

On 6 December 2022 Local Government Legal sent Clarence Valley Council a letter in response to a request for advice and clarification concerning the following: 


(i) whether compensation becomes liable when and if the NSW Planning Minister was to rezone vacant lands that have not had DA approval for development on the Yamba floodplain (WYURA ) from R1 General Residential to RU2 Rural landscape and C2 Environmental Conservation zonings at Council’s request, and 


(ii) whether compensation becomes liable if land previously approved for the importation of fill was to be similarly rezoned;


 (iii) whether there are any other legal implications of such an action.

 

It is clear from the wording of advice contained in the letter, that vacant land can be lawfully rezoned so as to change its status from R1 General Residential to RU2 Rural landscape provided proper processes are followed under provisions of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.


It is also clear that compensation is not payable to the land owner if such a rezoning is done in good faith and with due reference to the Act.


It would appear that vacant land may also be rezoned C2 Environmental Conservation under the same provisos.


Existing development approvals on the Yamba flood plain are not affected by rezoning of adjacent or adjoining vacant land which does not have a development consent attached.


However, by walking back the current urban residential zoning on the remaining vacant land in what little is left of the northern section of this natural flood storage area, there is a chance that in restricting the number of new dwelling planned for the West Yamba Urban Release Area (WYURA) to the est. 409 dwellings contained in existing development approvals and thereby curbing population growth on the floodplain it will: 


(i) ease the pressure on emergency services during east coast low storms, high rainfall events, floods or bushfires;


(ii) allow Council to both redesign and upgrade the town's stormwater drainage system to minimise the existing negative impacts of changes to overland water flows caused by largescale landfill being created under existing development consents; 


(iii) allow more choice of flood mitigation measures to increase the town's resilience in the face of ongoing climate change; and


(iv) reduce the risk of loss of life during natural disasters. 


Local Government Legal’s advice was on the agenda at Clarence Valley Council's Ordinary Monthly Meeting on 28 February 2023:


ITEM 07.23.004 ADVICE IN RESPONSE TO NOTICE OF MOTION ON REZONING LANDS ON WEST YAMBA FLOODPLAIN with OFFICER RECOMMENDATION That the advice responding to Item 06.22.013 be noted. 


UPDATE


Snapshot of resolution 07.23.004 and text of excerpt from Clarence Valley Council, Minutes of of Ordinary Monthly Meeting, Tuesday 28 February 2023 (Minutes generated 2 March 2023 at 5:12:23PM) at p.11:


Click on image to enlarge






The advice is provided as a confidential attachment (Attachment A) for further consideration.


OFFICER RECOMMENDATION

That the advice responding to Item 06.22.013 be noted.


COUNCIL RESOLUTION - 07.23.004

Clancy/Johnstone

That the advice responding to Item 06.22.013 be noted and a workshop conducted prior to the March Council Meeting. [my yellow highlighting]


Voting recorded as follows

For: Clancy, Day, Johnstone, Novak, Pickering, Smith, Tiley, Toms, Whaites

Against: Nil

CARRIED

UPDATE ENDS



BACKGROUND


Clarence Valley Council Local Environmental Plan 2011 (Current version for 1 December 2022 to date) states:


Zone RU2 Rural Landscape

1 Objectives of zone

To encourage sustainable primary industry production by maintaining and enhancing the natural resource base.

To maintain the rural landscape character of the land.

To provide for a range of compatible land uses, including extensive agriculture.

To provide land for less intensive agricultural production.

To prevent dispersed rural settlement.

To minimise conflict between land uses within the zone and with adjoining zones.

To ensure that development does not unreasonably increase the demand for public services or public facilities.

and

Zone C2 Environmental Conservation

1 Objectives of zone

To protect, manage and restore areas of high ecological, scientific, cultural or aesthetic values.

To prevent development that could destroy, damage or otherwise have an adverse effect on those values.

To protect coastal wetlands and littoral rainforests.

To protect land affected by coastal processes and environmentally sensitive coastal land.

To prevent development that would adversely affect, or be adversely affected by, coastal processes.


North Coast Voices


Friday, 23 December 2022

Is Clarence Valley Council finally beginning to grapple with the need to limit development on the Clarence River floodplain? at https://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com/2022/12/is-clarence-valley-council-finally.html


Friday, 16 September 2022

If the NSW Government and emergency services tell Yamba it rarely floods and its houses are safe from all but extreme flooding, are the town's residents supposed to believe them? at

https://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com/2022/09/if-nsw-government-and-emergency.html


15 August 2022

Yamba Residents Group formed in response to inappropriate overdevelopment of a flood prone small coastal town at https://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com/2022/08/yamba-residents-group-formed-in.html


Saturday 15 October 2022

Quote of the Week


Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says stopping development on flood plains, especially in western Sydney, will go a long way towards saving communities already reeling from multiple natural disasters. "The obvious answer is to stop development on flood plains," he said on Friday.

[The West Australian, 7 October 2022] 


Thursday 6 October 2022

STATE OF PLAY NSW 2018-2022: Trapped In Harm's Way

 

Global Climate Change is not something that will happen on some vague future date, it is occurring right now and is being experienced by regions and populations around the world.


Globally the Earth has warmed by at least an average 1.1° Celsius (1.9° Fahrenheit) since 1880 according to U.S. NASA analysis (2022) - with the majority of the warming occurring since 1975, at a rate of roughly 0.15 to 0.20°C per decade. Australia has warmed on average by 1.44 ± 0.24 °C since national records began in 1910 according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (2020) – with the majority of this warming occurring since the 1960s. In NSW, the average temperature is about 1.4°C higher than in 1910, with 2018 and 2019 being the warmest years on record according to NSW EPA (2022).


The complex interactions such warming is causing affects atmospheric and ocean circulation patterns, seasons of the year and regional/local weather patterns. Which means that ongoing change can no longer be reliably separated out into incidents caused by “climate change” and incidents caused by ordinary “weather”.


One of the ways changing climate is being experienced is by an increase in frequency and/or intensity of what are often described as either “adverse weather” events or “natural disasters”.


This post looks at natural disaster declarations in New South Wales over the last five years as an indication of the level at which our communities are becoming trapped in harm’s way by our geography.


Disaster declarations are a during or after event acknowledgement of significant damage to natural and built environments, industry and businesses within one or more of the state’s 128 local government areas.


Natural disaster declarations

A Disaster Declaration is a frequently updated list of Local Government Areas (LGA) that have been impacted by a natural disaster. With a disaster declaration for their area, affected communities and individuals can access a range of special assistance measures.

Disaster declarations are issued by the NSW Government and incorporate an Australian Government reference number (AGRN).


NSW DISASTER DECLARATIONS 1 JULY 2018 to 14 SEPTEMBER 2022


1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019

  • Shoalhaven bushfires: 11 August 2018 onwards

  • Richmond Valley, Lismore and Kyogle bushfires: 12 August 2018 onwards

  • Clarence Valley and Glen Innes Severn bushfires: 14 August 2018 onwards

  • Cessnock and Port Stephens bushfires: 15 August 2018 onwards

  • Bega Valley and Eurobodalla bushfires: 15 August 2018 onwards

  • Tamworth (Rockview) Bushfire: 30 October 2018 onwards

  • Port Stephens and Cessnock Bushfires: 22 November 2018 onwards

  • Armidale (Melrose) Bushfire: 1 December 2018 onwards

  • NSW Storms and Floods: 13 December 2018 onwards including Clarence Valley LGA

  • NSW Storms and Floods: 20 December 2018 [extending the declaration] including Ballina & Clarence Valley LGAs

  • Glen Innes Severn (Highland Creek) Bushfire: 25 December 2018 onwards

  • Tamworth (Halls Creek Road) Bushfire: 3 January 2019 onwards

  • Newcastle (Kooragang Island) Bushfires: 5 January 2019 onwards

  • Parkes and Cabonne (Curembenya) Bushfire: 5 January 2019 onwards

  • Inland New South Wales Storms and Floods: 11 January 2019 onwards

  • Snowy Valleys Bushfires: 17 January 2019 onwards

  • Parkes and Greater Hume Storms: 22 and 23 January 2019 onwards

  • Hilltops and Cootamundra-Gundagai Storms and Floods: 5 February 2019 onwards

  • Eastern NSW Storms: 8 February 2019 onwards

  • Singleton and Muswellbrook Bushfires: 11 February 2019 onwards

  • Tamworth Regional and Upper Hunter Bushfires: 11 February 2019 onwards

  • Northern NSW Bushfires: 11 February 2019 onwards – including Kyogle LGA

  • Tenterfield Bushfires: 9 March 2019 onwards

  • Central West and Orana Storms and Floods: 29 March 2019 onwards

  • NSW – Carrathool Floods: 22 April 2019 onwards

  • Berrigan Shire Storms – 29 June 2019 onwards


1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020

  • NSW North Coast Bushfires: Commencing 18 July 2019 onwards – including Clarence Valley, Kyogle & Richmond Valley

  • NSW Bushfires: 31 August 2019 onwards – including Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley & Tweed LGAs

  • Sydney and Southern Highlands Storms: 5 September 2019 onwards

  • NSW Storms: 26 November 2019 onwards

  • NSW Storms and Floods: 15 January 2020 onwards – including Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley & Tweed LGAs

  • Western NSW Floods: 26 February 2020 onwards

  • Cabonne Shire Storms and Floods: 25 March 2020 onwards

  • Western NSW Storms and Floods: 3 to 4 April 2020

  • Western NSW Storms and Floods: 10 to 12 April 2020


1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021

  • NSW Storms and Floods: 25 July 2020 onwards

  • NSW Storms and Floods: 5 August 2020 onwards

  • Central NSW Storms: 18 August 2020

  • NSW storms and floods: 20 October 2020 onwards

  • NSW Storms: 28 November 2020 onwards

  • NSW Storms: 2 December 2020 onwards

  • NSW Storms and Floods: 10 December 2020 onwards

  • NSW Storms and Floods: 2 January 2021 onwards

  • NSW Storms and Floods: 19 February 2021 onwards

  • Eurobodalla Storms from 26 December 2020 onwards

  • NSW Storms and Floods 10 March 2021 onwards – including Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley & Tweed LGAs

  • Snowy Valleys Storms from 3 February 2021 onwards

  • Southern NSW Storms and Floods from 5 May 2021 onwards

  • NSW Storms from 10 June 2021 onwards


1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022

  • NSW storms and floods from 16 July 2021 onwards

  • Armidale storm from October 14 2021 onwards

  • North East NSW severe weather from 20 October onwards

  • NSW storms and floods from 22 August onwards

  • Severe weather event across NSW from 23 October onwards

  • NSW severe weather and flooding 9 November 2021 onwards – including Kyogle, Lismore & Richmond Valley

  • Narrabri storm and tornado of 30 September 2021

  • NSW storms and floods from 30 July 2021 onwards

  • Northern Beaches severe storm as of 19 December 2021

  • Lithgow severe storm and flash flooding as of 11 January

  • Southern NSW storms and floods from 5 January 2022 onwards

  • NSW Severe Weather and Flooding from 22 February 2022 onwards – including Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley & Tweed LGAs

  • Broken Hill Severe Thunderstorm 15 March 2022

  • Wingecarribee Severe Storm - 19 April 2022


1 July 2022 to 4 August 2022 (financial year 2022-23)

  • NSW Severe Weather and Flooding from 27 June 2022 onwards

  • NSW Severe Weather and Flooding from 4 August 2022 onwards

  • NSW Severe Weather and Flooding from 14 September 2022 onwards


Note: 

The Clarence Valley Local Government Area (LGA) has been part of a NSW Natural Disaster Declaration 8 times in 4 consecutive financial years - declarations occurring between August 2018 to February-March 2022.

Kyogle Shire LGA has also been part of a NSW Natural Disaster Declaration 8 times, Richmond Valley 7 times, Lismore City LGA 6 times, Ballina Shire 5 times, Byron Shire LGA 4 times and Tweed Shire 4 times, between August 2018 to February-March 2022.


Wednesday 5 October 2022

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








@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.