2023-09-20
Mandy Nolan, Greens candidate for Richmond, has today called on the federal Labor government and the state Labor government to immediately announce a co-funded second round of $700m in funding for the Resilient Homes Program.
Tamara Smith, Member for Ballina and NSW Greens Disaster Relief Spokesperson, has echoed these calls.
New data obtained by the Greens, and reported today in the Guardian, has revealed that just 11% of applicants in the Tweed, Byron and Lismore councils under the government’s $700m recovery program have been approved for a buyback. The cost of each buyback is on average $583,567.
The data also reveals that no retrofits or raises have been delivered as of the 29th of September, over 18 months on from the devastating floods of 2022.
The government further conceded that all of the Resilient Homes Program applicants would be eligible if the eligibility criteria was changed to only reflect impacts from the 2022 event.
Cabinet figures suggest that the delivery of 6,000 buybacks, retrofits and raises as promised by the NRRC, would cost $1.5 billion. An initial round of $700m in funding was allocated in October 2022; the state Labor government announced an additional $100m in their September budget, leaving a $700m shortfall.
After a question from Smith on the 19th of September, Premier Chris Minns committed to asking the federal Labor government for the second tranche of funding, saying “it was a Commonwealth-State arrangement to fund tranche two. We will be going to the Commonwealth for additional funds for the Northern Rivers…we expect the Commonwealth with its deeper pockets to come to the table as well.”
Over a month later, the Member for Richmond, Justine Elliot, told the Guardian that “the federal government hasn’t received a formal request from the NSW state government”, adding that “We stand ready to assist and work with them.”
Quotes attributable to Mandy Nolan, Greens candidate for Richmond:
“It’s a total failure of Government that 19 months after the floods so few people have been helped, including nearly 1,000 people in the Byron Shire.
“It’s unthinkable that after 6 months of Labor being in power at a State and Federal level they seemingly haven’t even had a conversation about funding the flood recovery.
“Thousands of peoples lives are still on hold. People have delayed moving back into their homes or making repairs because they still have no idea what, if any, support they’re going to receive.
“The Government cannot delay any longer, these people need support, they need certainty, and they need it today. That’s why I’m calling on the Federal Government to commit to 50/50 fund the remaining $700 million gap and provide support to all 6,000 applicants to the RHP.
Quotes attributable to Tamara Smith, Member for Ballina and NSW Greens Disaster Relief Spokesperson:
“Now we can see the extent of the Resilient Homes Program’s funding shortfall, and it illustrates the human cost of the political decision to leave flood survivors without the support that they desperately need for 19 months and counting.
In the Northern Rivers region, hundreds of people remain in temporary housing because the flood recovery has not been completed. Hundreds more could find themselves without homes as a result of the escalating bushfire crisis. Our community can’t afford a government which is asleep at the wheel on the issue of disaster relief.
The Labor state government has been in power for six months. The federal Labor government has been in power for nearly a year and a half. I share the community’s outrage that these governments have not been in communication on this issue. How long does Labor expect us to wait?
As they’ve been delaying the announcement of the additional $0.7 billion required for flood affected homes, state and federal governments have found $11.1 billion for coal and gas. Increasingly, the community feels that Labor has chosen to prioritise handouts to its fossil fuel donors over financial support for flood survivors.
The Greens will continue to hold the government to account on climate change, and advocate for justice for those affected by natural disasters.”
Response to Questions on Notice
1255 - Planning and Public Spaces - DAM INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS (nsw.gov.au)
1254 - Emergency Services - DAM INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS (nsw.gov.au)