2025-09-06
New data obtained on the Northern Rivers flood recovery has exposed the shocking failure of the Minns Labor Government to assist Northern Rivers flood survivors, with thousands of homes still at risk from increasingly frequent and extreme flooding.
Just 1% of the 4000 raises, retrofits and relocations promised by the Government have been completed over three years on from the devastating floods of 2022, according to data obtained by Greens MP Sue Higginson. This is a mere 41 homes.
Documents obtained through a call for papers made by Sue Higginson has also revealed that Labor Premier Chris Minns and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reduced funding for house-raises and retrofits by $100m, impacting 1000 flooded homes.
Higginson, a Lismore local, is calling for the promised $1.5 billion for 6000 house-raises, retrofits and buybacks, something Labor Recovery Minister Janelle Saffin called for before her elevation as Minister.
Greens MP, North Coast spokesperson and Lismore local Sue Higginson said:
“It’s hard to believe that we are more than three years on, and a mere 1% of flood ravaged homes have been given the promised raises or retrofits. That means 99% of homes that were promised this support are still in harm’s way, at risk of flooding and it now appears there may be no plan for many of them,”
“Through a call for papers, we also now know that Labor Premier Chris Minns and Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did a deal to reduce funding for house-raises and retrofits by $100m, slashing support for 1000 homes at the very least, to pay for more buybacks. They could have found more money, which is what Labor promised to do, but instead they effectively robbed Peter to pay Paul,”
“This was a political deal, done in the dead of night with no consultation and no transparency. Labor needs to come clean to the 1000 homeowners who won’t get a raise or retrofit because of this decision,”
“Instead, Labor Premier Chris Minns has demonized locals who are seeking to live in the empty homes created by the buyback scheme, he has pitted flood survivors against one another, and stoked fear in our traumatised Lismore community. All the while, he was reducing the number of flooded homes that would get support,”
“We have uncovered internal government documents that show our community was told they would receive 4000 raises and retrofits and 2000 buybacks and this would cost $1.5 billion dollars. This was the plan from the very start,”
“Yet Labor Minister for Recovery Janelle Saffin has now said no such a financial commitment was made by any government. However in June 2023 Janelle herself sent a letter to the Premier outlining the figure, and the Premier is on record saying that “a further 4,000 houses—so 6,000 in total—would be eligible for tranche two.”
“Families have spent years desperately waiting for the support they were promised. People have suffered and lost so much, every rain event causes tension and anxiety and many people are struggling to move on. Thousands of Northern Rivers locals are in harm’s way and at severe risk in the next big flood. Thousands could have been devastated by cyclone Alfred earlier this year. We must commit more funding and get raises and retrofits on the road to avoid another catastrophe,”
“The Minns Labor Government needs to come clean and guarantee the full $1.5 billion in Resilient Homes Program funding for 6000 flood-affected homes, which is what we were led to believe was promised and what is needed,”
“Every dollar we spend on getting homes out of harm’s way now is hundreds of dollars we save cleaning up from a flood disaster in the future. It is not lost on me that while the Reconstruction Authority has been evicting homeless people from occupying empty homes and raised just 41 homes in 3 years, the Queensland Reconstruction Authority has raised 25 times as many homes”
The full questions on notice are available here.
The list of internal government documents obtained through Standing Order 52 is available here.