Government needs to do the heavy lifting

By Samantha Elley

Less than a week after the flood rally in Woodburn and protests in Lismore over the pulling back of the Resilient Homes Fund scheme, NSW Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib and NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully visited the Northern Rivers.

First stop was the SES shed at Woodburn, where Minister Dib handed over the keys to a brand-new truck for the emergency group.

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“We are here to meet with the locals and people who have been affected (by the February and March 2022 floods),” said Minister Dib.

“The Premier wants to know what to do differently.”

The Minister got his wish with a number of locals laying it out clearly how the government can help Northern Rivers communities get back on their feet.

“The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation has been atrocious, and it needs to be fully re-assessed,” said Lyndall Murray from the Hands and Hearts Project.

“It needs to include budgets and people on the ground who know what’s going on.

“That way a 70-year-old pensioner with cancer won’t continue to be living in a donga when he could be back in his house.”

1. NSW Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib talks to Woodburn IGA owner Tania Hundy.

Bianca Rayner, another member of the Hands and Hearts team, suggested that the new minister should have had a succession plan in place with an operational framework, to help the new government take over the reins when they came to power.

“We shouldn’t have to suffer just because there is a change of government,” she said.

The Hands and Hearts Project (www.handsandheartsproject.com.au) is planning on making 100 homes liveable within a 10-day timeframe, using the hours of volunteer tradies.

President of the Northern Rivers Flood Action Group, Tony Carusi, also highlighted the need for flood reserves for cattle and safe places to put stock when such disasters happen.

“In this last flood we lost over 10,000 head of cattle,” he said.

“I personally lost around 1,000 and I have no confidence that if we have the same flood, we won’t lose more.

“Friends, neighbours, and relatives, we have all done as much as we can do.

“It is now up to the government to do the heavy lifting to help us get back on our feet.”

And while the ministers explained that the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation was now renamed the NSW Reconstruction Authority, Mr Carusi was straight to the point.

“We don’t give a buggar what they are called, we just want to get our homes fixed,” he said.

NSW Minister for Planning and Public Space, Paul Scully talks to Rob and Jenny Kelly

Afraid to go to sleep.

Rob and Jenny Kelly live at Tatham and their house is situated very close to the banks of the river.

“Our house is ready to go in the river due to erosion,” Rob said quite matter-of-factly.

“We applied to the NRRC and were told the application is there, but we have not heard a word.”

The couple had driven down to Woodburn to speak to Minister Scully, who they said was very receptive to their concerns.

They are currently living in the house as they have nowhere else to go.

Each night they go to bed wondering if they won’t wake up.

“Since the flood and every time, it rains we wonder if we are going to get washed away,” said Jenny.

“There are gaps in the floor and the plaster is cracked.”

The couple have lived in their home for 43 years and they have never seen so much water go through their home.

“As a result of the two recent floods water has come across our property and into our home, which has never happened before,” Rob said.

“The largest flood experienced on this site was the 1954 flood about 50mls, but this time it was approximately 600mls and did a lot of damage.”

Mr Kelly said their mental health would improve much more if their insurance company, Wesfarmers, would pay out their claim.

“We were insured for flood, but they haven’t paid out a dollar yet,” he said.

For more flood news, click here.