Australians in the flood-ravaged communities of New South Wales (NSW) will receive A$75 million (US$51.66 million) in mitigation and infrastructure resilience program funds to get back on their feet, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced.
Speaking at the Daily Telegraph’s Bush Summit on Friday, Albanese revealed the plan will benefit 62 local government areas (LGA) that were declared as disaster areas during the February-March flood event.
The program includes A$40 million for flood infrastructure, including home raising projects; A$15 million to upgrade and operate flood warning gauges; A$14 million for a levee improvement and assessment program; A$5 million to improve the information for flood risk management; and A$5 million for a flood infrastructure impact assessment and report.
The Prime Minister noted that the investment, which is wholly provided by the Commonwealth but delivered by the NSW government agencies, will improve “long-term resilience” at disaster-impacted communities.
“Too often disaster support is provided after a major disaster, rather than being invested earlier to keep communities safe,” he said in a press release on Aug. 26.
NSW Dominic Perrottet welcomed the investment, saying during his visits to flood-ravaged areas that he has “seen first-hand the importance of government agencies, local councils and community organisations all working together and with locals to help ensure preparedness, response and recovery.”
The flooding in February and March is estimated to have rendered about 4,000 houses uninhabitable and damaged almost 11,000 houses across the Northern Rivers region.
Nine lives were lost in the state during the flood.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt described the flood event as “unprecedented in its severity and scale.”
“Since coming to government we have made it a priority to unlock this funding, with this announcement the first time any money has been spent on post-disaster resilience out of the Fund,” he said.
The plan was unveiled after the NSW government said it will accept all 28 recommendations of the flood inquiry report.
The report noted that “in identifying what did not work well, the Inquiry does not seek to attribute blame,” but rather, it makes recommendations for future improvements to the way NSW responds to the floods.
“Because so much of NSW is prone to natural disasters, there is a need for a renewed and strengthened emphasis on sustained disaster preparedness,” the report said.
“Critically, the 2022 floods must become the catalyst for change in the way Government and community consider floods and floodplains.”
