Flood impacted Northern Rivers residents have been left short-changed in NSW Labor’s State Budget handed down in the NSW Parliament on Tuesday with no sign the remainder of the Resilient Homes Program (RHP) will be fully funded.
Northern Rivers Nationals MPs, Geoff Provest (Tweed) and Richie Williamson (Clarence) said the Budget has delivered a cruel below to flood impacted residents providing little certainty moving forward.
“The State Budget identifies $150 million to ‘address natural disasters’ in the Northern Rivers and Central West, but that is well short of the $700 million previously promised under tranche two of the RHP,” the MPs stated.
“It is nowhere near enough what’s required, and we are deeply disappointed for the communities of the Northern Rivers that Labor has failed to fund the remainder of the RHP.”
The Nationals MPs joined Member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin, Member for Ballina, Tamara Smith and Northern Rivers Mayors at a meeting with Premier Minns in June this year where he gave an undertaking there would be a reset on recovery and he would come back with a better plan.
“There is no sign of this promise in the Budget and Northern Rivers communities have every right to feel let down,” the MPs said.
State Member for Tweed Geoff Provest says the Minns Labor Government sadly seems to be backing away from its previous undertaking it would do everything in its power to help the community.
“We still have people living in pods, in less-than-ideal conditions in their homes and some still sleeping rough,” Mr Provest said.
“We made it very clear to the Premier when we met that more support was needed, and I’m deeply disappointed there is only a small portion of funding earmarked in the Budget when the floods left so many people homeless,” Mr Provest said.
Member for Clarence, Richie Williamson shared those sentiments and said the people of the Northern Rivers have every right to feel short-changed.
“There was an expectation round two of the RHP would be funded in the Budget and it is not,” Mr Williamson said.
“Labor had every opportunity to show some heart and make the right choice here and it chose not to. It’s a completely unacceptable outcome and it’s left a bitter taste in my mouth, so I can only imagine how flood ravaged communities are feeling.
“Some 18 months on there is still not certainly in sight moving forward for many, and I share their pain.”
In a double whammy, the MPs said the Federal Labor Government seems unwilling to partner with the NSW Labor Government and stump up the cash needed to help communities recover and rebuild.
“There is no indication the Albanese Government is even interested in partnering with the State so the thousands of people desperately waiting for support have some certainty moving forward,” the MPs said.
“It was always a Commonwealth/State arrangement to fund tranche two of the RHP and they need to come to the table.
“We will not give up the fight to get the support that is required to help Northern Rivers communities recover and rebuild.”
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