Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM), Media Release, 10 August 2022
The NSW Parliament’s Select Committee Flood Inquiry has released its final report.
The select committee was established on 23 March 2022 to inquire into and report on the response to major flooding across New South Wales in 2022.
The Inquiry received 87 submissions including that of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals and Northern Rivers Co-operatives Alliance.
Melina Morrison, CEO of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals:
“The work of the Select Committee has been a valuable process for the people of the New South Wales and the broader Australian population as natural disasters threaten to become more frequent and more severe.
The experience of the impacted communities themselves – endured both during natural disasters and in the aftermath – should be foremost in informing every part of building resilience and recovery strategies.
The BCCM notes Recommendation 18 that the NSW Government, in partnership with community groups, including First Nations groups, develop initiatives to build community resilience, particularly in regions at high risk of future natural disaster events.
Local response plans cannot be effectively formulated bureaucratically and remotely from the disaster epicentres.
For this reason, the BCCM has strongly advocated the establishment of a National Co-operative Disaster Recovery Centre of Excellence, with Lismore the stand-out candidate for its location.
Floods and other natural disasters can have a severe impact on the availability of a local workforce as people left homeless relocate to other regions.
Further attention needs to be given to co-operatively run labour pools and affordable accommodation solutions, in order to retain, attract and house the workers necessary to rebuild a thriving community.”
The BCCM is pleased to see the recommendation that the NSW Government review the provision of temporary and long term housing options provided to those affected by the February-March 2022 floods, ensuring a range of options are identified.”
