The Community Disaster Action Group (CDAG) has called attention to the severe human cost of the NSW government’s lack of action on assistance for people whose properties have been affected by landslips.
“The NSW Reconstruction Authority (NSWRA) has completely abandoned people affected by landslips. There’s not even a policy 2 ½ years on, yet hundreds of landslip-affected residents are still living in damaged homes or caravans or unable to return home,” CDAG co-ordinator Chels Hood Withey said.
The group maintain that NSWRA is failing to fulfil its legal obligations under the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act 2022, which explicitly includes landslides in its definition of disasters, and outlines the functions of the Authority which include to “assist in prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and reconstruction in relation to disasters.”
“Despite this legal mandate to assist, people remain without support. There are severe mental health and financial stress impacts on affected families,” Ms Withey said.
Among many personal stories are those of Main Arm residents Edward and Vicki Burke, aged 63 and 71, who are living in a caravan beside their destroyed 200-acre property; and Jesse James of Nimbin, whose application was approved for funding in principle, but he is unable to access it due to legislative oversights.
Ms Withey said, “These stories raise critical questions about government accountability, the human cost of bureaucratic delays, and the broader challenges of climate adaptation in rural Australia.
“While we’ve heard rumours of a policy in development, the fact remains that for 30 months, these residents have been left waiting, completely stranded next to their damaged homes.”
CDAG is calling for immediate action from NSWRA to fulfil its legal obligations to landslip victims, and provide financial support for all disaster-affected residents, regardless of insurance status.
The group can be contacted at: hello@cdag.org.au.
This article appeared in The Nimbin GoodTimes, August 2024.
