The Hon. Sue Higginson, Greens MP (NSW) and North Coast Spokesperson, Media Release, 20 May 2026
Just 54 Northern Rivers homes have accessed house-raises and retrofits to protect against floods, despite promises of 4,400 house-raises and retrofits made in the aftermath of the 2022 flood catastrophe – a 1 per cent completion rate in 4 years.
The NSW Auditor General has today released a report criticising the design and establishment of the Resilient Homes Program set up in the aftermath of the 2022 floods to assist in buying back, raising or retrofitting flooded homes.
The report also highlighted that the Resilient Lands Program is yet to deliver a single home.
Lismore resident, Greens MP and North Coast Spokesperson Sue Higginson said
“The climate-fuelled floods of 2022 decimated the Northern Rivers region, and the Auditor General’s report today has illuminated just how botched and traumatic the flood recovery has been for our community,”
“As a Lismore local I saw first hand how communities were asked what they needed, told they couldn’t have it, were kept in the dark, and then promises that were made to flood survivors have been broken,”
“After the floods the NSW government swooped in and told our community they knew best. We made a considered and concerted call for relocations but we were told we couldn’t have that. Instead the government promised to buy back uninhabitable homes, and to mitigate flood risk by raising and retrofitting thousands of flooded homes. These promises have since turned to rubble,
“4,400 flooded households were promised raises or retrofits, but just 54 households have actually received them – a dismal 1 per cent completion rate in 4 years, and a result of Labor Premier Chris Minns’ funding cuts,
“The failure of this program is having serious impacts on our community’s capacity and wellbeing. Lismore is changed forever, many of our kids have left because of the flood, they know there will be more climate fuelled floods to come and our once vibrant upbeat beautiful Lismore flood town community is still grasping for a vision of our future.
“I am calling on Labor Premier Chris Minns to urgently announce funding to raise and retrofit the thousands of flooded homes that remain in harm’s way. Every dollar we spend protecting homes now is hundreds of dollars we save in the future,” Ms Higginson said.
