We must plan for future to reduce risks

IF 2019 was remembered for the smoke and devastation, this year will be remembered for the rain and devastation. Whole communities destroyed, homes swept away, hundreds forced to evacuate. Our climate is testing the nation’s readiness and proving, once again, that more needs to be done to protect communities from the extremes we are living with.

Since Covid, villages like Eugowra in NSW have blossomed, bringing an influx of welcomed domestic tourists, which drove new small businesses.

Cafes showcasing the beautiful local produce, art galleries which captured the beauty of the central west landscapes, collectables and antique shops with a treasure trove of finds from old homesteads in the region all served a growing and vibrant community — all now impacted under the fury of an inland tsunami.

While it is hard to consider right now, the towns like Eugowra, Molong and Forbes must be rebuilt differently. Out of this tragedy there must be new models of adaptation for the rest of the country.

Insurers have now received more than a quarter of a million floodrelated claims this year, with total claims of $5.5 billion and climbing every day — and it’s still not over.

Insurance is designed to protect people from the unexpected but there has been some discussion around temporary embargoes placed on new insurance policies when a high-risk event is imminent – in this case further floods.

These are lifted when the threat passes or may be adjusted by some insurers to exclude the current threat of flood if it persists.

It was positive to hear Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt call out the urgent need to stop houses being built in high-risk areas that are prone to flood.

Sentiment started to shift after the bushfires but the floods have really driven the message home that we can’t keep allowing developments or people to live in the wrong types of houses in the wrong locations.

The Federal Government’s decision to provide $200 million a year on resilience and mitigation, to be matched by the states and territories, is a step in the right direction but as these events are unfolding, it’s a drop in the ocean of what is going to be needed.

The $800 million Resilient Homes Program is a welcome initiative for the Northern Rivers area. Delivery of these programs will provide valuable learnings that should inform application of these programs to other high-risk areas of NSW.

We are urging, for the long-term sustainability of our communities like Molong, Eugowra, Forbes and so many others across NSW, that public money is put in to fund the types of projects that will work to improve the protection and preservation of lives and assets. Without crucial funding, we are inevitably accepting that we will see more disasters repeated. It is the ultimate definition of insanity.