Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan today launched a community petition calling on the Federal and State Labor Governments to ask the CSIRO to model a scenario where a flood event is 1-2 metres lower than it otherwise would be.

Mr Hogan was joined at the launch on River Street in Woodburn, out the front of the site where the old IGA used to stand, by local MPs, Councillors, business leaders, and community members who are united in their call for action.

“We need action to keep us safe, protect our homes, our businesses and our families. If we lower flood risk, it improves mental health, protects us financially, helps with insurance, and gives our region a future,” Mr Hogan said.

“This petition is calling on the Government to use the new CSIRO hydrodynamic tool to model engineering solutions that could lower future flood heights by 1-2 metres. This includes options to hold back, slow down, and divert floodwaters.”

“This scenario would be modelled across the entire Richmond River catchment — from Bungawalbin Creek through Coraki, Eden Creek through Kyogle, Richmond River through Casino, and Terania, Leycester and Wilsons through Lismore onto Ballina.”

Mr Hogan urged residents to show their support by signing the petition, which you can do by clicking on the link: https://www.kevinhogan.com.au/flood-petition/.

(Mr Hogan discussing the petition with a Woodburn resident before she signed.)

“This is our chance to make sure governments take real action to keep us safe.”

When asked who makes the decision about which scenarios and options are tested using the new hydrodynamic model, Mr Hogan replied, "I would hope the CSIRO do, but I mean, there'll be ministers involved in this."

Member for Richmond Valley, Richie Williamson, said, "It's now up to the community to tell the CSIRO and governments what their recovery looks like. We always back our community, and we'll continue to back our community in this very long, frustrating and drawn-out recovery process that we're continuing to go down."

Norco CEO Michael Hampson talked about how flood risk is harming business investment.

"There are so many business opportunities in this region to provide jobs for people and futures for our children that are not occurring because of flood risk. We're here at the site of one, in a town with no supermarket. Do you think this would be a fantastic business opportunity for a supermarket, the only one in town?

(The vacant block that was the site of the now-demolished IGA supermarket)

"We need to do something about flooding in this entire region, not just for the business community, but it's for people's lives and livelihoods."

This was reiterated by Amanda Moss, a nurse at Woodburn Health, "There are people that have lived here three, four generations. We need to take on board everybody's opinion. And I think we can get a body like the CSIRO to come in and come up with these solutions for us, and then we can move forward."

Local cattle and sugar cane farmer Tony Carusi said he and other farmers are still fixing equipment and repairing infrastructure from the 2022 flood, and that even 1 metre off a flood would make a huge difference to homes and businesses.

"We often hear about the weather changing, climate change, and all the rest of it. We need some dedicated action, not just talk. The old saying talk is cheap. It's time for people in government and in power to make some hard-nosed decisions and to really put some money where their thinking is, to try and bolster the economy and protect us from some of the extremes."

Business Lismore President Michael Ackrell told the Lismore App, "I think we need to have a resolution. The problem we've got at the moment is that there are so many stories that actually don't come close to what we probably need. I think we need to go back to everyone and say, what are the options? What do you want to see happening? Because we know we can't stop the flood. There's just no way in the world we can stop the flood. We can take one or two meters off and give people some transparency around what the flood is going to be like, and some options around how long it will be before the flood water gets here.

"So, I think if that means signing a petition, talking to Kevin, talking to Janelle, talking to Chris Minns, talking to Albanese, I honestly don't care. I just want it fixed. After 2022, PTSD is rife throughout the whole community, not just in Lismore, but everywhere in the Northern Rivers. Anything that can give us some idea of what's going to happen in future is more important than anything else."

If community members would like to attend the in-person consultations, the CSIRO is hosting meetings in Casino, Lismore, Woodburn, Kyogle and Ballina from Thursday, July 31 to Friday, August 8. Click here for more information or to register your interest to attend: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/national-emergency-managment-agency-91910409563.

To sign the petition, click: https://www.kevinhogan.com.au/flood-petition/.