Lismore City Mayor Steve Krieg has called on the NSW Government to back the people of Lismore by committing to a local leadership approach which would see Lismore City Council drive the reconstruction of our city.

The Mayor and Councillors met the Minister for Planning, Paul Scully, and the Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib, last week and told them of the need for local leadership for Lismore’s recovery.

“I would like to thank the Ministers for visiting our region and their commitment to re-set the approach for the design and delivery of Lismore’s reconstruction efforts,” Mayor Krieg said.

“The way forward must put the community at the centre, recognise basic physical and mental needs, and have local leadership. We need a locally led vision for our city, a homes program that meets the needs of individuals and families, a focus on jobs creation and investment into our community over the long term.

“We have waited long enough for the State Government to bring answers and solutions to the table following the impact of the largest flood in modern Australian history. The delays, misinformation and uncertainty has caused further trauma, prevented people from moving on with their lives and has had a financial impact on their livelihoods.

Mayor Krieg criticised the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NNRC) saying it has been a little over 12 months since the corporation was announced to the public.

"We can't really show much tangible progress in that time and council now have the staff and the resources to want to get involved a lot more and actually help drive the reconstruction our community."

(Head of Investment and Growth at Lismore City Council Katherin O'Regan, Mayor Steve Krieg and Director of Partnerships, Planning and Engagement Ebor Butron)

The Mayor went on to praise the Queensland Reconstruction Authority which has council "front and centre" of their reconstruction, "We think it's a really productive and proactive model," he said, "As a council, we felt really left out of how the process has been unfolding."

When questioned about the role of the NRRC, Mayor Krieg said it would be enveloped into the new NSW Reconstruction Authority (NSWRA) while acknowledging that we need the presence of the state government in Lismore.

"What we are lacking is local input. There has been none. We don't have a member on their advisory board who is a resident of Lismore. Lismore, as we know, was the hardest-hit area. Obviously, we need some form of body up here to guide the reconstruction, that's a lot of money we're talking and we need that probity check."

Vision is a word that has long been mentioned weeks after February 28, 2022, and the Mayor said the NRRC asked to work together on a master planning workshop that would go out to the community in May or early June. "That's been pushed out to December with no end in sight and their plan to reveal that is next December (2024) and that's not good enough for our community who is still so badly hurt both physically and emotionally."

"We were told the Reconstruction Corporation is here to do that. We'll work with you. Well, it hasn't happened so, let us drive that."

"If we relocate 500 homes off the floodplain where do they go? What does that floodplain look like?"

Council and councillors held their own workshop back in October last year but the development of a vision and master plan for Lismore has not progressed. "We're frustrated and we want to get things moving."

When asked how receptive Ministers Scully and Dib were to this idea last week, the Mayor replied, "My gut reaction was that they were pretty shocked to be honest with you. I don't think they realised how little had been done in such a long time. I think they understand the need for community engagement and community involvement. It's really hard to lead a reconstruction effort out of Sydney."

As for House Buybacks and the reduction in numbers that were first proposed by the NRRC, the Mayor would like to see the state government back their data that it is safe to live on the floodplain by them rebuilding their own service entities like Richmond River High School and Service NSW.

"If it's so safe, as our mapping gurus are saying, well let's get the infrastructure rebuilt. Let's make it all happen."

Mayor Krieg expressed more frustration about money and the talks around Tranche 2 funding.

"Everything comes down to this monetary value and Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 and we're forgetting the humanity of this. We've still got thousands of our residents who are still living in unlivable homes or living in pod villages. We're not taking into account the humanitarian side of this and the frustration is, if it costs $5 billion just get it done. If it costs $1 billion let's just do it. Whatever the number is, let's just make it happen."

"We're really quick to announce that we've just spent $5 billion on a natural disaster overseas but we don't seem to look after our own people very well. And for me, it's not about Tranche 1 or Tranche 2, as the politicians say, for me, it's just about seeing the problem and fixing the problem, whatever it takes.

Mayor Krieg has written to the Premier and the Ministers requesting a meeting to discuss the Locally led plan.

What’s in the Plan?

Vision and Blueprint

Funding for a community led process to develop the long-term vision and blueprint for the Lismore region to drive growth, investment, homes and jobs.

Homes

A review of the Resilient Homes program to ensure it takes into consideration the impact of the 2022 natural disaster and socio-economic factors.

Funding for the adoption of a case-management approach and concierge service to guide people through the available housing options.

Funding for critical infrastructure to accelerate the opening up of flood-free land for much-needed housing.

Jobs

Funding for critical essential road infrastructure to facilitate the development of flood-free land identified for jobs.

Community Investment

Extension of funding for local organisations to provide essential support to individuals and families including temporary accommodation, relocation and mental health.

Human Impact Report and Strategy

Funding to undertake a Social Impact Report to examine how the disaster affected the lives of individuals in the community.