Mal Lanyon, the NSWRA CEO, has announced the appointment of Scott Tanner to the vital role of Cyclone Alfred Recovery Coordinator.

This position has been a long time coming, and we take the appointment as one of the improvements from the February 2022 flood. It was a position that Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin has requested continuously for the last three years.

Mr Lanyon said while the response phase of Alfred has been the focus of government and emergency service agencies, the NSWRA has been formulating a plan so we can move into the recovery phase quickly.

"One of the major learnings from '22 is we want to recover the community quicker. To that effect, in my role as State Emergency Recovery Controller, I have today appointed superintendent Scott Tanner as the Recovery Coordinator for the reasons affected by Cyclone Alfred.

(NSWRA CEO Mal Lanyon announces the appointment of Scott Tanner yesterday)

"Scott is the commander of the Richmond police district and has extensive experience in emergency management. I work closely alongside Scott after the 2022 floods. He's greatly respected by both the community and the civic leaders throughout the community, and I know that he will make sure that we drive recovery quickly."

"The Reconstruction Authority has been working closely with councils, the EPA and transport, to make sure that we really focus on cleaning up quickly. We've noticed there is significant amounts of debris right throughout the community. We want to make sure that's cleaned up quickly so the community can see progress.

"We also want to support councils to make immediate roadworks so that roads are back in their normal state. We focus very quickly on establishing recovery assistance points, which are places where we have all of our partner agencies come together and are really a one-stop shop so that members of the community can seek service prior to those being established. But we will be out in the community with the SES to make sure that we can provide support to the community and understand the needs. Further details will be provided.

"Communication is always a key factor in recovery, and we want to make sure that the community know exactly what services are provided and what we can do to support you and so that you can access if you require help. From tomorrow, there will be a website, https://www.nsw.gov.au/cyclonealfredrecovery. That site will contain all the information about recovery and services that you can access, information that is available to assist you.

"We've also had a first meeting with community groups to make sure that we've got significant engagement working, and that will continue throughout the process."

District Commander Scott Tanner said it is quite an honour to be appointed as the recovery coordinator.

"The lessons that I took out of 2022 will serve us well today. But not only do I know what worked, I know what didn't work, so our focus would be on getting this community back to as near as possible as it was pre-event. And with that in mind, I've already started discussions with our partner agencies, SES, public works, most importantly, the Reconstruction Authority.

"I can assure you that I'll work tirelessly to get all this work done as quickly as possible. Three main focuses for me will be around the three R's. That is the road network, rubbish removal and resupply. If we get those three things done quickly, we can get this community back to how it needs to be."

Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin welcomed Scott Tanner to his new role and said this was a good way of moving forward into the recovery.

"I'd also like to thank the community, it's really important, I can't do it enough. They were prepared. They heeded evacuation orders. I mean, everyone doesn't always have to agree with everything, but they acted, and they acted well, and that made the preparation better."

As part of the recovery, around 350 ADF (Australian Defence Force) personnel have set up base at GSAC in preparation to assist the community with its recovery efforts.

Ballina airport will reopen tomorrow (Sunday, 9 March) with Virgin Australia flights set to resume its direct flights to Sydney.

There is a caveat, however, these flights remain subject to ongoing weather conditions and may change at any time. You can check directly with Virgin Australia for the latest updates via https://flightstatus.virginaustralia.com/flightNumber.

As part of the recovery, Senator Tony Sheldon, the Special Envoy for Disaster Recovery, reinforced the federal and state government's commitment of the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

(Senator Tony Sheldon)

"There's been an expansion of those funding arrangements. This is the first time the DRFA has been called on before the event has concluded. Glen Innes Severn, Armidale and Tenterfield were added as local government association areas that will be included.

"$15 million has already been allocated thanks to the state government and the Albanese government. That money is particularly already allocated for dealing with some of the problems that we'll have with regards rubbish, etc, that councils will have to outlay fairly quickly. So, that money is already in place, ready for when that's called upon again.

Senator Sheldon also mentioned an additional 120 ADF personnel have been called upon to assist with the recovery plus a number of interstate and international support has come to Lismore.

"The New Zealand government sent over 66 Disaster Assistance Recovery Personnel, which will be here and assisting Scott and the team."

Lismore City Council, while still working on the response to Cyclone Alfred will also be working on a recovery plan, which will need much more than the $1 million committed by the government.

Chief Operating Officer Brendan Logan said, "It is encouraging to see the downgrading of TC Alfred weather system as it reaches landfall around Brisbane; however, myself and our teams are not relaxing just yet about the situation in Lismore.

"A major flood is still a strong possibility. An east coast or tropical low system can also deliver a lot of harm with respect to flooding, so we are still watching the weather closely. We have two full-time staff, Rob Pilling and Jessica Anderson, in the Emergency Operations Centre, just for that. I am in close contact with them, as are our operational teams.

(Bridge Street, North Lismore looking toward the showgrounds. Council will need to wait until water subsides to get a complete picture of road damage)

"We are; however, already turning our minds to the restoration and emergency works period that will likely commence early next week. We made a lot of rushed decisions last time, that in retrospect didn’t need to be rushed, so we are planning the scoping, accounting and delivery of the IR/EW period with some precision this time.

"We have had a lot of verbal commitments from the State and Federal Governments over the past few days, and we look forward to seeing those commitments deposited in our accounts so we can commence as soon as it is practical, without any cash flow pressure being placed on our Council.

"I made a number of call to the senior people on Monday when this looked likely, and I have to give credit to Mal Lanyon and his NSWRA staff, and also TfNSW and NSW Public Works, who all agreed very quickly that advance payments will be required, and not just for Lismore – our colleagues at Ballina, Richmond Valley, Kyogle, Byron and Tweed will all require the same support in recovery.

It appears as though the Wilsons River has reached its peak for this event. The concern for Lismore and the Northern Rivers is a second peak if the low-pressure system sends a lot of rain into the catchments over the next 24 hours.