The Lismore App has been critical of the NRRC, the NSW Reconstruction Authority (NSWRA) and the State Government for their lack of communication recently about our flood recovery, especially the Resilient Homes Program and the Resilient Lands Program.

Communication, or lack thereof, has been the key complaint because if the media are not being told any information, it makes it awfully hard to tell the rest of Lismore and the Northern Rivers what is happening. After all, the push is for the community to have a say in the flood recovery, but how can you have a say if you are being starved of information?

Take the Resilient Homes Fund Dashboard as an example. It has not been updated since 6 July 2023. However, updated statistics were provided verbally on August 10 through a written response to Lismore App questions.

Simon Draper, CEO of the NSWRA is the man responsible for the Northern Rivers Flood Recovery. The NSWRA now oversees the NRRC. Mr Draper spoke with the Lismore App yesterday.

When asked about the communication with media and the community, Mr Draper said there has been a focus on direct communication with people who have registered with the Resilient Homes Program.

"I think quite a lot of care about that as well because we're conscious of the impact of people who are receiving news that's unwelcome and we wanted to be really careful how we did that," Mr Draper replied.

"But at a much broader level, the focus most recently has been trying to really ramp up communication with a lot of the community leaders, and I think some of the MPs and mayors have talked to you about that as well. So, we're now having a lot of direct communication with them, which is good. That's been one of the things that they've had a really big appetite for."

"We're also very conscious that needs to go more broad as well. We will be getting more information out more regularly. We'll be publishing that on the website, but also, I think, updating the media as regularly as possible."

"Up until now, a lot of the focus on that communication has been about the numbers in the buyback program. But I think there's quite a bit of an appetite in the community for a lot more information than just the buyback statistics. So, some of the policy decisions around how we're proceeding with buybacks, how we're dealing with things like home relocations, demolitions, if they happen, recycling of materials from homes, that's been one of the topics on which there's been a lot of attention. So, there's a whole range of issues we want to make sure we communicate about not just on the statistics, but we're not shying away at all from providing those numbers."

Mr Draper provided the latest dashboard numbers, which were 571 valuations, 450 approved offers and 238 offers accepted so far.

As Mr Draper mentioned, the community would like more information than just statistics, so when will that information be made public?

"We're proposing to publish some material about that. That's the sort of thing we've been talking about with those community leaders. Our approach to relocations and recycling our approach to appeals, how we manage the appeals process, things like that. As we've said before, we're going to do a peer review of the flood risk analysis and mapping to make sure there's community confidence in that analysis. So, they are the sorts of things we've been taking through the community leaders."

"And also, we'll get to the point with those community leaders where we will talk to them about the future direction of the program as well because there's plenty of decisions to be made about the future of this program. And the way that will work is we'll seek guidance from those community leaders before we go back to state government and commonwealth government to seek approvals around those things."

When will everyone know about their eligibility for the program if they've registered? There have been people who have had no communication with the NRRC.

"We're actually doing some outreach at the moment. There were people contacted in July with a phone call to tell them where they stood. So, people have been told they're going to get an offer, that's where we're working through and getting those offers out at the moment."

"There's obviously many, many people who aren't yet prioritised for a buyback and we've called most of those people. We're now sending them emails, but we're doing that in a pretty careful way. We're making sure, particularly people who need support in that process, we're trying to contact them first and talk them through that and make sure they've got the information that they need. For example, if they want to consider an appeal, making sure they're in contact with support services for those."

"We're working through those now. That will happen over the coming weeks. We've already started it, but we're doing it in batches to make sure we can be in contact with people in a methodical way. So, I think through the rest of this month is the period where most people will get contacted."

What is the latest update on the Resilient Lands Program?

"We did publish the draught strategy, I think that was in June, and we got feedback on those. In the meantime, I think what's become clear is that most of the councils have pretty developed views about where housing should proceed in their own local government areas. So, we are asking the councils who work with us and have an LGA (local government area) by LGA housing plan, which most of them already have in one form or another. We want that to help inform (us) where some of the Resilient Land support can go and also other support we can bring from other state agencies where councils believe there are constraints in getting some of those developments away, we will bring other parties to the table."

"I guess we're trying to refocus the whole new housing program around those council plans and make sure the Resilient Land money that's available supports that programme. That's something that will take time to work through. Some of those developments are pretty advanced, and that's why the Resilient Land Strategy is focused on those developments that are most ready to go. Because the new housing developments are going to take some time to come through, we'll also have to consider how much time we give to people who are receiving a buyback so they can have a look at what land is going to be available. They don't have to make fast decisions on relocations."

There was communication about the first land site being ready to be developed by the first quarter of next year. Is that still the case?

"That was one that was identified that we were hoping to move pretty quickly. I guess our view would be they should all happen as quickly as they can, but we'd want to work with the councils on those. Most of the councils have views about other sites that could also be developed. So, I think it's a case of letting 1000 flowers bloom. The more of these new housing developments we can get away, the better."

"There are some things we need to take into consideration, though, and it's fine to get new housing away, but it's got to be affordable for people who are moving from homes that are being bought back or other people who are not currently in their homes. And that probably means a few things. That means we need to think about the potential for relocation of houses where that's feasible. That might provide greater affordability, and we also have to think about other programs that councils and governments support to ensure the affordability of those homes."

Why are we going through this consultation period now? Surely, it should have been done at the start of the program.

"Look, I think there were conversations, but what we're saying now is, we really want to put the councils in the driver's seat. This is one area where I think the councils will need to lead. There's been quite a lot of focus on the lands as a mechanism, and in one way, it's a lot of money, $100 million, but in other ways, considering the scale of the task of creating new housing in the Northern Rivers, it's not a lot of money when you consider the scale of that task. So I think we've got to have a wider focus on creating new housing, not just on the Resilient Lands Program, but all of the lands that councils believe can be brought to market."

Mayor Steve Krieg has said that Lismore City Council wants to take a real leadership role in the flood recovery and the Resilient Homes Program. Is that something the NSWRA supports?

"We've said to all of the councils that we're quite happy for them to be as involved as they'd like to be. Different councils have different views about how involved they'd like to be in the program and we've been talking quite a lot actually with Lismore City Council. Both the mayor and the elected councillors, but also the executive team from Lismore City Council. Probably at the bare minimum, councils want to have a say in where the buyback programs are happening because that really shapes the community."

"So, if you start buying back neighbourhoods, that impacts the future of the community, and they really want to make sure they have a say in that, and we fully support that. Some of them would like to be even more involved in, for example, the communication with the community about the program and even some of the direct contacts, but I think the highest priority for them is to be involved in the strategic planning of their community and the way that the buybacks influence those strategic plans."

Is the community strategic plan reliant on Tranche 2 funding?

"We've got a number of offers that we've got in the market, so we'll work through those offers, and I guess there may be a balance left in that $700 million fund at the end of those offers and acceptances. So, it would also influence how we direct that money. It's not relying entirely on whether there's another wave of investment in the Northern Rivers. Even if there's money left in that $700 million, we would be seeking guidance from councils and from community leaders about how we proceed with that program."