The initial estimate for the $700 million Resilient Homes Program was 2000 for House Buybacks, 2000 for House Raisings and 2000 for House Retrofits.

6000 homes needing major work following Australia's most costly natural disaster, over $9.6 billion according to the Financial Review in January 2023, figures from global reinsurance company Munich Re. This made the Northern Rivers flood the fourth most costly natural disaster in the world in 2022.

Nearly sixteen months later, have the federal and state government forgotten this fact?

Yesterday, CEO of the NRRC David Witherdin said that there will be around 1,100 House Buyback offers made by the end of the month. Does this mean that 900 homes are no longer considered at high risk to life in the Lismore and Northern Rivers floodplains? Try telling that to people rescued from the roofs of the family home worried whether they would survive.

Let's not forget, then Premier Dominic Perrottet and current Premier of NSW Chris Minns declared their support for Lismore.

During his April 4 visit with State Member Janelle Saffin, Premier Minns said "It's really important that the new government sends a message to the businesses, to the community who live in this part of New South Wales that we are there with them for the long haul. We know the rebuilding effort is going to take many years. We know the capital and investment from the New South Wales Government and the Commonwealth Government must continue to flow so that Lismore can rebuild and that we made sure that promises made are promises kept, even if those promises were made by a previous government of a different political persuasion."

It is a well-known fact that the $700 million for the Resilient Homes Program was never going to be enough, it was the starting point, the first tranche of funding. There was the promise of more funds to come. Where are those funds now?

CEO NRRC David Witherdin is between a rock and a hard place. He began the journey with the goal of moving the most vulnerable, at-risk people off the floodplain so they no longer have to worry about having their lives threatened during the next major flood event. Others would be offered house raising to give them more security and the retrofits are designed for homeowners to clean up and move in as soon as possible when the next flood hits Lismore and the Northern Rivers.

As Mr Witherdin and his team move through the vital house buyback, house raising and retrofit identification and negotiation stage, you can easily see the numbers don't add up.

Even with the new 1,100 homes being offered a House Buyback, the total would be $550 million, making the assumption that everyone took the offer and using $500,000 for the average house value (homes are valued at pre-flood prices). The Lismore App has heard of offers with greater amounts but let's make an estimate.

The estimated House Raising costs range from $80,000 to $100,000 approximately. The actual cost to raise is $25,000 to $35,000 then you add on earthworks, a concrete slab, electrical work, plumbing work, stairs and the price increases to the cost range.

If 2000 homes are eligible and are offered the House Raising that cost is $160 million if we take the $80,000 total cost.

The NRRC say they will pay up to $50,000 for a retrofit. If we calculate 2000 homes at half the amount $25,000, that total cost is $50 million.

Under those circumstances, the total cost would be $760 million, $60 million more than David Witherdin has available to him.

If the House Buybacks numbered 2000, the cost would be $1 billion.

To keep within his allocated $700 million budget, Mr Witherdin has to reduce the number of House Raisings and House Retrofits. It is a simple budgeting process.

Where is the Tranche 2 funding for the Resilient Homes Program at this crucial time?

The language the NRRC uses is carefully worded, "Prioritisation also helps the NRRC distribute funding currently available under the program."

The Lismore App has been trying to get answers about Tranche 2 funding from the State Government but has not received a reply.