When the CSIRO Interim Report was released behind the Marie Mackney Netball Courts on February 23 this year, there was an air of optimism in the air as Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt revealed the first of two flood mitigation measures for the seven councils in the Northern Rivers.

Three months later, no work has been started and no government agency is giving an indication as to when it will.

The CSIRO called the report "Rapid Prioritisation for Flood Resilience in the Northern Rivers". Minister Watt said Tranche 1 funding was $50 million which will be used for "shovel ready" projects that were identified by each local council and recommended by the CSIRO.

For Lismore, the list included:

• Flood risk management infrastructure - upgrades and maintenance of existing flood management infrastructure - 14 proposals
• Extra pump at Lower Hollingsworth pump station.
• Increase capacity in Browns Creek pump station.
• Power supply backups for all pump stations.
• Raise pump control rooms/towers in all pump stations.
• Refurbish Browns Creek flood gate.
• Refurbish Upper Hollingsworth Creek flood gate.
• New electric submersible pump station (x2) at levee near Snow Street and Thre Chain Road.
• Install an electric pump station to replace the tractor driven pump at the rowing club to remove CBD stormwater. Will improve evacuation from the CBD and providing better access to critical infrastructure and emergency services.
• Improved communications to critical infrastructure with capacity to install CCTV and advanced it solutions.
• Trash racks will reduce the risk of rubbish and debris being washed/sucked into pump intakes and causing damage to pumps.

The Lismore App wanted to report on the progress of the Tranche 1 projects so we could inform our readers from Lismore and the Northern Rivers. What we discovered was no work had been started, no equipment had been ordered and there was some buck passing.

Our first call was to Lismore City Council (LCC) who replied saying the flood mitigation work was being implemented by the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) and not council.

Has anyone from the NRRC contacted LCC about the Tranche 1 Flood Mitigation projects? No.

Contact was made to the NRRC who referred the Lismore App to NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency) with no explanation why. We then replied asking if the NRRC had received any of the Tranche 1 funding from NEMA. We did not receive a response.

A phone call and an email to NEMA also received no response.

Late Friday afternoon, we then sent an email to Senator Murray Watt to get some sort of clarification and as you read this story there has been no response.

February 28 2022 changed Lismore and the Northern Rivers like no event before, it is now regarded as Australia's largest natural disaster in terms of the cost of damage.

Flood mitigation is the cornerstone for Lismore's future because it means that more people and businesses will be able to be insured again which will also lead to investment in the region as we rebuild, a project that we know will take 5 to 10 years.

We will continue to seek answers so watch this space......