The community engagement sessions, facilitated by the NSW Reconstruction
Authority, were held across the Parkes, Forbes, Lachlan and Cabonne Shires over
three weeks, giving residents the opportunity to view flood risk information, hear about
proposed measures to make their homes more flood resilient and talk directly with
flood experts about how new flood maps were developed.
The proposed Central West Resilient Homes Program is part of the $100 million
Central West Recovery and Resilience Package that is jointly funded by the Australian
and NSW Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Residents were encouraged to share their feedback on the proposed approach for the
Program, with many supporting measures that will help them minimise future flood
damage to their property.
Support services, including Legal Aid, Red Cross, Lifeline and Catholic Care, were
also on hand to help residents some of the more complex challenges many still face.
The Central West's Resilient Homes Program aims to build stronger, safer
communities with measures that help households most at risk from future floods by
increasing the resilience of their home or removing residents from harm's way.
Proposed measures include grants for a range of resilience measures, such as raising
and retrofitting, home rebuilds and home relocations and a voluntary scheme to buy
back properties in the highest flood risk zones.
Feedback from the community information sessions will be used to finalise the
guidelines for the Program.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Senator Jenny McAllister said:
"The feedback from residents of the Central West is critical to ensuring we develop a
program that moves families out of areas at high risk of increasingly frequent and
intense severe weather events or enables residents to make their homes stronger.
"Community engagement is at the heart of our flood recovery efforts in the Central
West, so I want to thank all those who went along and shared their stories.
"The Albanese and Minns Government will continue to listen to residents and work
hand-in-hand with the community to achieve positive outcomes through the Resilient
Homes Program, helping build community resilience while supporting people on their
recovery journey."
NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:
"The NSW Government is committed to delivering a program that meets the needs of
the community, that's why it's important that we've heard from the community about
the measures that are being proposed.
"Their feedback will help us deliver a program that is tailored to the needs of the
Central West.
"I've said this before - this program is not about simple fixes - it's about making a
concerted effort to help communities in the Central West become more resilient and
an acknowledgement that the NSW Government is standing with them for the long-term."
NSW Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:
"We've always said that community is at the centre of flood recovery in the Central
West.
"The feedback we've received over the last three weeks has been invaluable and it
will help confirm a program that will ultimately help people get back on with their lives
faster after a flood. I know the Reconstruction Authority has been reaching out to
residents who are still living with flood impacts to make sure they shape community
support and help us to deliver a program that's tailored to the needs of the Central
West.
"I'd like to thank residents for participating in these sessions and for sharing their
stories and experience which can be harrowing to relive."
Member for Orange Phil Donato said:
"Nothing will ever undo the damage caused by the 2022 floods, but we can make sure
that we're better prepared for future disasters.
"Community information sessions are one way we can empower residents to have a
say about a program that will have a profound effect on their future.
"I'm not surprised to hear that where they can, people have a strong desire to stay in
their homes using measures that will help them make their properties more resilient to
floods.
"Make no mistake, this is a challenging process and the toll on our communities has
been severe, but we've made sure that we're listening to our people every step of the
way."
