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NEWS Northern Rivers – Buy Back Scheme

By Hollie Mariconte

It’s been eight long months since floods devastated much of the NSW Northern Rivers region. People have lived in a state of limbo, unaware of what the future could mean for them. However, the NSW state and federal government have recently announced $800 million in funding to help people move or to make their home more flood resilient.

About 6,000 home owners in the Lismore, Byron, Ballina, Tweed, Richmond Valley, Kyogle and Clarence Valley Shires will be eligible to raise, repair, refurbish, or sell their home as part of this joint buyback program.

The program offers three possibilities for home-owners: buybacks, house-raising and retro-fitting homes. • $700 million for retrofitting ($50,000 per home), house raising ($100,000 per home) or, in locations where the flood annual exceedance probability is greater than one in five, housing buybacks. • $100 million for the acquisition of land to provide local options to people who decide to relocate through the buyback program. Eligible home-owners will be offered one of the three available measures, based on expert property valuations, data on the severity of floods, safety risks and potential future flood levels.

Home-owners with properties directly damaged either by floodwater or landslips will also be considered. Residents could choose to sell their home to the government, believed to be in pre-flood values, giving them the funds required to resettle without the financial burden.

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW, Paul Toole, outlined that, “There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to building back and this program offers multiple measures to help residents stay in the region in homes that can better withstand future floods.”

An information seminar was held on Friday 4th November to provide residents with more

“…the NSW state and federal government have recently announced $800 million in funding…”

information on their claim entitlements through the flood property assessment program. The program offers a free, detailed assessment report, which includes a wide range of repair work and an estimate of repair costs. You can find more information HERE

After registering with Services NSW to complete the report, a designated Johns Lyng case manager will contact residents to initiate a building inspection. They will then provide an assessment report outlining the damage and costs involved to enable residents to decide on their best option to move forward.

Residents are encouraged to discuss their eligibility for assistance with Service NSW by calling 13 77 88 or visiting one of the many flood recovery centres in the region.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said, “We will work with the Northern Rivers community to ensure repairs, retrofitting and voluntary buy-backs are undertaken in a way that will better protect people and their homes from future flood events.” On 22 October, the Northern Rivers received further flood warnings after the predicted heavy rains. Residents in these areas are experiencing enormous anxiety, many still trying to recover from the floods in February.

Emergency Services and Resilience Minister Steph Cook said, “She ‘understood the anxiety’ being felt by people in the Northern Rivers and north coast, where towns have experienced two major floods in 2022.”

NSW State Emergency Service (SES) Commissioner Carlene York, stated that the SES had already stationed more boats and resources in the Northern Rivers and had set up a command centre in Goonellabah.

Flood plans were launched, warnings were issued by emergency services and people have been more prepared this time. Fortunately, the predictions were not as severe as they had expected.

Ms Cook says, “A La Nina is expected to bring a long season of wet weather.”

It is certain that many people in the northern rivers did not want to hear this news, especially when wet weather conditions cause so much delay in the construction process.

Mr Albanese has weighed in on things too stating that, “We know this repeated, relentless flooding can be emotionally and financially draining and we want communities to know we will be there to support them now, and as they recover,” Let’s hope they, the government, actually stand by their words.

We’ll see how this buy-back scheme will develop in the next few weeks as more people begin the assessment process and have more information available.

“We’ll see how this buy-back scheme will develop in the next few weeks as more people begin the assessment process…”

Hollie Mariconte Hollie is a freelance photographer, videographer and journalist living in the Northern Rivers area of NSW. For more information www.holliemariconte.com

Image Credit: Hollie Mariconte