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.”
