Flood Talkfest Continues

A local Hawkesbury action group has accused the state government of inertia after it announced a new community panel to help work underway to reduce the risk and impact of future floods in the region.

Hawkesbury Community Alliance (HCA) said it is extremely surprised at yet another request for community input from the NSW Reconstruction Authority. It said that it is now two years after the last major floods and the NSW Government has yet to provide tangible results. “…we appear to be still in a consultation phase. This is yet another ‘talkfest’ with no action,” HCA said in a statement.

The NSW Reconstruction Authority is seeking input from Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley residents to address flood issues and is asking them to join a new community panel to investigate infrastructure options, enhance flood awareness and preparedness. 

“Floods in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley have devastated communities, homes and businesses, and we know people will only face more and worse impacts if nothing changes,” NSW Reconstruction Authority Deputy CEO, Simone Walker said.

These cattle were handfed during the floods and survived.

“This critical work will provide strategies and actions to make sure people living and working in the Valley are safe and better prepared. Now more than ever, it’s important that the NSW Reconstruction Authority meets the challenges of the future with a plan to reduce the costs and impacts of floods on communities.”

However HCA said successive governments have failed to deliver meaningful outcomes and were too focused on the recovery stage not flood mitigation. “A greater focus on mitigation could avoid so much waste,” HCA said. 

“Despite the community’s active participation in the flood inquiry and its unwavering cooperation with all information requests, the current government, and the one prior to it, has failed to deliver any meaningful outcomes. This inertia is frustrating and disappointing,” HCA said. 

“Hawkesbury Community Alliance has gone above and beyond by inviting several politicians to witness the devastation first-hand, including speaking to impacted residents. It also hosted the Flood mitigation forum with expert input from Professor Stuart Khan for the community, politicians and media – sharing what actions would make a difference in future. Yet, despite these efforts, the situation remains stagnant.  

“Hawkesbury Community Alliance believes that Warragamba Dam should be legislated as a flood mitigation dam, and Professor Stuart Khan clearly demonstrated how achievable that could be in his presentation. It is exasperating to note that we seem to still be stuck in a never-ending cycle of consultations, with little to no progress being made on the ground.”

The work to reduce the risk and impact of floods is being led by the state’s disaster preparedness and recovery agency, the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA), through the state’s first regional Disaster Adaptation Plan (DAP).

The Hawkesbury – Nepean Valley is one of the most dangerous floodplains in Australia. It is often compared to a bathtub – one with five ‘taps’ flowing in and only one drain. Between 2020 and 2022, the area flooded six times. 

The Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley stretches from Brooklyn to Wallacia and Wisemans Ferry. It covers land in the Hawkesbury, Hills, Blacktown, Penrith, Central Coast, Wollondilly, Liverpool and Hornsby local government areas. The DAP – which is considered a high priority by the government – will cover the whole region, spanning all 8 Local Government Areas, including the Hawkesbury. 

The government has set up a page for community members to express their views or if they wish, join the new Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley DAP panel here: https://www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/hnv-disaster-adaptation-plan