Scott Morrison has unveiled $25 million for emergency relief and declared the NSW floods a national emergency.
The local government areas of Lismore, Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley have been declared “catastrophe zones”.
Residents in those areas will get access to the next tranche of support, including two additional weekly disaster payments.
Disaster payments of $1000 per adult and $400 a child have been available since the crisis began, but will be extended for another two weeks.
The federal government will also inject over $31 million to deliver immediate and longer term local mental health support services for individuals, families, and communities impacted by the floods.
A further $10 million will has been committed for a specialised program for school aged children.
But the Prime Minister has been accused of dodging the media during his tour of northern NSW to avoid a repeat of the awkward exchanges caught on camera during the Black Summer bushfires.
He touched down in Lismore on Wednesday morning ahead of several media events to announce additional disaster funding and declare the NSW floods a national emergency.
Seven News Political Editor Mark Riley revealed Mr Morrison made several visits in the flood ravaged town before official proceedings kicked off.
The Prime Minister’s office claimed Mr Morrison wanted “to pay respects and say thanks privately” without media present.
Lismore locals threatened to greet Mr Morrison with a frosty reception when he arrived, similar to the brutal welcoming he received in Cobargo during the 2019-20 bushfires.
Protesters lined the street where the Prime Minister was expected to hold a media conference, with placards calling for stronger climate action.
Labor senator Murray Watt, who has been on the ground in Lismore for the past three days, said locals felt abandoned.
“A lot of people think it’s a rerun of the bushfires when people were abandoned then, the government turned up late and they didn’t mobilise their resources,” he told the ABC.
“People want to see him stump up.”
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce warned the Prime Minister that Lismore residents would not be rolling out the red carpet for his arrival.
“I fully expect people to be incredibly upset,” he told Sky News.
“They’re not in a happy place. And they want to be heard.”
While the government is eager to put the focus back on rebuilding the community, many have questioned why it took the Prime Minister so long toxjmtzyw declare a national emergency.
“Why has he waited till he is surrounded by TV cameras before doing it? He could have done this at any time over the last week,” Senator Watt said.
Mr Morrison’s trip to Lismore is his first since he was released from Covid-mandated quarantine.
He is expected to declare the catastrophic flood a national emergency.
The declaration allows the federal government to intervene and streamline the deployment of resources.
It is a power that Mr Morrison fought for following the 2019-20 bushfire crisis.
NSW has not yet declared a state of emergency after Premier Dominic Perrottet claimed it was “not necessary at this stage”.
