The Commonwealth and NSW governments have announced a new round of flood support funding after the Prime Minister was widely criticised for snubbing Labor communities in a previous disaster payment.
Flood-stricken communities will get another $742 million under the agreement, including $100 million for business support, $35 million for rural landholders, $150 million for primary industries and $142 million for the assessment of properties and the demolition of uninhabitable ones.
It adds to nearly $1 billion in funding that was previously announced.
Hours before Friday’s announcement, the acting NSW Premier joined a growing group of Coalition colleagues who have slammed Scott Morrison for what they say was his slow pace in offering assistance to flood victims.
Paul Toole told ABC Radio on Friday the Prime Minister was “a bit slow coming to the table” and offering support for people in the state‘s north who have had their lives up-ended by the deluge.
“I am disappointed in relation to how they've only now acknowledged people in that area need support,” Mr Toole said.
Mr Morrison earlier in the week caused an outcry when an agency under his government’s control gave extra support cash to people in the Nationals electorate of Page – including the city of Lismore – but not to people in the Labor seat of Richmond, which was also hit hard.
The weekly $1000 disaster payments for adults, plus $400 for children, were extended for two weeks in Lismore, Clarence Valley and Richmond Valley.
A NSW Liberal MP said earlier in the week she would quit over the Commonwealth‘s handling of flood support and a state Nationals MP has also come out swinging against the Prime Minister.
The federal government reversed course on Thursday and agreed to include Richmond and the council areas of Tweed, Byron Ballina and Kyogle in the funding.
Mr Toole, who is in the top job while Dominic Perrottet is taking parental leave, said his visits to the state‘s north made it obvious more help was needed.
“If they were up there, and actually went around, and opened their eyes, would have seen those communities were also needing access to funding,” he said.
“I know the Commonwealth government have now come to the party but they are still behind what's already being offered by the NSW government.”
Mr Tool’s colleague Geoff Provest, a Nationals MP in state parliament‘s lower house representing Tweed, told the ABC on Friday locals felt forgotten by the Prime Minister.
“I'm very disappointed with the Prime Minister and the Emergency Services Minister, Bridget McKenzie in delaying it,“ he said.
“(Flood victims) kept asking that question over the last week, ‘Why were we excluded?’
“There's a lot of anger in our local community about it, they feel like they’re forgotten.”
A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said the Richmond council xjmtzywareas initially weren’t granted the extra disaster payout because the National Recovery and Resilience Agency had not recommended they be included until Thursday.
The additional funding announced Friday will also include a federal injection of $50 million for large businesses.
The NSW government will add $120 million for local councils and $145 million for repairs of water and sewage infrastructure.
“We will continue to support thousands of residents and businesses in northern NSW, by giving them the support they need to get back on their feet,” the Prime Minister said in a statement.
Mr Toole said in a statement the affected areas were the “engine room” of the state.
“These regional communities provide vital resources for a huge part of the NSW population, so it’s critical money lands in the hands of local residents, our farmers, and business owners impacted by the floods to help keep the engine room of our state moving,” he said.
The state MP who quit, upper house member Catherine Cusack, said on Thursday she was “outraged” by the funding snub for victims in Richmond.
“The idea that being a flood victim in a National Party-held seat makes you more worthy than a flood victim who is in the Richmond electorate … is probably the most unethical approach I have ever seen,” Ms Cusack said.
The NSW government has copped its share of criticism for the flood response as well, and Mr Perrottet earlier this month apologised to victims who felt abandoned by authorities.
The Prime Minister earlier apologised for waiting to declare the flood situation a national disaster.
Mr Perrottet, Mr Toole, and NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns have all said the flood disaster response should be reviewed.
“We want to find out what has gone well, what‘s gone poorly and make sure mistakes are corrected,” Mr Minns said earlier in the week.
“So that the best effort from the NSW Government, the State Emergency Services, Resilience NSW and all the other agencies that are responsible for emergency management are fixed and we don’t go through what we’ve seen over the last two weeks again.”
The Prime Minister’s office was contacted for comment.
