NSW floods: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reveals devastating flood impact, warns of lengthy recovery time

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday revealed the devastating impact of severe flooding in New South Wales, warning that affected communities would need months to recover.

Mr Albanese and Emergencies Minister Kristy McBain were on the ground in Taree, the town on the state’s Mid North Coast that has borne the brunt of the recent weather disaster, assessing the damage and speaking with volunteers and survivors.

Praising the response of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), State Emergency Service (SES) and Disaster Relief Australia (DRA), he said an “extraordinary number” of people had been rescued over the last week.

A total of 7791 incidents had been reported, 795 flood rescues conducted and 15,362 calls for help, while a building survey found that 695 buildings were no longer habitable, Mr Albanese told reporters at a local press conference.

The ADF would remain for as long as they were needed, he added. “We will provide what support is necessary.”

Mr Albanese referred first to the tragic human toll of the natural disaster, which unfolded when heavy rainfall during a coastal trough triggered a once-in-a-500-year flooding event hitting towns across Hunter and mid-north coastal areas.

“The human impact we must remember first and foremost, the loss of five lives through these devastating floods, and the extraordinary hardship that people have gone through,” Mr Albanese said.

“People have spoken about the 2021 floods and how that had a devastating impact, but they thought that would be the peak. Well, this flood has been far worse, and the impact has been far more severe.”

After visiting a couple of dairy farms, he said the “devastation that we have witnessed firsthand, has been only exceeded by the extraordinary resilience that these Australians are showing.”

The Prime Minister called the community “remarkable” but added that the economic impact on the dairy industry would be felt across the country.

The havoc wreaked on local communities would not disappear even after months, he warned.

“This will take some time, the recovery, but Australians are resilient. They’re tough, and we will come through this and we’ll come through it together,” he said.

Mr Albanese cautioned insurance companies “to do right by their customers and swiftly process claims,” adding that an office has been set up in the area to help people process claims.

The Prime Minister said the Government’s own first priority was to ensure urgent relief.

“We’re in early stages. What we’re about is making sure that people are looked after in the immediate sense,” he said.

“Our focus now is on the clean-up and recovery from this event. That’s our focus, the immediate needs. That’s what people here expect us to do. Yes, there are longer term issues that need to be looked at,” he said.

The Government’s assistance efforts would be boosted by the activation of the Australian Government disaster recovery payment in nine local government areas.

“This payment helps people who have suffered the most serious impacts, including major damage to their home or serious injury or loss of a loved one as a result of severe weather,” he said.

“It’s a one-off payment of $1,000 for eligible adults and $400 for eligible child,” Mr Albanese explained.

“We look after each other to build times. We don’t leave people behind,” he said.