Mackerel Beach's Sharon Green and Mick Hardy, held in high regard in the Pittwater Community, were impacted when a mudslide caused by 330 mm of rainfall at Palm Beach on 17 January over a 12-hour period, destroyed the rear of their home. Mick, on duty despite what was happening at home, filmed what was happening in the flat section near Barrenjoey House and at Palm Beach Public Wharf. This section has been flooding during rainfall events since records commenced. This also illustrates the downpour occurring directly opposite, at Mackerel Beach.
Independent Member for Pittwater Jacqui Scruby brought Minister Janelle Saffin, NSW Minister for Recovery, to Pittwater to meet residents at Mackerel Beach and see first hand the devastation caused by a landslip and flooding following January’s severe storm and heavy rainfall. This follows Ms Scruby raising the issue in NSW Parliament last sitting period.
Minister Saffin, the Member for Lismore, has stated the 2022 floods were "an absolute shock to our system and we were not prepared for that at any level".
"There was no public policy framework at all; it didn't exist at a government level," she said.
Ms Saffin said NSW drew heavily from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (RA), set up after flooding in 2010, but it had been a steep learning curve.
Her role and experience in her community over that period uniquely prepared her to ensure the incumbent NSW Government's program of recovery and supports stayed firmly embedded in being about people and helping their recovery.
Together with a delegation of other stakeholders, including representatives from the Council and SES, Minister Saffin met residents Mick Hardy and Sharon Green, whose home was directly impacted by the landslide and is now unliveable and neighbours, Diane and John Bonney, who are also unable to return to their property due to the damage.
L to r: Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby, Mackerel Beach resident James Brown, and Minister Saffin meeting residents Sharon Green and Mick Hardy (on the right of pic) - behind them is their home and the mud and debris from the landslide.
Ms Green said she appreciated the visit from the Minister: “For her to come and see for herself, to listen to us and offer her support means so much.”
Foreshore Mackerel residents from the southern end of Mackerel Beach also raised issues about coastal erosion and the loss of safe access to their homes at high tide.
Ms Scruby said the visit was critical in putting Pittwater and Mackerel Beach on the map, given the Northern Beaches are projected to have the highest average annual losses from extreme weather by 2060 of all Local Government Areas in NSW.
“Mike, Sharon, Diane and John have suffered a disaster and I wanted the Minister for Disaster Recovery to visit the site to support the application for Disaster Declaration. That declaration was made today, which is a significant win for this community given the last landslide had no Ministerial visit and was ignored by the government” said Ms Scruby.
“I’m putting the pressure on for each and every state agency to undertake the work required to prevent delays to insurance and approach this in a co-ordinated way.”
Ms Scruby also noted that this was critical for long term advocacy - “National Parks has known about the risk of landslides but have failed to mitigate them. Part of the Minister’s visit is to continue to pressure the government to have a whole-of-government, co-ordinated approach to future mitigation also.”
The Minister also met Richard Mehinick and residents of Elaine Avenue, who are facing recurrent storm water flooding as a result of the same extreme weather.
Ms Scruby took the opportunity to show Minister Saffin flood impacted areas of the electorate including near Careel Creek Avalon, Newport and Narrabeen - and to discuss the need to put downward pressure on home insurance.
“Minister Saffin covered an extensive number of issues facing our electorate both immediate impacts of the January disaster, long term mitigation measures. We are committed to working together on these issues, which are vexed but need to be tackled,” said Ms Scruby
Ms Scruby thanked the community. “I want to thank everyone who writes to me and outlines how impacted they are because that allows me to advocate and pressure the government to take notice, and action.”
A disaster declaration was made today for the Northern Beaches, along with other areas impacted.
The declaration covers Bega, Bellingen and the Northern Beaches, and will provide:
Individuals:
- Immediate assistance such as emergency accommodation.
- Grants for low income, uninsured residents to replace lost essential household items to maintain basic standard of living.
- Grants for low income, uninsured residents to undertake essential structural repairs to homes damaged by the disaster event.
Primary producers and Small Businesses:
- Concessional loans up to $130,000
- Transport subsidies up to $15,000
Sporting and recreation clubs:
- Concessional loans up to $10,000
- Grant up to $2,000
Not-for-profit organisations:
- Concessional loans up to $25,000
Assistance in counter disaster operations and restoration of essential public assets is also listed under the declaration.
To find out more, please visit the government's webpage here.
Great Mackerel Beach: Pittwater
January 18, 2023, 9.30 am - low tide - (NB: PON Props. do visit cousin's place at MB to do yet more repairs - potential 'conflict of interest' in that).
