The select committee was established on 23 March 2022 to inquire into and report on response to major flooding across New South Wales in 2022. The select committee’s inquiry is different to the NSW Government’s independent flood inquiry.
It is important to note that while the personal stories of those directly affected by the floods will be valuable to the inquiry, the purpose of the select committee’s inquiry is to make recommendations to the government.
Video recordings of hearings, where available, can be found on the NSW Parliament’s YouTube channel here.
The committee will release its final report on Tuesday 9 August 2022.
Findings:
- SES and Resilience NSW failed as lead agencies
- SES was hindered by centralisation and shortage of volunteers
- SES issued out of date, inaccurate and confusing messages
- Community members had no other option but to ignore government advice and save lives
- Grants process was insensitive and compounded trauma
- NSW Government agencies lacked coordination, created confusion
- Demarcation disputes between NSW Government agencies slowed the roll-out of support
- NSW Government failed to adequately prepare effective temporary and long-term housing solutions
Recommendations:
- Consider restructure of SES to harness local knowledge, coordinate more closely with other rescue agencies, increase salaried staff and drive volunteer recruitment
- Consider abolishing Resilience NSW
- Appoint senior police officer to lead recovery efforts
- Prioritise the rebuild of Cabbage Tree Island
- Significantly increase investment in flood mitigation and preparation