A shocking admission was heard today during the New South Wales flood investigation: life-saving aid was withheld due to safety regulations. Key government agencies led the investigation into the flood disaster that devastated parts of NSW and resulted in the loss of many lives.
The investigation heard that Maritime NSW refused to deploy taxpayer-funded vessels to rescue residents in Lismore while the city was submerged by water due to SST regulations.
Lismore residents were hit by two devastating floods in just one month. (9 News)
“From my point of view, we cannot put our staff in this circumstance unless they are trained,” NSW Maritime Executive Director Mark Hutchings said in the consultation.
Meanwhile, Lismore resident Kayla Youngberry watched as the floodwaters flooded the roof of her family home and waited to be rescued.
Today he wondered why state resources were not deployed, while locals with cans and surfboards saved lives.
“My question would be what if it was his family if it was someone he knew, would you still make the same call knowing that your family and friends would be flooded by the water?” she said.
Kayla Youngberry survived the Lismore floods after being rescued by locals. (9 News)
“If it weren’t for those cans, I’d still be on this roof.”
Liberal MP Catherine Cusack pointed to the emergency response for not deploying ships.
“People were literally dying while publicly funded boats were sitting in the sheds because of the SST,” he said.
The flood investigation also revealed a school in Ballina that opened as an evacuation center only for an official to tell the principal to close it because it was not officially approved.
Evacuation center at Xavier Catholic College during the floods in Ballina. (9 News)
“He told me that because we weren’t officially approved, we had to disperse families to duly certified places,” said Xavier Catholic College Ballina principal Kevin Lewis.
Hours later, the government changed its mind and asked the school to open as an evacuation center for 1,000 evacuees, two nursing homes and a field hospital.
“My staff went to the bathroom and washed elderly people who had no support,” Lewis said.
“One of my staff members was asked what credentials he had to support for evacuees.
“Confused, she asked for clarification. They put even more pressure on her, ‘What title do you have as a support person?’
Research on the devastating NSW floods of 2022. (9News)
NSW Resilience Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons defended the actions of emergency response services.
“At what point do we realize we’ve gotten too complicated and we should have simplified the process?” Shooters, fishermen and farmers asked Mark Banasiak to Fitzsimmons.
“I think it’s as simple and as locally applicable as it can be,” Fitzsimmons responded.
The beach is eroding after wild surfing
The investigation also pointed to Resilience NSW and whether it has a purpose during emergencies.
“Is NSW resilience in its infancy or is it a failed experiment?” said Banasiak.
The fire brigade echoed that sentiment, while Leighton Drury said: “It looks like a $ 1.2 billion bureaucracy is doing nothing, this is not being done yet.”