SUBJECT: NSW flooding
SALLY SARA: The Prime Minister is promising there's more support to come for communities devastated by flooding in parts of NSW, after announcing a one off $1,000 payment per eligible resident. He made the announcement during yesterday's tour of flood ravaged communities on the state's Mid North Coast. Residents, farmers and business owners say that much more support will be needed, especially for those who've lost everything to flooding for the second time in four years. Kristy McBain is the Federal Emergency Management Minister and joins me now. Minister, welcome back to Breakfast.
KRISTY McBAIN: Good morning, Sally.
SALLY SARA: You've travelled back from visiting a number of these flood-affected communities. What was the strong message that you were getting from people in these communities about what they need?
KRISTY McBAIN: Yeah, well, it was really clear that people are still going through that initial phase of trying to understand where they stand and what they've lost or what can be recovered at this stage. It was great to see ADF on the ground as well as, obviously, emergency services personnel from now right across the country. But the strong message obviously is that recovery is going to take time. This isn't going to be something that is done quickly and we've reiterated that we will be there for the long haul, and we'll work with NSW and local councils on ongoing support where it's needed.
SALLY SARA: The $1,000 payment announced yesterday by the PM, that's a one-off contribution. Is there more to come in the way of financial support?
KRISTY McBAIN: Yes, we'll continue to work with New South Wales. They're leading this disaster response and recovery. We've engaged every time they've requested support, including that of the ADF, whether it was search or rescue or now in that clean-up process. We’ve engaged with them on making sure that we've got those councils some initial funding to start that cleanup process. We have enacted our Disaster Recovery Allowance now for a range of local government areas across the impacted area, which is income support and obviously those one-off payments. But we'll continue to work with NSW on other assistance as it's required, including for small business and primary producers. They're now eligible for a range of low-interest loans and freight subsidies, but we'll continue to work with them on additional supports.
SALLY SARA: Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that. For the farmers and small business operators, you've outlined some of that assistance. What about more assistance headed their way? Is that possible?
KRISTY McBAIN: Yeah, as I said, we remain engaged with NSW and we're hoping to have some more announcements coming up.
SALLY SARA: When you're looking at the latest information, what does it tell you about the number of homes deemed to be uninhabitable? Yesterday it was close to 800. Do you think that will probably rise?
KRISTY McBAIN: Assessments are still being done right across the area. It's important, I think, for listeners to know that we've still got probably more than eight communities that are cut off and we've got work underway to re-establish connection, waiting for waters to recede in some areas and in other areas we've got the likes of ADF going out to do route clearance. So, we're working as swiftly as we can to make sure all those communities are reconnected as soon as possible. Over the course of the last few days, there was helicopters flying every hour of the day, resupplying communities that are cut off or resupplying farms with a range of fodder drops. So, work is happening as quickly as possible. But sometimes it can be quite difficult to re-establish those connections.
SALLY SARA: And just to clarify what category for disaster declaration has been made for the region at this stage?
KRISTY McBAIN: So, at this stage our categories A and B have been enacted and we're hoping to enact categories C hopefully shortly.
SALLY SARA: How likely will it be that, so that will trigger more federal support, is that right? If you go up to C?
KRISTY McBAIN: That's correct.
SALLY SARA: You're listening to Radio National Breakfast and you're listening to the Federal Emergency Management Minister, Kristy McBain. There have been thousands of insurance claims lodged already. What's your understanding of how bad the underinsurance situation will be for this flood event?
KRISTY McBAIN: Look, I don't have those figures but what I can say is that we know for a number of the businesses and the farms that we spoke to, they either haven't been offered insurance or insurance was too expensive for them to take up, which is a significant concern. I know the Insurance Council of Australia are on the ground and I saw the CEO yesterday and my counterpart, the Assistant Treasurer Dan Mulino, will be having some direct discussions with insurance companies and the Insurance Council of Australia on the ground over the course of the next couple of days. But I think the message is really clear from us. If there is an insurance policy, get it paid out and sorted out as soon as possible for people to start that cleanup process.
SALLY SARA: The floods have been a fast-moving disaster on the Mid North Coast of NSW. When it comes to drought, what's your view at the moment about how much extra assistance is needed for people who've been in this drought situation now, some of them for more than a year?
KRISTY McBAIN: Yeah, obviously at a time where we've got droughts in one part of the country, NSW and sorry, floods in one part of the country in NSW and we've still got the impacts of droughts - floods in Queensland, we've got droughts obviously in Victoria and South Australia. And the food and fodder that they will require there is is just as necessary as the food and fodder that's going to be required in NSW and Queensland. So, we'll have ongoing discussions with the Agriculture Minister on how we can assist and I know she's been on the ground in parts of the drought impacted area over the last couple of weeks.
SALLY SARA: When we have things like the $1,000 one-off payment in the flood zone, is there consideration to provide something similar in the drought zone where people have been under distress for a longer period of time?
KRISTY McBAIN: Yeah, look, those things will be worked through by the Agriculture Minister but it's clear it's on our radar. We've got a whole range of situations playing out in different parts of the country. And only yesterday when we were speaking to farm in Taree, the Prime Minister was well aware that farmers in Victoria and South Australia are dealing with a different type of disaster that's impacting them at this point in time. So, we'll continue to work with those states on any assistance that may be required.
SALLY SARA: Kristy McBain, thank you again for your time on Breakfast.
KRISTY McBAIN: Thanks, Sally.
SALLY SARA: That's Kristy McBain there, Minister for Emergency Management and Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories.
