Independent Member for Murray, Helen Dalton, waded through to Moulamein last week to listen to community members dealing with the impact of flooding.
Around 30 people managed to get into town, and most used the occasion to go public with their frustrations about the lack of communication during the event.
Helen says that has been the consistent complaint everywhere she has been in the flood-hit south west of NSW.
“It didn’t matter where I have travelled, people keep telling me how disappointed they have been with the way the floods have been managed by the hierarchy, and their annoyance their local knowledge was continually disregarded in the decision making process.
“There is a lot to learn from the way these floods have been handled and I think we can do much better in the future,” Ms Dalton says.
Helen says she would like to see communities have a shared role in management decisions, considering they know the area and usually have knowledge of where floodwater travels.
“Some people have lived in these towns for decades, for generations, and their knowledge of the area is invaluable,” she says.
Ms Dalton says as the urgency of the floods has passed, and people are looking toward recovery, many of them are now frustrated with the complex process of applying for financial assistance.
“These communities are stressed enough without adding the difficulty of filling out unnecessary details on complicated and hard-to-understand forms,” she says.
“All they want is a bit of additional financial assistance to take the pressure off and to let them start to rebuild.
“But if you are looking for any kind of positive, the one thing these floods have shown is community spirit is still very much alive and well in our small country towns.
“In most cases, it is this community spirit that has saved houses, helped out mates and generally reduced the overall impact of this unprecedented flooding.
“The stories I have heard of people helping out family, friends and neighbours has been heart-warming.”
Ms Dalton says she will be taking those concerns to the floor of the NSW parliament once the floods are over, to demand a full inquiry.
“I think it is important we take the time to look at how these floods have been managed, including the role current water management has had, especially around the running of high rivers and full dams.
“Many people are telling me floodwater moved into areas previously unseen before which is a huge concern and something we need to prevent happening in the future.”
