As communities across the Mid North Coast and Hunter grapple with the aftermath of catastrophic flooding, NSW Greens MPs Tamara Smith and Sue Higginson have called on the NSW Government to urgently abandon its ongoing support for policies that fuel climate disaster, including coal and gas expansion and native forest logging.
Tamara Smith MP, Member for Ballina and Greens NSW spokesperson for Disaster Relief said:
"No sooner have the people of the Northern Rivers marked the third anniversary of the devastating 2022 floods, than communities just south of us are facing another deadly climate-driven disaster,"
"Some flood levels in the Hunter and Mid North Coast have exceeded those of 1929. These are not one-in-100-year events - they are our new reality, and they demand a serious response from Government."
Tamara Smith expressed her deep concern for affected residents, saying:
"My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones, the nearly 800 families who cannot return to their homes, to the townspeople and business owners whose lives have been upended, to the farmers who have lost stock and crops, and to the SES workers and volunteers holding these communities together. No one is untouched by this disaster."
Sue Higginson MLC, Greens NSW spokesperson for Climate Change, said the disaster must be a turning point for government action on climate.
"The science has long warned us that climate change would drive more frequent and more intense flooding across the East Coast of NSW. We are now living that warning, and yet the Minns Government continues to approve new coal and gas projects, and allows the ongoing destruction of climate-critical native forests."
"The peer-reviewed attribution report produced by ClimaMeteras the floods were going on, demonstrate that the intensity of the floods were a direct result of human activity and climate change. The fact that the NSW Government approved the extension of a large coal mine during these climate fuelled floods, is a reckless act of harm against all communities living on the front lines of the climate crisis,"
"The Government is committing acts of climate negligence. Every day they delay real action is another day it fails the people of NSW."
Both MPs have called for:
- An immediate end to new coal and gas approvals in NSW.
- A moratorium on native forest logging to protect carbon stores and natural flood mitigation.
- Urgent review of planning and housing approvals in flood-prone regions.
- Increased funding and permanent support for disaster preparedness and community resilience programs.
"Climate change is not a future threat - it is here, and it is destroying lives," said Tamara Smith.
"To pretend these floods are simply freak weather events is wilful ignorance. The NSW Government must face reality and take responsibility."
For comment:
Tamara Smith - 0427 664 696
Sue Higginson - 0428 227 363
