Central Coast Labor MPs took on Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, when NSW Parliament resumed in February, demanding answers to why the region has been ignored in the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund.
The Labor MPs David Harris (Wyong), Yasmin Catley (Swansea), David Mehan (The Entrance) and Liesl Tesch (Gosford) say that despite the Central Coast region suffering $163.3M of economic damage in the wake of last Summer’s destructive bushfires, the region did not receive a cent from the bushfire fund.
Impact assessment data and maps released by the NSW Government show that 40 buildings and 144 rural landholders were impacted by the bushfires.
“Instead of distributing money from the $177M Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund on the basis of genuine need, the Deputy Premier John Barilaro, and the Berejiklian Government, allocated the vast bulk of the funding to seats held by the Government, while Labor seats across the Central Coast received nothing,” said Shadow Minister for Central Coast, Wyong MP David Harris.
Deputy Premier, John Barilaro, who is responsible for bushfire recovery, faced a Parliamentary Inquiry on February 8, which was originally to investigate funding allocations to councils under the Stronger Communities Program but then expanded to include the bushfire fund.
It is understood that Barilaro was asked to explain the government maps; which show the worst hit areas in terms of economic impact ($750M) from the fires are Coalition-held seats on the South Coast; yet other areas such as the Central Coast, which also suffered extensive economic damage, did not receive any financial help.
Three council areas with a total $300M economic impact, according to government data, did not receive any funding and, in contrast, another council with an estimated $16M impact, received $40M in funding.
“Our communities simply got nothing,” Harris said.
“The fires didn’t discriminate on the basis of politics when they roared through our communities and I’m shocked that the recovery effort does.
“Gladys Berejiklian and John Barilaro are meant to be governing for all of NSW, it’s a great shame that they only seem to be governing for their supporters and no one else.
“There is no excuse for pork barrelling,” he said.
“Nambucca gets a rock wall on the coast, which has nothing to do with bushfires, but we do not get a single cent,” Harris said in Parliament on February 9.
During the fiery Question Time, Gosford MP, Liesl Tesch, was ejected from the Chamber by the Speaker and suspended for 24 hours for disruptive behaviour after pressing the Premier on what Tesch says is the “bushfire grant rorting saga”.
“I am so fired up. There is always Liberal bias … I was asking a question on behalf of the community and I was thrown out of Parliament,” Tesch said later.
“When I see this inequity, it just makes me furious.”
Harris said the Central Coast was the fifth most impacted local government area and Liesl Tesch did nothing wrong except push the Premier to explain why the Central Coast missed out.
The Entrance MP, David Mehan, said politics should never come before bushfire recovery.
“The Central Coast was devastated and desperately needed funding yet our electorates missed out because of the (political) Party we support.
“This is not ethical or normal behaviour,” Mehan said.
The Premier Gladys Berejiklian said in Parliament that the NSW Government had invested and would continue to invest in communities that were desperately recovering from bushfires.
“I appreciate that every community wants immediate attention … for those communities that wish to apply for further funding or present their case, those opportunities are ongoing and available.
“I will not understate the task ahead of us … our state has just been through four years of devastating drought, natural disaster, bushfires and COVID.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said unprecedented bushfire recovery support for the Central Coast had hit $25M in previous state and federal funding.
“Recovery is not only an individual journey, but a whole-of-community journey and that’s why funding has been made available to families, businesses and the local council,” he said.
“Council has received $200,000 for local recovery projects including the Front Yard Fridays and Buy Local campaigns so that we can rebuild not just physical infrastructure, but also community wellbeing.”
Crouch said support provided to the Coast community has included more than $500,000 in grants for bushfire-affected small businesses and primary producers; $9,000 in council rate rebates;16,695 people received disaster recovery payments totalling $20M; almost $3.4M in child payments and $1.3M in one-off grants to Central Coast Council.
Applications for a further $250M of bushfire recovery support from the NSW Government are now being assessed.
Sue Murray