The NSW government “always can do better” with its natural disaster response but not every reaction will be perfect, Acting Premier Paul Toole says.
State parliament sat on Tuesday for the first time on since the deadly and devastating floods in NSW’s Northern River region last month.
The government faced questions from friendly and opposition MPs about its handling of the disaster, which has faced heavy criticism.
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Mr Toole pointed to the independent review to be led by former NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller and the state’s first chief scientist, Mary O’Kane.
“We always can do better,” Mr Toole told parliament.
“No two natural disasters are alike … Will we have everything perfect? The answer is no. But can we learn from it? The answer is yes.”
“We want these communities to bounce back and rebuild better than they ever have before.”
Mr Toole said he was taken aback by response and spirit of locals, while he described “some of the worst smells and the worst sights” he’d ever seen as a result of the floods.
Treasurer Matt Kean, who is also the energy minister, acknowledged the impact climate change had on the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters.
“We’ve just seen that only in these past few weeks,” he said.
Mr Kean said NSW’s spate of bushfires, floods and droughts had caused “disruption, destruction and loss of life”.
Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke laid out the extent of the rescue and relief efforts.
“The volume of water and the impact it’s had is just unimaginable,” she said.
The State Emergency Service had received more than 25,000 calls for help and performed nearly 2100 flood rescues since February 28.
Nearly 4700 emergency workers, police and defence personnel were on the ground in flood regions.
Nearly 1500 people were in emergency accommodation, as 4000 homes were deemed uninhabitable.
As clean-up efforts continue, with 12,000 truckloads of waste dropped at transfer stations.
