Scott Morrison says Australia is getting harder to live in during visit to Lismore

Australia is getting harder to live in and the recent Northern Rivers flood disaster is just a prime example of that, Scott Morrison has claimed.

Scott Morrison has defended his government’s flood response, conceding changing climate is making Australia harder to live in.

At a stinging press conference in Lismore, where food waters rose to 14.4m, the Prime Minister said the event had taken everyone by surprise.

“No one expected to get to those levels,” he said.

“What we’re dealing with here is an extraordinary event. Australia’s becoming a harder country to live in because of these natural disasters.

“It’s just an obvious fact.”

Labor is calling on Mr Morrison to announce billions of dollars worth of funding to help with the recovery. Picture: Jason O'Brien

He added the government does recognise the impact of climate change and pointed to the actions taken to address it.

But he acknowledged flood mitigation works that would “save people” in flood events “hadn’t been done”.

Meanwhile, outside the press conference venue, protesters lined the street with placards calling for further climate action.

The catastrophic flood disaster in NSW has now been declared a national emergency, with the government funnelling millions into additional relief.

According to Labor and Lismore residents, the government has not been present in the region devastated by floodwaters. Picture: Toby Zerna

In his first public event since being cleared of Covid-19, the Prime Minister outlined an additional tranche of support, including $25m for emergency relief and $31 million for long term mental health support.

Residents of three councils classed as “catastrophe zones” will be granted two additional weeks of disaster payments, worth $1000 per adult and $400 per child.

More than 2600 ADF personnel were expected on the ground in northern NSW on Wednesday, up from 1635 on Tuesday.

Mr Morrison faced backlash after it was revealed visits with locals who had been impacted by the floods were off limits to the media.

Media was not told of visits by PM @ScottMorrisonMP to flood-affected farm and SES base until after they had happened. PM's official photographer was there. @7NewsAustralia

— Mark Riley (@Riley7News) March 9, 2022

The Prime Minister was quick to downplay suggestions it was done to avoid a repeat of the brutal reception he received during the Black Summer bushfires.

Instead, Mr Morrison said he wanted to pay his respects privately.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was met with a frosty reception when he visited Cobargo during the 2019.20 bushfires. Picture: Supplied

It comes as Labor ramps up pressure on the government over its handling of the crisis.

Labor Senator Murray Watt, who has been on the ground in Lismore for the past three days, said locals felt abandoned.

“A lot of people think it’s a rerun of the bushfires; when people were abandoned then, the government turned up late and they didn’t mobilise their resources,” he told the ABC.

“People want to see him stump up.”

Mr Morrison said he emphasised with people’s sense of frustrations.

“I absolutely understand the frustration, I understand the anger, I understand the disappointment, I understand the sense of abandonment.”

Originally published as Scott Morrison says Australia is getting harder to live in during visit to Lismore