Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confronted by frustrated local in Windsor

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to flood-ravaged Windsor wasn’t all smooth sailing as he toured the area with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet.

Anthony Albanese has been confronted by a man frustrated by government inaction on repeated flooding, with the exchange caught on tape.

The Prime Minister was visiting a volunteer emergency relief shelter on Wednesday afternoon when Windsor resident Scott Hinks approached him and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet.

“Everyone is talking about fixing the same problem … but nothing happens,” he said.

He told the leaders that floodwaters had risen to four metres in his backyard but noted he was lucky it did not make its way inside the house because he was uninsured.

Anthony Albanese and Dominic Perrottet were confronted by the local resident while on a tour of Windsor.

Both Mr Albanese and Mr Perrottet took the interaction in their stride and listened to the man as he aired his concerns.

Floodwaters at Windsor in Sydney’s west swelled to the highest point since 1978, exceeding levels reached during the March floods.

Mr Hinks said it was all well and good for politicians to tour the area when it was in crisis, but residents needed more support.

“We are a bit over it,” he said. “We need action.”

Mr Albanese committed additional assistance to families on Wednesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“We appreciate you saying thank you but we actually need action now.”

Earlier, Mr Albanese confirmed that thousands of families would have access to federal disaster payments from Thursday.

The payments of $1000 per adult and $400 for each child were signed off by Mr Albanese after a meeting of cabinet.

The payments will be made available to residents of the 23 local government areas where a natural disaster has been declared.

The Blue Mountains LGA has recorded more than 200mm of rain in the last two days.

Mr Perrottet thanked the government for its swift approval of flood relief.

“The announcement of the relief payments today is very important for the families particularly who have been impacted,” he told reporters at the state emergency operations centre in Homebush.

People can apply for the payments via the Services Australia website from 2pm Thursday.

The announcement followed criticism from the Coalition, who questioned why the government hadn’t activated the disaster payment earlier.

“We’ve been very quick to act in partnership with the NSW government, and it is pleasing that we’ve been able to work together so strongly,” Mr Albanese rebuffed.

Mr Perrottet and Mr Albanese receive a briefing from the SES. Picture: James Brickwood

He praised the working relationship between federal and state governments, noting Australians were sick of “conflict fatigue”.

“They don’t want to see governments acting with the sort of childish comments we’ve seen, with some of my new federal counterparts in the last day,” Mr Albanese said.

It’s a sentiment that Mr Hicks also shared with the two leaders on the ground in Windsor.

“This is our first step, getting (Labor and Liberal) together,” he told the pair.

“Well, we’re here together,” Mr Albanese replied.

Originally published as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confronted by frustrated local in Windsor