Less than half of NSW flood grants paid out as concerns remain over Hawkesbury flooding

Less than half of the applications for a major flood relief grant established last year have been paid out, as Hawkesbury residents call on the NSW Government to reveal what they’ll do to prevent another catastrophe.

Less than half of the applications for a major flood relief grant established last year have been paid out, as Hawkesbury residents call on the NSW Government to reveal what they’ll do to prevent another catastrophe after scrapping the Warragamba Dam wall raising proposal.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that 43 per cent of applicants for the Back Home grant, which was founded in the wake of floods in April last year and provides a payment of up to $20,000 to help devastated residents, have been paid out.

More than 43,000 applications for the Back Home grant, which cover a swathe of flood-affected NSW, have been received.

According to the NSW Government 18,845 have been approved, with a total value of $274 million paid out.

Hawkesbury Mayor Sarah McMahon said, while she understood applications had to be thoroughly checked to prevent fraud, the figures still concerned her.

A house on the edge of floodwater in Windsor, Sydney, in July last year. Picture: NCA NewsWire / James Gourley

“I’m a little concerned that we’re at less than half – while understanding the necessity to check they’re all valid, people need access to this grant. There needs to be a faster way so people can access the funding they need to get on with their lives,” she said.

Windsor local Scott Hinks, whose yard has been badly damaged in repeated floods, said he was found ineligible for the grants.

“(I) got knocked back. I wasn’t flooded enough …(even though we had) four and a half metres of water out the back (and) damage to the retaining walls,” he said.

A Service NSW spokesman said the agency “appreciates the urgent need to deliver financial support to households, business and communities following a natural disaster, while ensuring appropriate checks are in place to ensure the proper distribution and use of public funds in accordance with program guidelines”.

Scott Hinks pictured on the banks of Windsor River which is still under repair and blocked off by fencing. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Potential fraud was a big reason for applications being knocked back, with 52 per cent of rejections due to no photos of flood damage being attached or photos being sourced from the internet.

Ms McMahon also said the Labor government, who promised more than $200m in flood proofing measures for the Hawkesbury-Nepean with the caveat that’d be spent within two years of winning the election, needed to reveal what it would do now after scrapping the wall raising.

“My point of view as the mayor is we’re still sitting on a 96 per cent full dam with the threat of a major weather event at any time,” she said.

“We have a very fragile and vulnerable community here still. A lot of people are still quietly suffering from the trauma of the last few years.”

A spokesman for the NSW Government added there had been “progress” made on the $200m in flood proofing for the region, which includes road upgrades and new levees.