Mal Lanyon lets Lismore locals direct where flood recovery resources go

Locals will get to tell the NSW Government what flood recovery resources they require to ensure communities get what they need, not what ­bureaucrats in Sydney think they want.

Locals in NSW’s flood-ravaged regions will take a leading role in their own recovery, the NSW Government says, to ensure activities remain grounded in the needs of the devastated communities.

The recovery effort will be revamped following Premier Dominic Perrottet’s repeat visits to the flood-affected region, where it became clear that local involvement would be vital to rebuilding quickly.

Coraki locals and SES volunteers Daniel Clark and Nancy Grimmare have been co-ordinating the recovery efforts all week despite losing all the belongings in their own home after flood waters inundated their house and shed. Picture: Toby Zerna

The Daily Telegraph can also reveal that a representative from Resilience NSW had already been appointed to co-ordinate northern NSW flood recovery before NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon was handed the job.

Mr Lanyon replaced Gary McKinnon from Resilience NSW as northern NSW flood recovery co-ordinator on Tuesday after the Premier felt the role needed a more senior person in charge.

Nancy looks in through the window of her house to inspect the damage, which the couple haven’t had time to clean out yet. Picture: Toby Zerna

Under the new structure, local subcommittees will ­report directly to Mr Lanyon, telling him what their community needs.

It is envisaged the committees will inform Mr Lanyon about the supplies and personnel required to get the right ­resources where they need to go as quickly as possible.

The committees will include local representatives and volunteers who have been on the ground helping support the clean-up.

Mr Perrottet said that following his visit to the affected regions, it became clear that the recovery effort needed to be driven from the bottom up.

“Tapping into local knowledge and understanding is going to be crucial to getting all our communities back on their feet as quickly as possible,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

He said the government would not be imposing solutions on communities like Lismore, but partnering with locals to get them through the crisis.

“It’s not a one-size-fits-all ­approach,” he said.

“This new command structure will accelerate the clean-up and ensure recovery efforts use local knowledge to direct resources where they are ­needed most.”

Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the input from community leaders would help flooded ­regions get the support they needed as soon as practical.

“These people know their communities best and providing them with a direct line to Deputy Commissioner Lanyon will ensure they can ade­quately communicate the unique needs of their community,” he said.

Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said it was “vital” that local voices are ­involved in the recovery.