New minister, top cop to drive flood recovery

The NSW Premier has appointed one of state’s most senior police officers to drive the Northern Rivers flood recovery effort as he fends off criticism of his government’s response.

NSW Deputy Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has been named as the Northern NSW Recovery Co-ordinator. Picture NCA Newswire/ Gaye Gerard

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has appointed one of the state’s most senior police officers to drive the Northern Rivers flood recovery effort as he fends off criticism of his government’s response to the ongoing natural disaster.

Mr Perrottet named NSW Deputy Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon as Northern NSW Recovery Co-ordinator as concerns grow over a housing shortage driven by dwellings being declared uninhabitable after being inundated by water.

The government has faced mounting criticism that food and care relief was not reaching victims quickly enough.

But The Australian can reveal Deputy Premier and NSW Nationals leader Paul Toole declined to accept an appointment as Minister for Flood Recovery due to the prohibitive volume of work involved, according to officials familiar with the matter.

As a result, the position was designated over the weekend to Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke, who was freshly promoted to the Perrottet ministry less than three months ago and, according to some colleagues, is not equipped to manage a disaster of this scale.

Disaster recovery within government has previously been led by the NSW Nationals leader due to their seniority and established links to regional communities.

Mr Toole’s immediate predecessor, John Barilaro, performed a similar role in the aftermath of the 2019 Black Summer bushfires, which are being regarded as smaller in scale to the current crisis.

In a statement Mr Toole said he and Mr Perrottet created the flood recovery portfolio specifically for Ms Cooke because it aligned with her existing responsibilities for disaster preparedness, emergency management and recovery.

“My role along with the Premier is to work side-by-side with the minister to help all communities right across the state to get back on their feet,” Mr Toole said.

Some colleagues of Ms Cooke described her as competent and capable, but said the added responsibility and scale of the task was “ridiculous” to assign to a new minister with “five minutes” of experience in cabinet.

A major priority for the government has become the procurement of housing for residents currently living out of temporary accommodation, with Mr Perrottet promising on Tuesday that a funding package would be signed off by cabinet within days.

About 800 people are being housed in emergency accommodation, according to Mr Perrottet, who apologised for a number of shortfalls and said he would seek a “root and branch review of the way we handle these emergencies”.

The Minderoo Foundation, a philanthropic organisation that provided housing to communities affected by the 2019 Black Summer bushfires, confirmed to The Australian that it was in discussions with the NSW government to help provide some solutions, not limited to housing.

A spokeswoman said a team of three staff members was in the region and consulting with Resilience NSW, as well as the Queensland government.

Some senior NSW coalition officials told The Australian they remained strongly supportive of Mr Perrottet through the crisis, however they acknowledged the recent failings and levelled some blame at the state’s premier disaster agency, Resilience NSW.

Led by former rural fire services commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, the agency has been criticised for lacking clarity in its vision, policies and reform, while also falling short of preparing the state for disaster and recovery.

Some officials described its workings as overly bureaucratic and top-heavy in management.