<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/06/northen-rivers-buyback-homes-squatters-homeless-evicted-empty-houses>
"One August morning, Chels Hood Withey woke to sheriffs banging on the door.
The housing advocate had been squatting in an empty house in Mullumbimby, in
Byron shire, after they became homeless in January.
But the house was a “buyback”, one of hundreds purchased from their owners by
the New South Wales government’s Reconstruction Authority (RA) as part of a
scheme to improve the flood resilience of areas following the state’s
devastating floods in 2022. Many people have moved into the homes, which are
due for demolition, relocation or recycling, because of what they say is a lack
of affordable housing in the region.
In May, a NSW supreme court decision ruled occupants squatting in 10 “buybacks”
in Byron shire and Lismore could not stay.
Last month, the evictions were enforced, taking many by surprise. “I didn’t
think we had reached the end of the negotiations,” says Hood Withey, who had
expected further avenues of appeal. In the confusion, they were not able to
gather all of the things they needed and left behind their passport.
The evictions have come amid questions about the housing recovery strategy
pursued by the NSW government and the RA following the state’s
“one-in-a-hundred year” flood event.
At the time, former Liberal premier Dominic Perrottet said he was “not going to
spare a dollar”, promising to “not just rebuild” Lismore but “make it greater”.
Many whose homes were less severely flooded hoped they would be retrofitted to
improve their flood resilience, or physically raised up or relocated higher
above the water line.
But data shared by the Lismore MP and NSW recovery minister, Janelle Saffin, in
response to a question in parliament last month shows just 41 flood-affected
homes have been raised, retrofitted or relocated across the seven northern
rivers local government areas eligible for the state and federal governments’
resilient homes program.
A much higher number of buybacks – 689 – have been completed in the region,
with many applicants also yet to accept offers. But NSW Greens upper house MP
Sue Higginson says this is a fraction of the 6,000 homes that should be covered
by $1.5bn of funding – and “just 1%” of 4,000 retrofits, relocations and raises
– promised to residents after the floods.
The promises of $1.5bn in funding and 6,000 remediated or bought are the
subject of some controversy, and the NSW government has denied they were ever a
firm commitment. Internal documents from the RA’s predecessor, the Northern
Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC), seen by
Guardian Australia, confirm
$1.5bn was part of the proposal to federal cabinet."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
