Australia's costliest disaster recovery program fails to build single home

More than two years after devastating floods rendered over 2,000 homes uninhabitable across northern New South Wales, Australia’s largest disaster recovery program has failed to deliver a single new home. The Resilient Homes and Resilient Lands programs, launched in October 2022 with a promise to provide 4,382 new homes or housing lots, had not completed any construction as of March 31 this year. The state’s Auditor-General reported that the Reconstruction Authority’s (RA) ability to deliver land within the planned five-year timeframe is at risk, highlighting significant delays and shortcomings in the recovery effort. The programs were initially hailed as the biggest agreement of their kind in response to a major disaster but have been mired in controversy and criticism. Originally, 6,000 homes were eligible for buy-back, raising, or retrofitting, but this figure was reduced to 2,000 by mid-2023. The RA has only finalized 793 buy-backs so far, with targets repeatedly revised downward amid budget adjustments and implementation challenges. The report found no business case or cost-benefit analysis guided the program’s design, contributing to persistent delays, including a 21-month wait before the first payments were made. These delays have left communities like Lismore with numerous empty, sometimes squatted, homes and uncertainty about future land use. The Auditor-General’s report also criticized the lack of planning for the vacant land left behind by buy-backs, noting that rezoning to prevent residential use was the only action taken. It recommended that the RA accelerate site delivery for displaced residents and develop comprehensive plans for land management to better prepare for future disasters. The failure of the Resilient Homes and Lands programs contrasts with Queensland’s earlier and more effective Resilient Homes Fund, raising questions about the coordination and responsiveness of disaster recovery efforts in New South Wales. The ongoing delays and unmet promises underscore the challenges of rebuilding communities after catastrophic flooding and the urgent need for improved governance and planning in disaster recovery.