MEMBER for Oxley Michael Kemp has called out Premier Chris Minns for “out-of-touch comments” on morning TV show Sunrise regarding the recovery of flood-affected communities along the Mid North Coast.
When asked by host Matt Shirvington what NSW should be most proud of in the past year, the Premier responded: “I think the thing we should be most proud of is the way that we rallied during Cyclone Alfred at the beginning of the year, and the way the community got back up off its knees on the Mid North Coast after those devastating floods.
“I mean, we move on… if you don’t live in that community life moves on, but those towns really went through hell over those couple of weekends.
“Just think their resilience and community spirit really shone through and brought out the best of NSW.”
Mr Kemp believes Mr Minns’ comments reflect a lack of understanding of the ongoing impact of the floods on the Mid North Coast.
“The Premier speaks as though people have moved on, but our communities haven’t had the luxury of ‘moving on’,” Mr Kemp said.
“I speak with locals everyday who are still facing financial strain, mental health stress, and ongoing infrastructure damage months after the event.
“Many… businesses still don’t have the support they need because the application process has been so complicated, so time-consuming and so poorly communicated that people can’t get through it.”
Mr Kemp said it’s time for the Premier to stop delivering “sympathetic soundbites from a Sydney studio” and start delivering actual support.
“I’m calling on the Premier to get out of Sydney, come back to the Mid North Coast, speak directly with affected residents and businesses and increase the Small Business Recovery Grants to $50,000 because the damage far exceeds the support on offer.”
You can help your local paper.
Make a small once-off, or (if you can) a regular donation.
We are an independent family owned business and our newspapers are free to collect and our news stories are free online.
Help support us into the future.
