NSW floods: just 11% of applications approved for buybacks and no homes retrofitted nearly 20 months on

Exclusive: Residents liken the administration of the government’s $700m recovery program to ‘a script from Utopia’

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Only one in 10 flood-affected homeowners in the New South Wales northern rivers who applied for assistance have received a guarantee their house will be bought by the government, and not a single person has had their home retrofitted or raised.

Nearly 20 months after the flood disaster, figures obtained by Guardian Australia reveal just 11% of the 5,001 applications made in the Tweed, Byron and Lismore councils under the government’s $700m recovery program had been approved for a buyback.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

from World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/r7wAGS8
via IFTTT