"It comes after a tumultuous week for the PM as he visited flood-ravaged northern NSW and southeast Queensland, with many
airing their anger about not getting five minutes with the PM, and their heartbreak about the slow government response, as
ABC reports. Former Fire and Rescue NSW chief commissioner
Greg Mullins wrote to Morrison that it was like Black Summer all over again, continuing his group, Emergency Leaders for Climate Action, met with the government in October to warn about massive flooding risks in the summer. If the government had implemented the findings of the
Royal Commission into Natural Disaster Arrangements, Mullins continued, victims would’ve been better prepared. A TV flood appeal saw some $25 million raised for the victims at the weekend,
The New Daily reports, while $36 million has been allocated by the federal government.
The
SMH reports this morning that the NSW government made three formal requests for Australian Defence Force (ADF) troops for Lismore — but it wasn’t until five days later the state government heard there were 2000 troops available. The state government’s Resilience NSW commissioner
Shane Fitzsimmons only heard about the troop numbers from a journalist, who had obtained Emergency Services Minister
Bridget McKenzie’s media statement."