August 2026

Here’s a question the NSW Government should have to answer.

Why has it taken four-and-a-half years to come up with a housing plan for people displaced by the catastrophic Lismore floods of February 2022?

That flood was not a minor weather event.

It was the worst flood in Lismore’s recorded history, with the Wilsons River reaching 14.4 metres and inundating large parts of the city.

People lost homes. Families were displaced. Businesses were destroyed. And for many residents, there was no realistic prospect of simply rebuilding and carrying on.

Yet here we are, in the second half of 2026, and the NSW Government has only now released a draft masterplan for 500 homes on a 72-hectare site at East Lismore.

A draft plan. Four-and-a-half years later.

The proposal itself has merit.

The former Southern Cross University site is intended to provide terraces, duplexes, detached houses and relocated buyback homes, with at least 20% designated as affordable housing.

Flood-affected residents will receive priority.

The homes will be built on land considered to have lower flood risk and close to schools, shops, transport and the university.

All of that makes sense.

The problem is the timeline.

Four years after the flood, according to Living Lab Northern Rivers, only a handful of replacement houses had even started construction — and none had been completed.

That is an extraordinary outcome after one of the greatest housing disasters in NSW history.

The explanation from government is that it took time to identify a suitable large parcel of land, negotiate its purchase from Southern Cross University, appoint Landcom and arrange infrastructure servicing.

Fair enough. But four-and-a-half years?

Governments regularly tell us they can move quickly when circumstances demand it. During emergencies they introduce legislation overnight. They find billions of dollars when political priorities require it. They fast-track major projects.

But when hundreds of families lose their homes in regional NSW, apparently the machinery of government moves at glacial speed.

And the consequences are serious.

Lismore is one of Australia’s most flood-prone cities, having experienced around 155 floods since 1850. For many homeowners, remaining in flood-prone areas is increasingly untenable.

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, with annual flood premiums reportedly reaching $16,000 to $45,000 for some high-risk properties. Some homes are effectively uninsurable.

Others are worth far less than their owners once expected because buyers understand the risk.

That means displaced residents cannot simply wait indefinitely while government departments plan, negotiate and consult.

They need somewhere to live.

The East Lismore development may ultimately provide part of the solution.

But even now, Stage 1 represents only around 100 homes and the broader project remains at masterplan stage.

The new masterplan is welcome. But it also raises an uncomfortable question: Why wasn’t this happening in 2022 or 2023?