Eugowra floods: Why communities in Cabonne deserve better from government

You hear that line from Dorothea Mackellar's 1908 poem My Country trotted out pretty regularly around parliamentary halls, particularly after a natural disaster.

It's almost a political disclaimer: 'We want to help. We know we need to help. But, Australia ... you know, it's a land of droughts and flooding rains'.

What can you do, right?

This week the Central Western Daily, again, shone a light on the devastating reality residents of Eugowra are still living in eight months on from last year's fatal flooding event that swept through the Cabonne village.

To refresh the memory, the disaster was likened to an inland tsunami. No one had any warning. There was no time to prepare.

The clean-up has been immense in Eugowra since. The support the township has received has been overwhelming.

That though was just the first step. The battle is far from over.

Eugowra residents who've chosen to remain in town but lost everything are still living in a pod home or a caravan. Some of the conditions are shocking.

Couple that with the battle many are facing with insurance companies and it's easy to see why this next stage of the recovery process has been so taxing.

So while the initial clean-up effort signalled visible progress - and garnered attention from politicians very quickly - that momentum has stalled at the next step. And the frustrations are clear to see.

NSW has had a change of government in the eight months since people's lives changed forever on November 14, 2022 in Eugowra - and places like Molong, Cudal and Canowindra too. The entire Cabonne shire was smashed by flooding, but the tiny village on the banks of the Mandagery Creek continues to battle the most.

And since Labor romped home at the end of March - over 100 days ago now - the residents in Eugowra have been left waiting. They've waited long enough.

"I'd like for it to be said to the politicians, how about you go and live in a caravan for 12 months, look at your house that's been washed away, then live in a pod for another two years," Eugowra resident Sue Cross said, calling out new Premier Chris Minns.

"You were voted in by the people, yet you can't come out and see the people."

It's expected the NSW Premier and Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib will make a trip to the shire at some point in the immediate future.

While a NSW Government spokesman confirmed the Minister for Regional NSW and Agriculture Tara Moriarty visited Eugowra at the start of June.

Federal leader of the National Party David Littleproud, too, was in Eugowra last week, touring the village to get a first-hand glimpse of the issues these residents are facing on a daily basis.

While Member for Calare Andrew Gee has almost been a regular fixture in the village since the disaster, as both a National MP and an independent.

These are all positive steps. But these people deserve more than just a sprinkling of positivity.

Action is needed. Insurance companies need to be thrust into immediate action, not given a gentle nudge to do better. Early warning alarm systems are needed. Better flood mitigation is a priority. And the community deserves additional boots on the ground to get essential services back up to a pre-flood standard.

Because, while pollies are right to say Australia is a land 'of droughts and flooding rains' ... that can't be the end of it, can it?

Climate extremes - like the crippling drought we endured from 2017 through to 2019, and then the devastating flooding the region copped in 2022 - are becoming increasingly regular. We've been warned.

In the wake of last year's devastation, the Central Western Daily called on all levels of government to come together and generate meaningful strategies to protect our communities from the ravages of these weather extremes.

It's 2023. We've gone beyond the poetry recitals now.

The good people of Eugowra deserve better.

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