Anthony Albanese and Chris Minns appear set to visit Eugowra in the lead-up to the one year anniversary of the flooding tragedy that claimed two lives.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
It was on November 14, 2022 when flooding ripped through much of the Cabonne shire, but Eugowra and Molong were particularly hit hard.
Two people were killed in Eugowra - Ljubisa 'Les' Vugec, 85, and Dianne Smith, 60 - as what would later be dubbed an 'inland tsunami' swept through the small village on the banks of the Mandagery Creek.
The Prime Minister pledged to visit Eugowra for a second time during Question Time on Thursday, September 14 in response to a question raised by Independent Member for Calare, Andrew Gee.
Mr Albanese said he would invite NSW Premier Chris Minns to join him.
It will be the second time the Prime Minister has landed in Eugowra while, if he accepts the invitation, it will be Mr Minns' first trip to the flood-hit community. The fact Mr Minns is yet to visit the area since being elected as premier in March, 2023 is a point of conjecture among the community.
Thursday marked 10 months to the day since the disaster swept through Eugowra, Cudal, Molong, Canowindra, Manildra and Wellington.
"The failure to deliver our region the same level of support that other disaster-hit areas of the state have received is a disgrace and an outrage," Mr Gee said during a speech to parliament.
"What is your government doing to get this vital assistance moving? And with the anniversary of the disaster fast approaching, will you again visit Eugowra and our region, and invite the New South Wales Premier along too?"
"I certainly will take up the invitation of the Member of Calare to visit the community," the Prime Minister said.
"I'll invite the NSW Premier as well, because I'm sure at times like this, what we need is for the whole community and different levels of government, federal, state and local, to work together.
"I certainly will continue to work closely with the NSW state government to deliver the disaster recovery support that has been committed."
It was during the six month anniversary of the tragedy Eugowra residents detailed the hell of living without a home and the uncertainty associated around working with insurance companies.
Mr Albanese vowed to do more to help the community through this battle.
"If there's more that can be done, I'm certainly always up for doing what is necessary for communities that have suffered so much," he added.
In addition to this, Mr Albanese recalled his visit to Eugowra with former NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet on November 22, last year - eight days after the flooding event.
The power of water was on display for all to see, where some homes had been lifted up, literally, and taken a kilometre down the road.
- Anthony Albanese
"The power of water was on display for all to see, where some homes had been lifted up, literally, and taken a kilometre down the road," Mr Albanese said.
"I pay tribute as well to all of the emergency services workers, to the brave men and women of the Australian Defence Force who took us there on that day, and who did such extraordinary work assisting the local community, but also to the resilience of that community," the PM said.
The PM also commended Mr Gee's support of storm and flood-hit areas across the Calare electorate.
"I pay tribute to his strong advocacy for his local community," he said.
Last week in Parliament, Mr Gee moved a motion calling on the NSW and Federal governments to activate the full suite of disaster assistance to storm, flood and fire ravaged communities.
In his speech, Mr Gee raised key disaster recovery funding initiatives that have not been approved for devastated areas of the Central West.
"This vital support for our region needs to be rolled out without further unforgiveable delay. Our residents are being treated as second-class citizens, and this cannot be allowed to stand," Mr Gee said.
Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens. Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Sign-up to our latest newsletter
