In April 2022, after the flood events in the Northern Rivers and Hawkesbury region, the NSW and Federal Governments provided $142 million in joint funding to establish the Flood Property Assessment Program (FPAP).

NSW Public Works was engaged to manage the program and quickly got to work. “We awarded the contract to the contractor within a week of putting out the tender documents and have been progressing with registrations and assessments since April,” said NSW Public Works FPAP Director Emily Pitt.

The opt-in program provides residential and commercial property owners with a free, detailed assessment report, including a comprehensive scope of repair works that the owner might want to undertake and an estimate of repair costs. “This supports owners to make an informed decision on what the next steps will be in their recovery process.”

Of the more than 5,500 registrations received, more than 4,700 property assessments have been completed. “We are finding that most of the houses can be repaired and either returned to a habitable or pre-flood state,” said Ms Pitt. “So far, 71 owners of residential properties and four commercial property owners have opted in for demolition.”

In delivering the program, NSW Public Works is harnessing its experience with disaster clean-up, such as the 2019-20 bushfires.
“We are leveraging lessons learned in terms of stakeholder management, working with the contractor to deliver a timely program, and delivering the best outcomes for property owners. The program staff bring expertise from involvement in lots of disaster responses, which is very different from day-to day work,” she said.

“Thank you for the demolition and removal of our flood destroyed building. This whole process has been very difficult for our family; however, I just want to say that we certainly do appreciate the final result.”

Jones family, Casino Street, South Lismore