The Hon. ROSE JACKSON (Minister for Water, Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness, Minister for Mental Health, and Minister for Youth) (15:12): I move:

(1)That this House acknowledges the communities impacted by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

(2)That this House commends the extraordinary preparation of communities in northern New South Wales who are still recovering from flooding and other disasters in recent years.

(3)That this House also commends the courage, selflessness and service of volunteer organisations, the State Emergency Service, Rural Fire Service, Australian Defence Force, Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW Police Force, Marine Rescue, VRA Rescue and all emergency service workers and agencies.

I recognise the importance of this motion because Tropical Cyclone Alfred was the first tropical cyclone—or ex‑tropical cyclone or tropical low or whatever meteorological term we are using, and I do wish to be exact—to hit New South Wales since Tropical Cyclone Nancy in 1990. It was a pretty significant event. We do not get a lot of tropical cyclonic weather activity in New South Wales. Normally that is an unfortunate occurrence much further north. To have this event in northern New South Wales is a significant occurrence, and it is worth reflecting on the good things that have been done and the lessons learned for further events. Unfortunately, as this House knows, one of the many impacts of a changing climate is the increased frequency and severity of weather events like tropical cyclones. We have an important opportunity to reflect on what went well and what we can do to make sure our State is further prepared for future weather events.

The communities affected by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred have moved from the response phase to the recovery phase. I will update the House as to where the Government is up to in terms of supporting those communities. The Reconstruction Authority, alongside the SES and the Red Cross, are currently visiting communities to assess damage and hear about their experiences. We are starting north at the border, at Tweed, and working our way down. People have returned to their homes, and we continue to encourage people to exercise caution, make sure their properties are safe and check for potential damage. Even a while after these events occur, that amount of water can have an ongoing impact, like destabilising trees, so please be careful. We are on the road to recovery, but we are not there yet. We are committed to supporting impacted communities to get back on their feet as soon as possible. Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred occurred in a part of the State that has been smashed in recent years. That has been talked about a bit, from the 2017 floods to the devastation of 2022. For a community that has really experienced the worst of Mother Nature in recent years, the ex-tropical cyclone coming on the back of those events is obviously challenging. Supporting them on the road to recovery is incredibly important.

In response to Ex‑Tropical Cyclone Alfred, I can report to the House that the SES responded to over 7,717 incidents and conducted 89 flood rescues. The information from the SES is that the vast majority of those flood rescues, which were by and large all successful, were of people driving through floodwater. After going to a number of briefings and press conferences day after day, the SES sounded like a broken record saying, "Don't drive through floodwater." But those figures show why the SES has to keep saying it. The SES says, "Don't drive through floodwater. If it is flooded, forget it." Even though the SES was saying that day after day, people still think, "I can get through that. I have a four-wheel drive." You cannot; forget it. Do not drive through floodwaters. I thank the 3,300 SES members involved in the event, who came from all over the State. When I was on the North Coast, I dropped into the SES headquarters in Lismore and Tweed and there were people from across New South Wales, in uniform, standing with communities. The SES is an amazing volunteer army. That was fantastic.

I thank the team led by Homes NSW and our partner non-government organisations who stood up the evacuation centres. There were 25 centres in total, and I visited a number of them. The evacuation centres were managed by staff from the Department of Communities and Justice and the Department of Education, and that is not their job. It is not as though "running an evacuation centre" is in their title and they are waiting for disasters to happen. No, they have other jobs. They work in incredibly challenging areas like child protection, foster care and community support. They are teachers. They work in TAFE. When disasters happen, they are local to the communities, they are based in those areas and they step into those roles, welcoming people who are really vulnerable, who have had a really tough time, and wrapping their arms around them and running those evacuation centres. I thank the staff who ran those evacuation centres. They were beautiful people.

I have to call out the non-government organisation partners. I particularly call out the Red Cross and Anglicare. The Red Cross and Anglicare people I saw at a number of centres were incredible people. They were making cups of tea, having conversations, offering an ear to listen to people's stories and giving them reassurance. I thank them so much for making those centres a welcoming and comforting place for people who were having a tough time. Over 1,530 people registered for assistance at evacuation centres and more than 429 community members were supported in emergency accommodation in hotels and motels. That was a big piece of work to ensure that when evacuation orders are in place, we have places for people to go. We were able to ensure that that was available this time. I also note that Homes NSW has received 167 requests for maintenance of social housing properties due to storm damage and we are working our way through those.

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, as members would know, made landfall on Saturday 8 March, resulting in coastal erosion, damaging winds, and flash and riverine flooding for parts of northern New South Wales, including Lismore, Ballina, Tweed Heads, Dorrigo and Grafton, amongst others. New South Wales was preparing for the worst and hoping for the best and we can all be proud of our preparation. The SES led the multi‑agency response, but the RFS, Fire and Rescue NSW, Marine Rescue NSW, Surf Life Saving NSW, VRA Rescue NSW, NSW Ambulance, New South Wales police and the Australian Defence Force were all there alongside the SES to ensure that the preparation and response for this event was truly multi‑agency and comprehensive.

I note a couple of stats. Some 666,450 sandbags were deployed and distributed to northern New South Wales ahead of the cyclone. That is a lot of sandbags. A large number of organisations—26 agencies, departments and NGOs—worked together as part of the State Emergency Operations Centre. With energy impacts, school closures, road closures and other disruptions, having all of those key agencies and departments situated in the same place helped make the response as streamlined as possible. I will provide an example of why that was so important. When we are standing up 25 evacuation centres in three or four days, obviously getting things to them is a logistical challenge, whether it is food, bedding or clothing. The impact of road closures really did make the logistical challenge of getting things to the evacuation centres pretty challenging.

We were able to ensure that we could make as much available as we could because we were sitting alongside Transport for NSW in the operations centre. When road closures started impacting the arrival of equipment, we could talk directly to Transport and say, "Here is the logistic challenge we have. We need to get the food and bedding in. This road is closed. What can we do about it?" Having that department sit in the operations centre is one example of how those things were able to be managed very quickly. The recovery assistance points that have now been established after the event in Tweed Heads, Coffs Harbour, Lismore and Ballina are available for people. Services Australia, Legal Aid, the St Vincent de Paul Society, Homes NSW and others are available to assist at those places as we move from response to recovery—and we have always said that we did not want daylight between them.

People can go to www.nsw.gov.au/emergency/tropical-cyclone-alfred-recovery-updates to receive information about recovery hubs. A range of disaster assistance payments are available for those impacted: personal hardship payments, income support for workers and sole traders who have lost income—that is through the Commonwealth Government and we thank it for that—and disaster recovery payments for individuals. Local councils across northern New South Wales have also been supported with special funding for things like clean‑up and the restoration of community assets. There is work to ensure that roads are back online. We have said before that we planned for the worst but we hoped for the best. It is pretty clear that the weather event was not as bad as we feared it might be. But it is incredibly important to reflect on the old adage that it is better to be safe than sorry. I cannot think of a better example of that.

We were ready for the worst. Thankfully, this event was not as bad as it could have been, but we were ready and that preparation has stood us in very good stead. I will reflect on the road from 2022 to today. Obviously, 2022 had a different weather event. It was not nearly as significant. But it was also a different response. This House can take some comfort from the fact that the parliamentary inquiries that were conducted into the 2022 event did not sit dusty in a bottom drawer. They were genuinely learned from and reflected upon. That is the real value that this House can bring at times: doing those parliamentary inquiries, making those recommendations and learning those lessons. I make clear that this is not about political pointscoring. Both governments—the former Government and this Government—have been honest about what went well and what did not go well and where to learn from.

I note that, when I was in the region, the Mayor of Lismore expressed his affection for former Premier Perrottet. The member for Lismore has expressed her admiration and affection for the former emergency services Minister, Steph Cooke. This should not be a political issue; it should be bipartisan. We will keep facing natural disasters as a State. We will have to keep making sure that the preparation is right and the response is as good as it can be, and then that we learn from those lessons and reflect on what went well and what we can do better. I take the opportunity to once again express our love, support and solidarity to the communities of the Northern Rivers and the North Coast.

The Hon. AILEEN MacDONALD (15:25): Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred was yet another test of resilience for the people of northern New South Wales. Communities that have endured so much in recent years once again faced the threat of destruction, but they did not face it unprepared. As the weather event approached, I spoke with the Mayor of Ballina Shire, Sharon Cadwallader. Ballina, like so many communities in the region, has learned difficult lessons from past disasters. The council, in coordination with the State Emergency Service, was well prepared, taking proactive measures to protect residents, businesses and infrastructure. Their approach was one of being prepared and, as the Minister has said, hoping for the best but planning for the worst.

For many, this latest event has been another cruel blow, disrupting lives, damaging homes and businesses, and placing immense pressure on local infrastructure. Having family in the region, I have heard stories of hardship as well as inspiring accounts of neighbours helping neighbours, communities pulling together and volunteers working tirelessly. I, too, commend our emergency services: the State Emergency Service, Fire and Rescue NSW, the Rural Fire Service, the Australian Defence Force, New South Wales police, Marine Rescue and VRA Rescue, as well as countless other services and their members who put themselves in harm's way to protect others. Their dedication, selflessness and unwavering service deserve our highest gratitude.

I also recognise the unsung heroes: the local businesses that provided shelter and supplies, the community groups that coordinated aid and the countless volunteers who opened their homes and helped others who were impacted. The House must not only acknowledge their efforts but also commit to ensuring that those communities receive the ongoing support they need not just in the immediate aftermath but also in the recovery ahead. I stand with the people of northern New South Wales and I will continue advocating for the resources, infrastructure and long‑term planning necessary to build resilience against future disasters.

The Hon. NATASHA MACLAREN-JONES (15:27): I support this motion regarding the impacts of Ex‑Tropical Cyclone Alfred. As we reflect on this event, I acknowledge the incredible work and recovery efforts of local communities, councils, government agency staff, thousands of volunteers, and emergency services and Defence Force personnel who worked around the clock to support the community. That collective effort showcases the resilience of the Northern Rivers community, which has been through so much, particularly over the past few years. We must continue to support them as they recover from this latest event.

The preparation and management of evacuation centres, built on the learnings of the 2022 floods, was vital in keeping communities safe as they faced extreme weather. I was in that region in 2022 and met with Department of Communities and Justice staff and NGO staff. Some were local; some came from outside the area. Many of those who were local had actually been impacted directly. They had lost their homes, but every day they worked with others who were experiencing trauma. They went home at night and worked with their families and neighbours. Those people, no matter what, were there. They continue to be there and are still there today supporting their community.

The evacuation centres were set up to provide safe shelter for thousands of people affected by the disaster. I acknowledge Department of Communities and Justice and Homes NSW staff who provided emergency accommodation support. The Minister touched on the next steps, particularly with maintenance and repairs. While everything is reviewed later on, these motions are an opportunity for members to highlight the efforts made by staff and volunteers on the ground. At the end of the day, our volunteers come forward during a crisis. These volunteers were not just locals; they came from across the State and even interstate. They included members of the SES, the Rural Fire Service and Red Cross as well as other amazing organisations. I give a shout-out to Social Futures, which does a fantastic job across a range of areas. During the last floods, Social Futures lost its main office in Lismore, and it was then reopened. But, no matter what, Social Futures and its staff were there to support locals during the recovery.

The Resilient Kids Program was created as a result of the last floods. It has reached over 17,000 young people since it began in 2022. It was designed to support young people experiencing trauma, in particular. One story that stood out came from a young person who was involved in the program. They felt a significant sense of calm when the ex-tropical cyclone came through because they could rely on techniques learned in the program. They could call on that emotional support, strength and resilience by using the training techniques they were taught in the program run by Social Futures. That made a huge difference. I commend the motion to the House and thank the Minister for moving it. I thank every person who helped during the crisis as well as those who continue to help the community.

Ms SUE HIGGINSON (15:31): Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred was very scary. Last Wednesday night, during budget estimates hearings, I was on the North Coast and my phone was pinging. My kids and their kids were messaging, saying, "Oh my God. What do we do?" We got people in Coraki and Goonellabah up high. We were talking about the floods, saying, "It's okay. We know how to deal with floods now. We're really good at that." But there was a whole new freak‑out about what to do about the winds. I have an almost hysterical image of my wonderful man hanging onto the roof of a shed with ratchets and ropes in the early hours of the morning. I was there with him, holding a torch in gale‑force winds, saying, "Go on, you can do it. Tie it down." The reality was we were all petrified.

We were absolutely frightened about what we were going to experience. It was so different to last time and, of course, no-one was asleep. We were all connected, messaging each other and posting on Facebook. We can go back through the group chats. We were messaging every minute of the night, asking, "Has it hit you yet? Can you feel the winds?" even at 1.00 a.m., 1.30 a.m., 2.30 a.m., 3.30 a.m., 4.30 a.m. and 5.30 a.m. It started in earnest at about 1.30 a.m. last Friday morning, and it was just so different. It was not one of those occasions when something is coming from the past. We thought, "Gosh, we're in for something big." It was so different this time because it was so cumulative, and we could not know or anticipate that.

It was unlike anything I had experienced and unlike anything people had ever seen. It was different from the 2022 flood, which was different from the 2017 flood. The 2022 flood was just unimaginable. I acknowledge the Minister said we were much better prepared for this cyclone than the 2022 flood. But we may as well have said that there was no preparation for the 2022 flood. We did the preparation that we would ordinarily do, like we did for the flood in 2017—that got us through the 2017 flood, even though we were all shocked—but the 2022 flood was just off the scale, and all the preparation we had done was nowhere near enough. This cyclone had a whole different element because it was not even predicted to be another flood, however bad it could be.

There were consequences that we did not understand or had not yet learned about, and that included small things like where to put big animals. For example, "I'll go and put my big animals where I ordinarily put my big animals," but where is that when there is a cyclone and we have never experienced one before? With a flood we know to take them to higher ground, but with a cyclone there is nowhere to take them. I came to terms with that for the first time ever. I was in my place, thinking, "If it comes, there really is nowhere to go." Of course, I could go to the smallest and most secure room in the house, but it did make me contemplate that this is honestly what we have talked about for so long—the climate crisis.

There are weather events that are so extreme, so unpredictable and unlike anything we have ever experienced before. I can turn on the vision and see the news images from Cyclone Tracy. We have just had the anniversary for that. We can try to grapple with the learnings, stories and experiences that came from Cyclone Tracy, and the 50-year anniversary was arguably very helpful. I listened to a few stories on ABC radio. I remember thinking, "Here we go. Here I am in a place where I honestly did not think a cyclone would come any time soon," though I know that cyclones have come close before. This morning the Hon. John Ruddick gave notice of a motion suggesting there was nothing unusual about the cyclone.

The Hon. Mark Latham: We have fewer than ever before.

Ms SUE HIGGINSON: We may have fewer than before, by some accounts, but the fact is that they are less predictable and they are moving further south. The Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO said there is a very tangible link between the warm ocean and the cyclone. Members in this place may not know that the water where I live was 27 degrees on the day of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. That is two degrees above the normal temperature for that time of year, which is why the experts made the evidenced potential link between Tropical Cyclone Alfred, climate change and the warming temperatures of the ocean. That is what the experts told us would happen, and here it is. For all of my sins, I know that, and I have been reading about it for many years.

Living on that front line has very serious consequences. As a community, we experienced collective fear. I absolutely guarantee that that collective fear was built on an unrecovered community, and amongst an unrecovered community it is hell. That collective feeling and experience in the community was unlike anything I had ever seen. Preparations were quite incredible. People were more prepared. Categorically, the stand up of many services and volunteers was phenomenal, and one need only speak with the people who know about this in my community. Elly Bird, the head of Resilient Lismore, led the charge with Helping Hands prior to the 2022 flood. Helping Hands formed after the 2017 floods and is a volunteer network that grew out of the Lock the Gate movement from Bentley.

Activists and volunteers from the community of Bentley collaborated to build the movement that formed the basis of Lismore Helping Hands, which then grew into Resilient Lismore. Elly's firsthand account is that we were so much more prepared, and it was incredible. Everyone in my community and more broadly around the Northern Rivers commends the Government for being consistent, thorough, diligent and vigilant so that we were more prepared and ready. So many amazing people and important resources came to Lismore to assist. Seeing the Lismore CBD on that day, Thursday, and the efforts everybody made was unbelievable. The town went from being a full, little, recovering town to a ghost town. It was empty. Everyone had taken their stuff and gone. People did exactly as they were told.

I will say one thing about, "If it's flooded, forget it." We really do forget it when it is flooded. But the fact is that sometimes even our driveways are flooded, and we drive down them. That is why many of us have big cars. I want to give a serious message of caution around this campaign. It is an important campaign, but it is really important also that, in the thick of it, with how unpredictable water can be, particularly in low-lying areas, we remember to say to people that, if they did screw up, they should call for help, really fast. The shaming must stop. We are talking about a community that is absolutely vulnerable to these events, and sometimes we do what we do to save our lives. We think it is the right thing to do when we are doing it. It might be to cross somewhere, to get to somebody you must reach because you have only 15 minutes to get them out. I get it.

This idea that we can do disasters safely in only our SES uniforms, our fire brigade uniforms or our Australian Defence Force uniforms is not a real thing. It is time to wake up. We have passed that. We are now living in a period when we know that. In 2022 the SES said not to go in the water and not to put our tinnies in, and we did not listen—thank God—because we knew that, if we did not go in, hundreds of people would die. They did not, because we saved them from their roofs. Families and neighbours saved each other. I want everyone to know that that is what it actually takes sometimes. We can be as prepared as we want to be, bring in the big guns and have the State-purchased boats. But, at the end of the day, when it comes to disasters, we all need to be working with each other.

That brings me to three things. Firstly, I give a massive sing-out to one woman whose effort was phenomenal, the current Greens candidate for the Federal seat of Richmond, Mandy Nolan. I have never before seen someone load so many sandbags so fast in so many different locations. She was amazing. That woman is a powerhouse. She was putting so much sand into sandbags. When the sandbags ran out, we found pillowcases. The other person I give a massive sing-out to is Sarah Ndiaye, the Mayor of Byron. She was absolutely phenomenal and a powerhouse. When the evacuation centre was set up in Byron, there were no beds but people were there. People were helping out. People, mostly women, of our communities turned up and provided things from their own beds and their own places and helped out big-time. I give a sing-out to those people who turned up when the evacuation orders were put out. Evacuation centres were to be opened at four o'clock. One of them was not open until 6.30, but people were there, keeping everyone calm. They were not called by the Government but came themselves. They remind us they are the people we always need in the face of a disaster, no matter what.

I will not sit down until I talk one last time about those people who everyone somehow decided are the squatters. They are human beings. They are beautiful people. They live and have been living in and occupying homes in a part of Lismore. Yes, the houses have been bought by the Government because they are no longer liveable or the families living there did not feel safe to live there anymore, though they had lived there for years, but the 2022 floods knocked them out, and they did not have another flood left in them. Nobody gave two hoots about those people quietly occupying those homes for a short period. They were there for 12 months, living contently. They had nowhere else to go. They were single mums, some kids, homeless people but, at that point in time, they found a place to be, found a people to identify with, made music, planted gardens and trees, went on the riverbank and got rid of some of the noxious weeds from the last flood, which nobody has bothered about. They just found a place to be.

Then one day the National Party member for the Federal seat of Page decided to punch down on them and say, "They've got to go. This is ridiculous." Then some councillors decided to join that and punch down on them, too. Premier Chris Minns spent a couple of days up there and then flew back to Sydney. The next morning, he went in to 2GB and said, "It's untenable. We have to get rid of the squatters. We will bulldoze the houses. That Sue Higginson supports them." That was yucky, and we raise it because they are human beings—positive, lovely people. There was just a small bit of division happening in our community. Then Premier Minns came in and punched down, and that is gross.

You do not do that when you are the Premier of a State and turn up to the front line of a disaster zone. And it is not just this one disaster; it is the cumulative impact of disasters. Our nerves are frayed. We have not slept. We have lost animals and crops and are worried about our families. Our shopkeepers and businesses had to vacate and will not make money for weeks and weeks. Yet the Premier chose to come in and punch down on a small group—a positive, lovely community. That is what he did. He made it personal, and I think that is really regrettable and a stain on the good work of all the Ministers who showed up.

To this moment, there is nothing wrong with the Premier standing up and apologising for punching down. There is the space and the time for him to do it. And he should, because the following weekend there were vigilantes, harm and damage to those lovely, positive people who just decided to live a small part of their lives in some unoccupied houses, in a housing crisis. That is a mark on the Government's efforts. Every time Government members here congratulate themselves and say how good the effort is, which is true, this will come up, too. That is the truth of it. This will keep coming up.

The Hon. ROSE JACKSON (Minister for Water, Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness, Minister for Mental Health, and Minister for Youth) (15:47): In reply: I thank the Hon. Aileen MacDonald, the Hon. Natasha Maclaren-Jones and Ms Sue Higginson for contributing. I agree with many of the things said. I will briefly address the issue Ms Sue Higginson raised at the end, about the people living on Pine Street. I will say a couple of things. Firstly, the idea that the Government's concern about those people living there came out of some local politicking, as she described it, is inaccurate. I was in the briefings with the SES officers, where they were expressly indicating their concern about people living in these areas. They did not know who they were or how many were there. Obviously, they are flood-prone houses. That is why they have been bought by the Government. A genuine concern as to the safety of those people was being raised by the SES, which did elevate that issue in the minds of the Government. I think the words of Lismore resident Naomi Worrall are important, so I will read it out to be recorded inHansard. She has published this publicly, and they are the words of a Lismore resident. I do not agree with everything she says here, but it does express—

Ms Sue Higginson: She lives in Kyogle.

The Hon. ROSE JACKSON: I ask Ms Sue Higginson to listen to her words. She says:

We need to talk about Pine Street.

I'm furious.

I lived in my beautiful little 1900s railway cottage on Pine Street for 15 years.

Ms Sue Higginson has left the Chamber but I repeat that this woman lived on Pine Street for 15 years. Her statement continues:

She was going to be my forever home and I invested everything in her and her garden with that vision in mind. But it was not to be.

After the 22 flood, she cleaned up okay and I was hopeful that we could move together to a new patch of land, well above the flood plain. However, after only a few weeks of dealing with the the NSW Government I realised three things: 1. The process would take many years 2. My mental health would not withstand dealing with the process for that long., and 3. Living there as all the houses around me were deserted and boarded up would be horrible and frightening. And sot made the very painful decision to accept a buyback. I know I made the right decision but shutting the front door on her for the last time was surprisingly heartbreaking. I felt like I was deserting her; this little abode who had stood through so much adversity for over a century. I consoled myself with the promise that where possible, our houses would be saved.

I always knew that prolonged neglect of these houses would lead to their destruction. And I suspected the bureaucrats and lawyers who were getting paid bloated salaries to keep telling us how hard it all was would welcome any excuse to knock them down—all they had to do was wait … So enter, the activist squatters to drive that outcome, with a little help from Alfred. Did anyone who knows anything really think a government that just spent $900 million to move people out of the most dangerous parts of of Lismore would give the nod to another community of unknowns setting up there? … If the camp and those people advertising free housing are not shut down, more will come and they won't be single parents made homeless from the flood, and peaceful backpackers who like to garden. With all the advertising these libertarian activists have delighted in it's only a matter of time before we get … Sharmans and "sovereign citizens" pouring in to stake a claim. How many people will come and who will be responsible for their well-being when the next flood hits? No responsible government could possibly agree to that. And anyone in parliament knows it.

Naomi is right. This is not about trying to deny a home to people who need it. We have made record investments into housing. We have temporary, crisis, emergency and transitional housing available. Just the other day I opened another nine modular homes in Casino for people who had been living in the pod villages. We have been proactive in offering assistance with housing and homelessness services to anyone who needs it. Homes NSW has repeatedly attempted to offer assistance to people living in Pine Street. That has repeatedly been rebuffed. I do not want to cause division or be difficult, but the fact is that far from the description Ms Sue Higginson gave, Homes NSW required police escorts to enter that community to try to outreach with people. That is the reality. I am not trying to cause division; I am trying to put facts on record. That is what has happened.

The solution to the housing crisis will not and cannot be the occupation of unsafe, old, flood-prone and mouldy homes that we have spent taxpayers' money buying back precisely because we do not want people living in them because they are unsafe. This Government has spent billions of dollars and will continue to invest in real solutions to the housing crisis. Any suggestion that our response to the happenings in Pine Street is anything other than a genuine concern for community safety, for the safety of those individuals and of our first responders is a misrepresentation of the Government's position. I reiterate that anyone in that community who requires housing and homelessness support should please talk to their wonderful member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin, who could not have been more proactive in connecting people with genuine need to Homes NSW. But activists and ideologues attempting to make communities in places where it is not safe to do so are misleading individuals and are being active obstacles to real solutions to the housing crisis.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT (The Hon. Dr Sarah Kaine): The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Motion agreed to.