Three flood levees promised for western Sydney before the 2023 state election have yet to be built, as the NSW government sits on a report on flood mitigation in the region.
Labor's $225 million Western Sydney Floods Resilience Plan, launched in 2022 after two consecutive years of devastating floods, included $24 million for building new levees at Peachtree Creek, McGraths Hill and Pitt Town. The promise included a requirement that the money be spent within two years if Labor won the 2023 election. Nearly four years on, construction has not started.
Alex McAlpin said the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment is NSW's biggest floodplain risk. The NSW Reconstruction Authority completed a disaster adaptation plan 12 months ago, considering options such as levees, but the government has not released it. The government did not respond to questions about the delay.
Alex McAlpin, resilience policy specialist at the Committee for Sydney, said the plan should be released sooner rather than later. "For too long communities in western Sydney have been left high and dry, or more accurately, low and wet when it comes to flood resilience," McAlpin said. He noted the government's own research showed more than 230,000 people would need to be evacuated if a significant event like the 1867 flood occurred. "We know what's coming, why aren't we preparing for it?"
The levees would not protect against the biggest floods but would reduce risk for more common events. The Pitt Town levee, estimated at $9.6 million, was to block flows entering through low-lying areas. The McGraths Hill levee, estimated at $8 million, would protect against most common floods, capping out at floods with a 1-in-50 chance of occurring in any given year. The Peachtree Creek levee, estimated at $1.3 million, was designed for backwater flooding.
Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils chief executive Francine Binns said the relevant councils were waiting for the release of the adaptation plan. Minister for Recovery Janelle Saffin said the government commissioned the plan to identify ways to reduce risk and all flood mitigation options were considered. "We are committed to taking a co-ordinated, evidence-based approach to protect local communities," Saffin said.
Saffin said the $200 million promise for road projects to boost flood resilience had been met, including upgrades to evacuation routes and the Pitt Town Bypass. The second stage of the New Richmond Bridge project secured $658 million in joint state and federal funding earlier this month. Associate Professor Ian Wright, a water expert at Western Sydney University, said traffic jams on the Hawkesbury floodplain were "infamously bad" and the roadworks felt like a small part of a massive job. He said emergency services had indicated they only just got away with some of the last big floods earlier this decade, calling a massive flood in the Hawkesbury "one of Australia's greatest potential future civil disasters".
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Western Sydney communities remain vulnerable to flooding without promised levees, with more than 230,000 people at risk of evacuation in a major event.
- The delay in releasing the disaster adaptation plan could have implications for housing development in north-western Sydney, a key government priority.
- The gap between election promises and delivery raises questions about the government's commitment to disaster preparedness and mitigation.
Background
The then-opposition leader Chris Minns launched the $225 million Western Sydney Floods Resilience Plan in 2022 after the region experienced devastating floods for the second year in a row. The package included $24 million for three new levees, $200 million for evacuation roads and bridges, and $1 million for mobile cell towers. The Insurance Council of Australia hailed the announcement as a "welcome first step" and has lobbied for a $30.15 billion national Flood Defence Fund. The cell towers have been delivered, and Saffin says the road projects have been met, but the levees have not been built.
Key Perspectives
NSW government (Janelle Saffin): Says a coordinated, evidence-based approach is being taken, and all flood mitigation options are being considered. She says the $200 million for road projects has been delivered.
Alex McAlpin (Committee for Sydney): Says communities have been left exposed and the disaster adaptation plan should be released urgently. He argues governments spend a tiny fraction of disaster funding on prevention despite it being cheaper and more effective.
Francine Binns (Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils): Says councils are waiting for the adaptation plan to proceed with levee considerations.
Associate Professor Ian Wright (Western Sydney University): Describes traffic jams on the floodplain as "infamously bad" and warns a massive flood in the Hawkesbury is one of Australia's greatest potential future civil disasters.
What to Watch
- Whether the NSW government will finally release the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Disaster Adaptation Plan.
- The potential for a major flood event as summer approaches and the levees remain unbuilt.
- Any further announcement on the timeline for levee construction or alternative mitigation measures.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThree western Sydney flood levees promised before the 2023 election remain unbuilt years later.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Three flood levees in western Sydney promised by Premier Chris Minns before the last election are yet to be built”
- SupportedThe NSW government has yet to release the flood adaptation plan.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The NSW Reconstruction Authority completed the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Disaster Adaptation Plan 12 months ago, which considers flood mitigation options such as levees, but this report has been stuck in reviews and is yet to be released by the government.”
- SupportedMcAlpin says western Sydney communities are exposed to flood risk.Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““The Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment is NSW’s biggest floodplain risk and we haven’t done anywhere near enough to address it, leaving people in areas like Penrith, Richmond and Blacktown completely exposed.””
- SupportedLabor's $225 million resilience plan included $24 million for three new levees.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The then-opposition leader launched the $225 million Western Sydney Floods Resilience Plan as Labor policy in 2022 after devastating floods hit the region for the second year in a row. The package included $24 million for building new levees at Peachtree Creek, McGraths Hill and Pitt Town.”
- SupportedThe levee funding was to be spent within two years if Labor won the 2023 election.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The promise, which was heavily promoted across social media by Labor MPs, included a requirement that the money would be spent within two years if the party won the 2023 election, rather than spending an extended period in planning.”
- SupportedNearly four years after the promise, levee construction has not started.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Nearly four years on, construction of the levees is yet to start.”
- Partly supportedThe government did not respond to questions about the delay.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The government did not respond to questions about the reason for the delay.”
- SupportedMcAlpin said, “For too long communities in western Sydney have been left high and dry, or more accurately, low and wet when it comes to flood resilience.”Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““For too long communities in western Sydney have been left high and dry, or more accurately, low and wet when it comes to flood resilience,” McAlpin said.”
- SupportedMcAlpin said more than 230,000 people would need to be evacuated if the region experienced a significant event like the 1867 flood.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “said the disaster adaptation plan should be released sooner rather than later since the government’s own research showed if the region experienced a significant event like the 1867 flood , more than 230,000 people would need to be evacuated.”
- SupportedMcGraths Hill levee plans estimated an $8 million cost and protection against floods up to a 1-in-50 annual chance.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The McGraths Hill levee, at an estimated cost of $8 million, was to protect residential properties against most common floods, capping out at floods with a 1-in-50 chance of occurring in any given year”
- SupportedSaffin said, “We are committed to taking a co-ordinated, evidence-based approach to protect local communities.”Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““We are committed to taking a co-ordinated, evidence-based approach to protect local communities,” Saffin said.”
- SupportedThe New Richmond Bridge project's second stage secured $658 million in joint state and federal funding earlier this month.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The second stage of the New Richmond Bridge project, which involves a bridge over the Hawkesbury at North Richmond and a bypass of Richmond town centre, secured $658 million in joint state and federal funding earlier this month.”