Plight of Greens Road residents mentioned in Parliament – MP calls for swift Federal action

Greens Road in Lower Portland remains un-repaired eight months after being damaged by floods, and it’s led to MP Susan Templeman calling for action in Parliament from all levels of government.

Hawkesbury Council and the State Government have been unable to deliver a reliable temporary solution for people to access their homes.

Sections of Greens Road were washed away after floodwater smashed through the area in March and remain un-repaired, with temporary access closed when it rains.

And just this last week there was subsidence at the so-called Site 2 which led to it being closed once again. Investigations revealed the movement was at the lower end of the danger scale, but overall repairs are sluggish, to say the least.

Hawkesbury Council have been in charge of repairs and yet works to repair the road proper are not scheduled to begin until February next year – nearly a full 12 months after the floods – leading to Ms Templeman telling Parliament residents have been let down by government.

Locals are having to use long work-around routes which take considerable time and because they’re using a forest trail there is extra wear and tear on vehicles and the track is often unsafe, especially after the heavy rain we’ve seen recently.

“Eight months ago, the floods took out sections of this road. In that time, Hawkesbury Council and the State Government have been unable to deliver a reliable temporary solution for people to access their homes,” Ms Templeman said.

“They open the road for a moment and then they close it when there is 10mm of rain.

“Of course, we have had weeks of rain now, and residents are profoundly affected by that.

“The uncertainty of access and the challenges of going via the dirt road especially in the dark or rain is causing distress to families.

“We have people living in this area in Lower Portland who are still trying to do repairs to homes that were damaged during the March floods, and yet here we are. They are unable to do those repairs,” said Ms Templeman.

“One might say that this is the responsibility of council and state government, yet the funding comes from the Federal Government.

MP Templeman in Parliament this last week

“When you are in government you have a responsibility to ensure the funds you allocate are properly spent and spent in a timely way.”

Ms Templeman said a request by the community was made months ago to Resilience NSW and Hawkesbury Council to look at the viability of river access, but no progress has been made.

“This is emblematic of the failure of every level of government to recognise the urgency that my community feels in getting action,” Ms Templeman said.

“I urge the Morrison Government to step up and work with the NSW Government and demand that Hawkesbury City Council speed up the process so that people can get back on their road and get to their homes safely without causing even more trauma and anxiety for their families.”

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