Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg has renewed his call for a national insurance pool after flood modelling from CSIRO showed the amount of work needed to protect the regional town.  

The scientific research agency’s latest model – utilising light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data and bathymetry for the Richmond River – gives a 3D overview of more than 30,000 square km of the NSW Northern Rivers region.  

The model incorporates data from historical floods to detail water flows, depths and velocities for future events.  

CSIRO will now investigate the best mitigation options, aiming to make recommendations to the National Emergency Management Agency by June next year.  

The modelling marks the second completed stage of NEMA’s $11.4 million Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative, after earlier reporting from CSIRO recommended 36 resilience projects.  

Cr Krieg says the modelling is a “vital tool in shaping our recovery and future”.  

“With peer review by three independent international experts, the model sets a new global standard,” he said.

“But this is not the end, it’s the beginning ... now we call on the Australian government to fund the implementation of CSIRO’s forthcoming mitigation recommendations.”  

He says a flood insurance pool should be among the recommendations, highlighting the “crippling premiums” facing residents in Lismore, which was inundated during the 2022 catastrophes.  

“Lismore is a regional linchpin, a hub for health, education, industry and essential services. Investing in our resilience is investing in the future of the Northern Rivers,” Cr Krieg said.

“As a council we’re ready to lead differently, to back the science, partner with government and deliver long-term resilience for sustainable growth.”  

The Insurance Council of Australia says the CSIRO research aligns with its call for “accelerated investment in flood resilience. Our proposed Flood Defence Fund would invest $30.15 billion over 10 years – shared by the federal government and the state governments of Queensland, NSW and Victoria, where the majority of high-risk properties are located.”

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