TWO years after ex-Tropical Cyclone Seroja left a trail of devastation in the State's Mid West region, WA's auditor general has been requested to conduct a financial audit on the State government's $104.5 million package allocated for the recovery.
In a letter penned by The Nationals WA Agricultural Region MLC Martin Aldridge to the State's auditor general Caroline Spencer, he said more than 90 per cent of the joint Commonwealth-State funding allocation had not been spent as at November 1 last year.
"As at 1 November 2022, a total of $6.97m of the $104.5m recovery package has been expended, leaving a total of $97.53 million unspent," the letter said.
"This funding comprises $3.84m in various grants programs.
"A further $3.1m of DRFA (Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements) funding had been expended through a Community Outreach and Welfare Program administered by the Department of Communities, with a total program budget of $9m."
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With deadlines for the DRFA programs due to expire on June 30, Mr Aldridge is concerned many Mid West residents and businesses will be unable to access support for their ongoing recovery efforts.
Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson did not respond to Farm Weekly's request for updated figures disbursed through the DRFA grant programs, but said they were "demand driven" and he confirmed any unspent funds were non-transferable.
Mr Aldridge said the funding disbursement process had been "stymied" by the State government's decision to provide reimbursement grants, leaving residents out of pocket until works were completed.
"This has been further hampered by significant and ongoing skills and supplies shortages in the construction sector, and a lack of incentives from the State government to prioritise Mid West recovery," Mr Aldridge said.
He provided Farm Weekly with several letters he had written to Mr Dawson raising his concerns around the "slow rollout" of the DRFA funding.
Mr Aldridge said a lack of transparency and accuracy provided around the DRFA funding was why he requested an audit of the program and the Seroja recovery effort more generally.
Gold standard transparency in New South Wales floods response
Following severe storms and flooding in NSW in February and March last year, the NSW Government, which also utilised the Commonwealth's DRFA program in its response, established a disaster recovery support website which provides up to date statistics on the amount of grants received, approved, undergoing assessment and the number of applications denied as well as the total amount of funding disbursed for each of the grant programs individually.
Mr Aldridge said a similar measure would be beneficial for WA, to provide greater transparency around DRFA applications for Seroja and any future disasters in the State.
"At the end of the day, this is Commonwealth and State taxpayers money, so if nothing else, it would keep the recovery process honest and, if we aren't making progress, then why aren't we and how can we fix it?" Mr Aldridge said.
"I think it would save a whole lot of questions and parliamentary time, when we are trying to extrapolate this information and we often don't get those answers."
Repurposing DRFA funding surpluses
In February, the Federal Government commissioned an independent review into the DRFA recovery model to ensure it is "fit-for-purpose" for State and local governments dealing with increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters across Australia.
While understanding the losses caused by a natural disaster and formulating grant programs to support the needs of those affected is no doubt a complex process that is hard to get right, it has been suggested that funding surpluses commonly encountered in the program could be repurposed to help build the respective regions' resilience to future natural disasters.
In the case of Seroja, Mr Aldridge suggested part of the DRFA funding surplus could be utilised to construct a cyclone rated evacuation facility in the Mid West.
"When they evacuated Kalbarri, the closest cyclone rate evacuation centre was in Dongara - not even Geraldton," Mr Aldridge said.
"Every time I visit the Shire of Northampton that issue is raised with me - whether it's the local government or members of the community who are really keen on building some sort of cyclone rated evacuation facility that will not just be a bunker but might have a dual purpose as a community recreation facility, for example."
However, Mr Aldridge said the "once in a generation" investment opportunity to increase the region's resilience to natural disasters had been missed, with the DRFA funding surplus set to be sent back to Canberra.
You can't put a dollar sign on "human effort"
Acknowledging the uptake of grant programs for Seroja remained below the forecast, Mr Dawson attributed this partly to labour shortages, COVID pressures and supply chain issues being experienced right across the world.
The minister said focusing on the amount of money spent did not paint a true picture of the response to Seroja, as there had been an enormous human effort to help those impacted.
"From day one, DFES personnel and their colleagues across a range of agencies were on the ground, supporting those doing it tough in incredibly trying circumstances," Mr Dawson said.
"Community recovery officers from DFES have been in the region since September 2021, helping locals apply for grants, work through insurance paperwork and access support, as well as supporting local governments and their communities to navigate their recovery journeys.
"These officers alone have committed more than 15,000 hours to the recovery process.
"(DFES) deputy commissioner Melissa Pexton and her team have done an outstanding job and remain plugged in to the needs of local communities."
Last week the government announced a $9.2 million funding package in the State budget to assist the local governments impacted by Seroja.
All 16 impacted local governments are eligible for up to $500,000 in funding as part of a new grants scheme, while five of the worst hit areas will also receive up to $400,000 under the Community Benefit Fund.
Mr Dawson said this funding had been requested by these local governments who wanted to "own the recovery process and strengthen their ability to respond to future natural disasters".
"This funding may help to pay for upgrades to community centres to better withstand further weather events, or pay for the demolition of abandoned buildings in the area," he said.
"Local governments have also identified a number of specific community projects this money may go towards."
