Homes program yet to deliver land

A NSW Auditor General report has found the $100 million Resilient Lands Program has yet to deliver a single home or land lot for flood affected Northern Rivers residents more than three years after the 2022 floods.

The audit found the Resilient Homes Program and Resilient Lands Program were “not effectively planned” before rollout and criticised the lack of a business case, cost benefit analysis and detailed project planning.

The Resilient Lands Program was designed to speed up the delivery of housing and land for residents relocating from high risk areas, with an estimated 4,382 homes or lots expected through the strategy. However, no homes or lots had been delivered as of March 31 this year.

The report found significant delays across the program, with timelines for several projects pushed back by between six and 21 months.

The audit also found a formal steering committee for the land program was not established until October 2024, almost two years after the program began.

While the land program struggled, the report noted progress under the Resilient Homes Program, with 793 buybacks completed as of March 2026.

NSW Reconstruction Authority chief executive officer Kate Fitzgerald accepted all five recommendations and said lessons from the programs would help inform future recovery efforts.

“The Authority acknowledges that more detailed planning during program establishment may have reduced delays and strengthened early delivery,” the response said.