City of Newcastle (CN) councillors are making their final plea to the NSW Reconstruction Authority to assist the victims of the New Lambton landslip.
A report was presented to council during Tuesday 9 December’s ordinary meeting explaining multiple options for funding after the state government body denied providing aid following the May incident.
The document emphasised the urgency for many of the residents, with insurance-funded temporary accommodation set to cease no later than May 2026.
Cr Peta Winney-Baartz said the homeowners were still without answers.
“I don’t think anyone has any understanding of what these people are going through” she told the Newcastle Weekly.
“They’re living in that waiting limbo zone.
“They don’t know even when they’re going back, what the timeline is or what’s going to happen.
“There’s young families with kids who are traumatised because they just want to go back to the home they’ve known and older people who’ve lived in that home all they’re lives.”
She stated while the Reconstruction Authority (RA) did not provide any direct answers as to why it refused to offer financial assistance, she received intel it was mainly due to the incomplete geotechnical report.
CN released an update on 5 December noting the investigation remains “on track to be shared with the impacted residents early 2026”.
In the meantime, councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday to advocate for an assistance package under Category D of the Australian Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements to support the owners of the affected properties.
Category D is designed to provide tailored support when standard disaster funding is insufficient or inaccessible.
Typically, the investment is split 50/50 between the state and federal government, with no financial burden on councils.
However, Category D funding can only be initiated by the RA on behalf of the state, with local governments unable to apply directly.
“I’ve received some conflicting reports… but my understanding was that we actually can’t apply until the assessment is finished,” Cr Winney-Baartz said.
“That would be the geotechnical report, so we’re seeking some clarification on that.
“But, what we did [in order to not hold that process up] was to prioritise advocating for Category D funding for the affected families.”
The geotechnical report is expected to be completed in January.
CN stated in its report the Category D funding for impacted residents “would likely include housing assistance to offset rental costs once insurers cease temporary accommodation, financial support to reduce mortgage stress or dual-housing costs while homes remain inaccessible, and access to extended temporary accommodation programs similar to those already provided in other natural disaster affected areas”.
There is no requirement for applications to be of a certain value.
Cr Winney-Baartz said the overall costs of the landslip was yet to be finalised with work still underway.
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