Ballina One Stop Shop Robbery PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS OPEN FOR INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF COMMONWEALTH DISASTER FUNDING

BY KATE COXALL

Ballina One Stop Shop, on Bentick St, Ballina was robbed last week, where the shop’s attendee Bev told a member of the community “she had not even had time to put the foat in the till”, so the thieves who stole the till and took off, were apprehended by

Richmond Police District offcers, with the $20 they had stolen, since being returned.

Locals took to social media in an attempt to support Bev, and also, discussing what they believe is an increase in this type of crime in the area.

Whilst locals may be noticing more crime, the national record of crime statistics, BOCSAR, paints a different picture, showing that in fact Ballina LGA has improved regarding theft since 2018, though has worsened again slightly, since it’s best performance over Covid, where the incidence of theft improved considerably.

Statistically speaking, many people were supported through no evictions, covid payments and costs of living were reduced (in some ways e.g. due to the lack of movement allowed and retail or food/drink venues being accessed) at this time, proving studies of Criminogenic behaviour reduction, with what is known as Scandinavian Exceptionalism. These studies show that in countries where the population’s basic needs are met, all crime is heavily reduced, with some violent crime even becoming nonexistent. Scandinavian Countries tend to follow this mode of governance and provision for their constituents, such as Sweden and Finland. Lismore however has seen an increase since the foods hit, in theft, which is also representative of the community in it’s post-food state where people were left impoverished for over a year, relying on the efforts and generosity of the community to step up and step in, to fx their homes, provide basic food, shelter and clothing for that frst year, such as Resilient Lismore, Koori Kitchen, Sophia’s Kitchen and Tree’s Not Bombs for example.

Australians who have been through natural disasters are being encouraged to share their experiences as part of the Independent Review of Commonwealth Disaster Funding.

The review is seeking input on community experiences with funding programs, processes and support, understanding of the roles of the different levels of government during a disaster and thoughts on how the Commonwealth could support communities to reduce their disaster risk.

Public submissions opened last month, and will continue to accept feedback until 10pm AEST on Friday, 14 July 2023.

Mr Andrew Colvin APM OAM, a former Australian Federal Police Commissioner who led national recovery efforts after the 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires, is leading the review.

The review is also considering how government investment in disaster risk reduction, preparedness, response, recovery and resilience can better support both a national system and the scale of transformation needed to build resilience to the extreme disaster events Australia is projected to experience over coming decades.

A final report is expected to be provided to Government in April 2024.

Minister for Emergency

Management, Murray Watt said the review was a significant step to ensure Australia is well positioned to respond to natural disaster events into the future.

“This review is the next step in the Albanese Government’s ongoing work to ensure Australia is better prepared for, and responds faster to, future natural disasters,” Minister Watt said.

“We want to make sure our disaster funding model is current, effective and best supports Australians before, during and following a disaster.

“Submissions have been open for a few weeks, but we want to make sure that everyone who wishes to contribute can do so – from councils to small business owners, primary producers and individuals.

“It is important that this review considers views across all sectors so that we can better understand how we can improve current disaster supports and response arrangements, and I’d encourage as many people as possible to get involved.”

To provide your feedback and input, ask questions about the public submissions, and access more information about the review, please visit the National Emergency Management Agency’s website https://nema. gov.au/about-us/ governance-andreporting/reviews/ Independent-ReviewDisaster-Funding