A "scandalously late announcement" pledging millions towards flood-ravaged towns in the Central West has been made.
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On October 31, the NSW Government said it would contribute $50 million towards communities such as Eugowra and Molong which were destroyed by the weather events of November 2022.
On November 9, Member for Calare Andrew Gee told reporters outside his Anson Street office the federal government would match that number.
"It's taken a lot of work but I'm pleased that the funding has now been delivered," he said.
The news takes the combined state/federal funding package to $100 million.
While the details of how this money will be spent are still not clear, Mr Gee indicated $40 million would be for homes, $32 million for transport and infrastructure and more than $20 million for community assets.
"One of the problems with having a delay in announcing this funding is people have already made decisions and gone into debt to fund reconstruction and some people haven't started at all," Mr Gee said.
"There's got to be a degree of flexibility in all of this because we need to make sure it's not a cookie cutter approach. Individual needs have to be catered for."
The member for Calare added that a community leaders panel would be developed to best figure out how and where the funding would be divvied up.
"Whilst it is not as much as the Northern Rivers received, I think it is a very positive step in the right direction. I think it's a case of better late than never," Mr Gee said.
"We need to make sure there is not too much talk, because action is needed now. Decisions need to be made quickly."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged to visit Eugowra for a second time during Question Time on September 14 in response to a question raised by Mr Gee.
On Thursday, Mr Gee was asked if he had been told when the prime minister would be visiting the Central West community.
"I'm not sure when he'll be visiting," he admitted.
"I think $100 million does help give people some hope that the reconstruction effort now has added momentum.
"Although it is a scandalously late announcement, I think it's better late than never and it can make a difference on the ground."
On Thursday morning, Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt appeared on ABC Central West radio.
During the interview with Alex James, he confirmed the make-up of the community leaders panel hadn't been decided, but that it would be "the next step".
"I would expect that people like local mayors and elected leaders would be participating in that," he added.
"It'll be the NSW Government who actually assembles that. But what we're asking them to do is to do some consultation with the local community to establish how people think that money should be best used for housing that really meets local needs.
"And we've asked them to report back to us by February so that we can get moving and using this money to repair and replace housing which is so desperately needed."
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