One of the most senior police officers in NSW has been tapped to lead the state’s disaster recovery agency.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon will start work as acting chief executive of the Reconstruction Authority on Monday.
He was previously appointed to lead flood-recovery efforts in the state’s Northern Rivers region following devastating, repeat floods in February, 2022.
Lismore MP and parliamentary secretary for disaster recovery, Janelle Saffin, praised his work in response to that disaster during which she had to swim from her home as neighbours rescued her husband.
“There is no better person to lead this organisation, to ensure our state is prepared for disasters, and to help NSW recover after they strike,” Ms Saffin said.
The reconstruction authority rose from the ashes of the since-scrapped Resilience NSW, which Ms Saffin previously criticised as being “simply not there” following the 2022 floods.
“They were missing in action and they never made their presence known,” she told an upper-house inquiry that later found the agency failed to provide adequate leadership and effective co-ordination.
The floods were the now-defunct agency’s first test in leading the state’s disaster response following the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires that prompted its establishment.
The reconstruction authority has been overseen by Premier’s Department secretary Simon Draper since September.
Its role is to reduce the impact of floods, fires and other major disasters and help affected communities recover faster.
Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said Mr Lanyon’s appointment continued the authority’s essential work.
The agency has been prioritising community engagement for the state’s flood-affected property buyback program, including door-knocking homes in impacted areas, a spokesperson said in December.
But Greens regional NSW spokeswoman Sue Higginson said it was a shame Mr Lanyon had only been appointed in an acting rather than a permanent role following his performance as recovery co-ordinator in 2022.
“When he first arrived in the Northern Rivers, he took the time to sit down with parts of the community that had been completely forgotten or ignored, and he did all of this as he drastically improved the organisation of the on-ground recovery,” she said.
The temporary appointment was a result of political convenience rather than a serious investment in finding a stable leader for the critical state authority, Ms Higginson said.
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