THE effects of climate change will make it hard for people to purchase a home in Broken Hill, according to an environment data analyst.
Recently Land Insight’s Tim Osborne was quoted as saying that “the effects of unbearable heat and fragile infrastructure could make some lenders baulk”.
Mr Osborne told the Sydney Morning Herald it will be too hot to live in Broken Hill in the future.
“(In October, there was) a major windstorm … all the major electrical towers that ran into Broken Hill got wiped out,” he said. “The town was out of power for over a week.
“You add in all these other factors, and Broken Hill is going to be hotter and will have these kinds of events … if I was a risk manager at Broken Hill Bank, I’d be asking for a 50 per cent deposit because I want to get my money back as quickly as possible.”
Land Insight provides environmental data across Australia for people to utilise when purchasing property or developing land.
“I’ve been in the environmental space for 20 plus years in all forms of major engineering firms,” Mr Osborne said when interviewed by the Broken Hill Times.
“I’ve worked on many infrastructure projects and how climate risks affect property.
“You could probably ask why mention Broken Hill?
“I could have singled out any number of rural towns across the states.
“It’s that Broken Hill had a windstorm that ripped through and did affect their infrastructure.
“It’s happening all across the country, Broken Hill got a lot of media attention about it.”
Mr Osborne said in terms of future planning it was important to think of what regulations would be needed.
“When it comes to building new houses, what are the planning regulations?” he asked.
“It’s a tough circle especially with the cost of living.
“Lismore is currently flooded and floods, but people continue to live there and rebuild.
“People take the risk, they don’t want to relocate. You can insert any regional town in Australia, and it is the same.
“There needs to be more resilience and what to do across the board.
“Is it worthwhile expanding near a lake or creek – you get great views but then you get flooding.
“It’s all about the planning regulations, you need an appetite at a government level to make changes.
“It’s really difficult, there is no magic silver bullet solution.
“Towns need to be more resilient and more self-sufficient that will become key in the long term.
“A lot of infrastructure is coming to the end of its life after 40/50 years and things aren’t built the same as they were years ago.”
