Lismore mayor Steve Krieg says the city has been flooded by squatters in search of a free holiday and lambasted the local Greens member for having the tenacity to defend them.
The mayors fiery spray comes after NSW Premier Chris Minns revealed he wanted to rip down at least eight flood-prone properties the state government purchased in the inland northern NSW city as part of a buyback scheme after the devastating 2022 floods.
The homes had initially been left to sit vacant before squatters moved in, with their presence causing a bitter divide among the tight-knit community.
But local Greens MP Sue Higginson went on Ben Fordhams 2GB breakfast show on Friday morning to accuse the Premier of punching down on the community.
She claimed the Lismore locals who had moved out of the bought-back houses were unfazed by squatters moving into their former homes.
They are homeless people that are currently occupying an area of land and are occasionally sleeping under a roof, Ms Higginson said.
Its really important to remember that this particular street has residents in it still living in their street. They are loving having the community around them.
She then called it the smallest issue in our community.
But Mr Krieg disagreed completely and said Ms Higginson and her party were making the squatting problem worse.
Greens MP Sue Higginson has gone after Premier Chris Minns after he said he wants squatters removed from Lismore
Lismore mayor Steve Krieg says the Greens are contributing to the squatting crisis
This is the biggest issue, sadly, in Lismore at the moment and shes made it the biggest issue by promoting it, he told Daily Mail Australia.
The state government owns the houses. They can do what they want with them.
This is not the homeless crisis that the Greens are making it out to be. These squatters have come from all over the country to get free accommodation and enjoy the good life.
Mr Krieg claimed there was more than 50 people who have just come for the free holiday.
Theyve got a setup like you wouldnt believe, he said.
Ms Higginson told Fordham that the squatting was not criminal.
Fordham asked Ms Higginson, who was practised extensively as a lawyer, whether a squatter could sue the state government if they injured themselves in one of the taxpayer bought back properties.
No one is going to sue, she claimed.
Squatters Tyson and his mother Tina are pictured in a house owned by the NSW Government in flood-ravaged Lismore
Oh, come on, Sue, Fordham replied.
The fact is theyre living in a property owned by the NSW government and if they hurt themselves in there they can sue the NSW government.
Ms Higginson replied: As a lawyer of decades, what I can say is the chances of success are incredibly low.
She then added: Imagine being the Premier that bulldozed beautiful old, 100-year-old timber houses that are still being loved for.
But Mr Kreig said if the Greens truly wanted to save the old homes, they would insist on kicking out the squatters within the week.
Its so the Reconstruction Authority gets chance to go in an assess these houses, but no one can even get in there, Mr Kreig said.
Ms Higginson also claimed on 2GB that the recent flooding was a climate-induced weather event.
But Mr Kreig said that was all Greens propaganda and that the history of Lismore, back to the 19th century, was reguarly hit with floods.
The squatters had been living in eight houses near the Lismore city centre and the Premier wants them out
Weve had 160 recorded floods in the 150-year settlement of Lismore, Mr Kreig said.
They (Greens) try and make it so dramatic like the worlds going to end but the reality is Lismore was settled known full well that our river will rise and fall.
Its not uncommon to any other inland town settled on a river. The only thing we have to change is coming up with an engineering solution to flood mitigation.
Ms Higginson told Fordham that it was important to remember the few homes that were occupied by squatters were surrendered to the buyback program on the basis they would be relocated.
And can we remember this was never just a squatting, freeloading exercise, she said.
These are people who said: "we know the government program is to relocate these homes, we will occupy until you relocate and we will assist in any relocation that you want".
Fordham told her: Vulnerable people should not be living in these homes which have been earmarked for demolition. They have been bought back by New South Wales taxpayers because they were deemed to be dangerous.