Today was the first day that the NSW parliamentary committee looked into the official flood response catastrophe that occurred in February and April which struck primarily in the Northern Rivers region.

Clinton Maynard chats to Sharon Cadwallader, the Ballina Shire Council Mayor who attended the inquiry and gave evidence.

Questions were raised about whether the privatisation of Telstra contributed to the failure of the mobile phone network, during the flood crisis.

Federal and state authorities have faced criticism over their handling of the emergency, including their response times, preparedness and recovery.

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