Kiama MP Gareth Ward wants to see penalties in place for those who drive through floodwaters to deter people from putting lives at risk.
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Mr Ward said he intends to introduce a private members bill that imposes fines for people who deliberately drive through floodwaters.
"In Lismore, we've already seen the loss of life where someone drove through floodwaters," he told the South Coast Register.
"This is about saving lives. I don't want to see volunteer rescuers put at risk. People have not heeded the consistent warnings that the government has continued to raise time and time again."
I don't want to fine everybody. Sometimes people just make a mistake. But there are obvious situations where people should have known better.
- Kiama MP Gareth Ward
Mr Ward proposed that all fine revenue would be directed back to the State Emergency Services to support their work.
In 20016, Mr Ward tragically lost a friend who drove through floodwaters in Berry.
"She was driving home late one night, she had a very small car ... and she drove across floodwaters, which she could not possibly have been able to assess the velocity of water," he said.
"That resulted in her car being washed off that causeway and she drowned as a result."
Mr Ward's calls come as an extreme weather system continues to dump flooding rain across NSW, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a flood watch warning for the South Coast on Tuesday.
Catchments at risk include the Shoalhaven River (moderate to major flooding), St Georges Basin (moderate to major flooding) and Moruya and Deua Rivers (major flooding).
Mr Ward said this not the first time he has called for fines for driving through floodwaters.
"I've been raising this for a while," he said. "I'm sick and tired of government inaction."
"And if the government don't want to vote for it (the bill), fine, they can explain why they think it's appropriate to not send the right message in spite of the fact that every Premier from time immemorial, every SES Commissioner since time immemorial, has got up in front of the television with exasperation at people driving through floodwaters."
Mr Ward said he would raise the matter with parliamentary counsel on Tuesday.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
