Reconstruction
Reconstruction - the political response
Tracy struck Darwin at a tempestuous time in national political affairs. The Whitlam led Labor government in Canberra was becoming increasingly unpopular, and the Opposition parties were signalling the refusal of Supply which eventually resulted in the dismissal of the Whitlam government in November 1975.
In this climate the government seized on the cyclone as a political circuit breaker. Prime Minister Whitlam interrupted an overseas trip to return to Australia to announce that the government would introduce special appropriation bills to cover the initial cost of rehabilitating Darwin and establishing a Darwin Reconstruction Commission.
The government also used Tracy to illustrate the need for a national approach to major crises, despite the nuances of the Australian federal system. Political leaders from both sides scrambled to visit Darwin and to be seen to be decisive in relief and reconstruction initiatives. (MacCallum)
The Darwin Reconstruction Commission
The Commission was the government's principal mechanism for implementing Prime Minister Whitlam's January 1975 pledge of "a determined and unremitting effort to rebuild your city and relieve suffering." Its mandate was to reconstruct Darwin within five years - in fact, it achieved the task ahead of schedule, in a little more than 3 years.
The Commission was established with cross-departmental and organisational membership, and it was soon supported by the legislative and financial resources needed to plan and implement the rebuilding of Darwin.
Rebuilding Darwin
At first, the reconstruction effort was marked by what appeared to be indecision. It seemed that the Commission procrastinated while politicians and bureaucrats debated whether, where, and how Darwin might be rebuilt. There was undoubtedly a prevailing view that Darwin had been completely destroyed, physically and socially, and that all options were open in the reconstruction process.
"The near total destruction of the city caused by Cyclone Tracy prompted some planners and others to put forward radical proposals for the re-planning of the city." (d'Rozario). Some of these proposals included complete re-siting of the city; the abandonment of the northern suburbs; and the relocation of the airport. In the end, these radical proposals were frustrated by the political assurance that Darwin would be rebuilt on its existing site, and quickly. However, the proposals and the delays they caused created a great deal of uncertainty, and anxiety among evacuees.
Eventually, Darwin was rebuilt, substantially in the location and form it had pre-cyclone - and with the replication of pre-existing planning deficiencies.
Post-cyclone housing
By 1 January 1975 Darwin's population was little more than 10,000. However, by May 1975 it had recovered to 30,000 - the influx being dominated by newcomers (especially construction workers) rather than returning evacuees.
The liner Patris was tied up at Darwin waterfront for nine months to provide emergency accommodation for up to 900 people; "Tracy Village" was set up for construction workers; 1700 demountable dwellings and caravans were brought to Darwin and located on house sites; hotels and hostels were fully utilised; and where possible short term repairs were undertaken to make damaged houses habitable. In May 1975 contracts were let to four firms to construct 2,000 homes.
However, by September 1975 not one new house had been completed. Stung by criticism of this situation, the Commission took a number of steps to eliminate delays. When it was wound up on 12 April 1978 the Commission had completed 3,000 new dwellings, mostly in the re-built northern suburbs. It had also assisted the repair of many damaged pre-existing homes.
Meanwhile, the NT Housing Commission and the private sector had also contributed to the redevelopment of the housing stock to the point where, by mid 1978, the city could again house its pre-Tracy numbers.
Cyclone Building Codes
The early reaction to Tracy by building standards controllers was draconian, but a second post-cyclone building code achieved a reasonable balance between the need to assure the integrity of housing on the one hand and the need to enable new housing to be built with reasonable speed and at realistic cost.
Salient features of Darwin's post-cyclone building codes (now adopted nationally for cyclone prone areas) include requirements that buildings be clad to protect them against flying debris, and that their roofs be tied to the foundations.