NSW Reconstruction Authority– media releases

Small and medium businesses in flood impacted towns and villages across the Northern Rivers stand to benefit from a new $9.5 million Towns and Villages Resilient Business Activation Program funded by the NSW Government.

As part of the Minns Government’s plan to build disaster-resilient housing in the Northern Rivers, a new agreement to progress the delivery of up to 1,000 homes for families in the Grafton area through one of Australia’s largest flood-resilience programs is now underway.

Repairs to the flood-damaged Wardell Wharf have been completed and this important community asset has now officially reopened to the public.

A total of 21 projects to repair community infrastructure in four severely flood impacted Central West NSW Local Government Areas (LGAs) have received assistance thanks to an almost $24 million investment by the Australian and NSW Governments.

More than 300 residents from across the Central West region have participated in community engagement sessions that wrapped up in Eugowra, Molong and Cudal last week as part of the proposed Central West Resilient Homes Program.

Flood-impacted residents of the Central West will hear about a range of resilience measures such as home buybacks, raising, retrofits, rebuilds and relocations in the first in a series of information sessions on the $40 million Resilient Homes Program (RHP) this week.

In a state first, the NSW Government will use its enhanced planning powers under the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act to return students back to Broadwater Public School in the first term of 2025, ending years of delay and impacts to the community.

Australia’s largest disaster adaptation project on the Northern Rivers has moved into its next phase, with tailored home assessments available to make homes more resilient against flooding.

A new set of draft guidelines that will assist councils to develop localised Disaster Adaptation Plans (DAPs) that reduce the risk and impact of climate related hazards and help communities recover faster are now out for community consultation.

The NSW Government will embark on a program of community engagement sessions in the Central West to ensure residents impacted by the 2022 floods have their say on the design and delivery of the $40 million Central West Housing Program.