Northern Rivers – our work

The Northern Rivers region of NSW with its lush landscapes and vibrant communities is home to 300,000+ residents and almost 30,000 businesses located across 7 local government areas in Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed. 

The region experienced one of the most devastating floods in Australian history in early 2022 causing widespread damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure.

Two years on, we’ve made significant progress with the $880 million Resilient Homes Program and the largest program of its kind in Australia and with the $100 million Resilient Lands Program, providing safer places for these communities to live is set to unlock 2,600 parcels of land across the region, delivering much-needed, safe and affordable places.

We’ve partnered with the Australian Government, local governments, non-government organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders on all aspects of Northern Rivers community rebuilding, disaster preparedness and recovery.

This is a long-term, complex and transformative pipeline of work that focuses on providing more sustainable outcomes for all Northern Rivers communities to remain safe, better cope with disasters in the future and stay living in the region they love.

Approach

As much as possible, our approach is focused on:

• community-centred recovery
• locally specific solutions
• evidence-based programs
• collaborative, scalable and capability building programs consideration of social, cultural, economic and environmental factors across all reconstruction programs and initiatives. 

Governance

The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Authority (NRRC) was established in July 2022 to lead the reconstruction of the NSW Northern Rivers following the 2022 floods. The NRRC transitioned to RA in July 2023 and was dissolved in August 2023. The Board played a pivotal role in helping guide initial flood recovery and reconstruction efforts in the region and the NRRC will continue to engage with Advisory Board members through other forums and with key stakeholder groups across the Northern Rivers. 

Read RA’s Quarterly Governance Reports via the RA publication and report library.

What we don't do

RA does not manage disaster and emergency response activities, health, mental health or wellbeing support services and financial advisory or legal support services. Learn more about government and non-government support services.

Help is available 

• Use the Disaster Assistance Finder to find support for people affected by natural hazards.
• To speak to someone on the phone about Resilient Homes Program, call 1800 844 085
• To speak to someone on the phone at Service NSW call 13 77 88
• Find mental health support at NSW Mental Health Line at 1800 011 511 or web Mental Health Line - Mental health