NSW Reconstruction Authority – reducing the risk

Taking action to reduce risks and their impact on lives. This includes a State Disaster Mitigation Plan and working with local government and other organisations on place-based Disaster Adaptation Plans.

New green leaves sprouting from tree trunks blackened by bushfires
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NSW is a great place to live and work, with mountain ranges, floodplains, rainforest, hinterland, outback, and meandering coastline. But these features can also expose us to natural hazards including bushfires, floods, storms, heatwaves, earthquakes, and coastal erosion.

We know from Aboriginal oral history and stories that bush fires, floods and storms have affected our state for thousands of years.

The impact and cost of these disasters has increased over the past decade. Since 2019, NSW residents have endured more than 73 declared disasters, costing the government more than $9 billion, with more than 20,000 homes damaged in 2022 alone.

One of the key outcomes from the Independent 2022 NSW Flood Inquiry, was the establishment of the NSW Reconstruction Authority. With a clear mandate to reduce the impact of disasters, we have a range of experts working to reduce our exposure to risks. 

Activities

RA is responsible for planning and coordinating NSW’s mitigation and risk reduction activities.

These activities include:

  • identifying and assessing disaster-related risks and impacts
  • developing an actionable State Disaster Mitigation Plan and coordinate its implementation
  • supporting the development of place-based Disaster Adaptation Plans through collaboration with local government and other organisations  
  • advising the relevant Minister(s) on the declaration of disaster prevention areas
  • working with communities, councils, industry, and governments to develop long term investment programs in risk reduction
  • where necessary, and to respond with urgency, using our planning and development powers to enable disaster prevention works
  • helping communities understand previous disasters and mitigate future risks through asset hardening or relocation 
  • RA has engaged Lonergan Research to conduct market research during February/March 2025 to help us understand more about insurance affordability and availability
  • RA has engaged Alluvium to conduct a survey of 53 NSW councils with flood levees during February / March 2025 to gather information that focuses on levee maintenance, governance, and funding.
     
3 people in PPE on a construction site

Strategies and plans

State Disaster Mitigation Plan

Disaster Adaptation Plans

Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Flood Risk Management

Assistance funds

Disaster Ready Fund

Disaster Risk Reduction Fund

Our other responsibilities

Preparedness

Recovery

Reconstruction

Disaster funding

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