Meeting summary

The Central West Community Leaders Forum has been established to provide guidance on recovery programs for the region. These will be delivered under the $100 million Central West Resilience and Recovery Package, jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments, following the devastating floods of November 2022.  The first meeting of the group place took place in Parkes on 14 February, and meetings will continue to be held monthly. 

The meeting was attended by Phil Donato MP, Member for Orange and Andrew Gee MP, Member for Calare, along with Mayors and General Managers from Cabonne, Forbes, Parkes and Lachlan Councils. Representatives from Michael McCormack, Member for Riverina, the NSW Reconstruction Authority, Transport for NSW, Regional NSW and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) also attended. 

Chair Phil Donato MP opened the meeting thanking members for their attendance and outlined the need for the group to focus on delivering actions and results for the people of the Central West.

NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, the Hon Paul Scully MP joined the meeting to welcome participants and thank them for their involvement. He echoed the Chair’s comments, highlighting the importance of this work and the need for local voices to guide the recovery efforts. Minister Scully encouraged the group members to work collaboratively to bring forward thoughts, ideas and initiatives that will put the region in a better position to deal with future events. 

The group received an update from the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) on the Central West Recovery and Resilience Package, noting that the Regional Transport Resilience Fund (RTRF) would be led by Transport for NSW and the Community Assets Program (CAP) would be led by Regional NSW. 

Transport for NSW provided an overview of the RTRF.  The draft RTRF policy is underway and discussions have commenced with councils ahead of submissions opening.  The funding will be shared across the four LGAs, with at least three projects to be funded for each council area.  Councils are encouraged to submit up to five projects for assessment. 

Regional NSW outlined the CAP, noting that the guidelines were in the final stage of approval.  This program includes a betterment element, enabling Councils to relocate assets and build resilience in their community assets for future disasters.  Applications will be open to Councils by the end of February. 

The Forum then discussed the Central West Housing Program, which is still in the design phase. An update was provided by the RA on key lessons learnt in delivering the Resilient Homes Program in the Northern Rivers.  The group noted the importance of careful program design, making sure communities had a chance to provide feedback from the start and keeping people updated throughout the process.

Flood modelling consultants, Rhelm, provided an update on the process for collecting and analysing the flood mapping data for the Central West.  Rhelm is currently working with councils to collect data for each LGA, to feed into region-wide risk-based mapping which will inform the design for the housing program. 

The group gave feedback on the key principles for the design of the program, including the importance of prioritising safety and risk to life.  An update on the community engagement program that will inform the design of the housing package was also provided, with participants emphasising the importance of consistent messages and Council involvement as a trusted voice. 

The RA noted that community update sessions will be held in the following locations next week to provide people with the opportunity to touch base with recovery support services, find out more about the recovery and resilience package and have their say via a survey which will be available both online and in print.

Tuesday 20 February – Forbes: Forbes Town Hall, 4pm – 7pm

Wednesday 21 February – Parkes:  Cooke Park Pavilion, 4pm – 7pm

Thursday 22 February – Eugowra: Eugowra Bowling Club, 4pm – 7pm

Further community information sessions will be held, and the community will also have the opportunity to have their say via a survey which will be available both online and in print. 

Community members wishing to sign up for updates can email their details to: CentralWest.Recovery@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au