Meeting summary

Members of the Central West Community Leaders Forum met in Orange on Wednesday 22 May and received updates on the various elements of the $100 million Central West Recovery and Resilience Package.  

Applications for the Regional Transport Resilience Fund were scheduled to close on 14 June. The forum received an update on the process and enquiries that councils have made regarding the program to date.  

The Community Assets Program closed to applications on 8 May and is now under assessment. Outcomes from this assessment are on track to be finalised by early July. There is also a request to extend the funding expenditure window through to June 2027 to give Councils time to deliver on their approved projects.  

Community leaders also received an update from Legal Aid, who will be enhancing their support in the Central West as part of the Recovery and Resilience Package. Legal Aid will be providing legal services across Cabonne, Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan LGAs as part of the program, and this support will include both face to face and phone services.  Specialist disaster legal resources will be providing these services for community members who need assistance with their disaster recovery.

The NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) and its flooding technical advisors visited Cabonne, Lachlan and Parkes councils in the week prior to the Community Leaders Forum to share the flood mapping information that has been collated for the program. A meeting with Forbes Council is also being scheduled. An overview of this information was presented to the Community Leaders Forum, noting that this risk mapping will inform the design of the housing package.  

An update on the community engagement approach was also provided to the community leaders. The feedback from the upcoming community consultation will inform the program design, along with the feedback provided by the community survey.  

The RA also provided an update on the development of draft program guidelines for the Central West Housing Package and received feedback from community leaders on key elements of the housing package, including program measures and funding. Community leaders were also keen to hear how the development of the Central West housing package aligned with the Northern Rivers program, and reiterated the importance of developing a package that meets the needs of the Central West community.