Meeting summary

The RA hosts a regular Community Leaders Forum of local MPs and Mayors to help guide future decisions about recovery and reconstruction and ensure discussions are informed by community needs and driven by local community leaders.

Summaries of the meetings are being shared to provide the local community with information about the ongoing recovery program in the Northern Rivers. These summaries reflect the views of community leaders and are not to be considered as NSW Government policy.

The Community Leaders Forum is where the elected MPs and Mayors of the Northern Rivers region advocate on recovery issues for the communities and people they represent to enhance program delivery.

Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery Janelle Saffin and Richie Williamson, Member for Clarence shared the chairing of the meeting.

During the meeting, key updates were provided – followed by discussion and agreed actions.

Review of actions

The Chair stepped through the action register and current status was discussed.

It was noted that formal individual meetings between NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) Executive and council Mayors and General Managers had commenced in addition to the Community Leaders Forum. CLF members provided positive feedback on these meetings, and they will continue on a monthly basis at this stage.

Resilient Lands Program

In individual meetings, the RA Executive have been collecting feedback from Mayors/General Managers on the draft Resilient Lands Strategy and the priority sites relevant for each Council. RA is updating the draft Resilient Lands Strategy and will discuss changes with Mayors/General Managers before it is finalised. The final Resilient Lands Strategy will outline priority sites in each region and confirm the investment being provided to support these developments.

Reconstruction update

The Tripartite Agreement between the RA, Transport for NSW and the seven local councils is a funding agreement to help with faster rollout of reconstruction funds after disasters. It is already starting to have a positive impact on cashflow for councils. It was noted that the lessons being learnt in the Northern Rivers will inform actions across the entire state.

The North Coast Water and Wastewater Program is a $145 million NSW Government funded program to repair and increase the resilience of critical water and wastewater infrastructure in the Northern Rivers. It includes works in Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley, Rous County and Tweed. The largest project in this program is the East Lismore Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) upgrade, and the tender assessment for the STP upgrade concept design is underway. Most of the projects under this program will be completed by mid 2025.

The Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program (NRRRP) is a $150 million program funded by the Australian Government with 36 projects. It was confirmed that further projects have moved into pre-construction and procurement, and two projects have now been completed. The Caring for Catchments project being delivered by North Coast Landcare project currently has an EOI for land owners and landcare groups, and this closes on 1 July 2024.  

It was noted there is a high volume of Essential Public Asset Restoration (EPAR) submissions, as part of the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. NSW Government will be engaging additional support to work with Transport for NSW and local councils so these can be approved by the end of 2024.

Resilient Homes Program update

The Home Buyback stream is continuing to rollout across the region. Work is progressing with the removal of the buyback homes – including demolition of unsafe and hazardous homes, and a project with Living Lab and materials a recovery expert to maximise recycling and reuse. RA will continue to work with councils on the issue of rates and charges for the buyback homes.

Home Assessments for Home Raising and Home Retrofit streams have been completed for an initial 100 homeowners. Local Industry Briefings for the Home Raising and Home Retrofit streams have also been completed and were well attended by contractors and builders across the region. RA delivered these briefings with the Business Commission NSW, SafeWork NSW and a home resilience expert.

Pod village status update

The opportunity to extend some temporary housing villages (pod villages) is being explored, and landowner engagement is underway. Discussions are also underway about the role that Homes NSW could play in future management of the temporary housing.

The temporary housing is available for people who were flood impacted.  While the program is not open for new applicants, the team is currently auditing the waitlist to understand who still needs support.

Community outreach schedule

The community outreach schedule was provided to Community Leaders Forum members, and the upcoming RA presence at the Kinship Festival on 25 May 2024 in Murwillumbah was noted.  

Overview of actions and meeting close

Key actions from the meeting were confirmed and will be added to the Actions Register.