Meeting summary

Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery Janelle Saffin chaired the meeting. During the meeting, key updates were provided – followed by discussion and agreed actions. The Chair noted that progress on the previous actions was progressing, and further discussion about these actions could be held out of this meeting. RA staff also briefed attendees on the meetings and interactions they had with community members and groups.

Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative 

CSIRO provided an update on the Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative (NRRI) which was established after the February 2022 floods. The NRRI is funded by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Australian Government. 

The initiative includes two streams of work: 

1. Rapid review and assessment (completed end 2022)
   This initially focussed on a review of existing flood mitigation/resilience projects and prioritising the most effective intervention options. It involved extensive consultation across the region including with councils, other stakeholders and community. It also included work to characterise the 2022 floods in comparison with previous floods in the region. The report on this work is available on the NEMA website.
2. Hydrodynamic modelling and data collection (underway)
   High quality digital elevation datasets using LiDAR have now been created for the whole of the Northern Rivers region. Bathymetry, or mapping below sea level, has also been conducted for the Richmond and Tweed rivers. The data will be available by 30 June 2024, hosted by Geoscience Australia.

This data will be used to help develop and implement a detailed hydrodynamic model for the whole of the Richmond River catchment. The model will be used to undertake flood mitigation scenario analysis. Model calibration is due to be completed by 30 June 2025, and scenario analysis will be completed by 30 June 2026. 

Regional Vision and Masterplan 

Following consultation across all local governments and MPs the scope for a Northern Rivers regional vision and masterplan has been refined. Work on a vision statement will progress with the Community Leaders Forum and the Northern Rivers Joint Organisation (NRJO). It will focus on developing a simple and clear future vision for the region **based on what people and communities are saying and on need. 

CSIRO will be visiting the Northern Rivers to discuss the masterplan scope with local leaders and community so a proposal for this work can be finalised. 

Resilient Homes Program update 

The roll out of the Resilient Homes Program is continuing across the region.  

RA has been proactively engaging homeowners and Industry in relation to the Home Raising and Home Retrofit streams. Over 100 Home Assessments have been completed, and more are being scheduled. Home Assessment Reports are being issued, and one-on-one support is being provided to these homeowners. 

New resources are being published on the NSW Reconstruction Authority website to support home raising and home retrofits including new flood resilience design guides. The home raising and retrofit team will be available at scheduled Community Pop-Ups across the region in July 2024, and an industry webinar is scheduled on 4 July 2024.

The Relocation and Gifting Policy for the program is underway. This allows a homeowner who is eligible for a Home Buyback to relocate their home, or to gift the home to someone else. The recipient requires land to relocate the home to and is responsible for all stages of, and costs associated with the relocation process. RA is focused on maximising the opportunities for reusing homes in the Northern Rivers that are being bought back.

Discussions with councils will be progressing on the future use of land where homes have been bought back and removed. It was also noted that community feedback is important in determining future land use.  

Recovery Support Services

Recovery Support Services have been extended through to February 2025 in agreement with NEMA. Some services may be slightly reduced to maximise the funding over time. Transition planning is underway for when the program finishes.

Concluding comments

The Chair noted that the Community Leaders Forum members raised several issues during the meeting about the agenda items and other items issues raised by community members.  

The Chair also shared that public information will be increased through more local media stories and engagement, and future Community Leaders Forum meetings will also have First Nations regional representation.