Resilience and recovery

The NSW Government continues to provide vital assistance to our rural and regional communities that have faced challenges, with many programs under way to repair, rebuild and recover, in partnership with the Commonwealth Government.

Floods

The severe storms and flooding in February and March 2022 have had a devastating impact on communities across New South Wales, particularly in the Northern Rivers region.

In response, the NSW and Commonwealth governments have jointly committed $3.5 billion to support impacted communities and established the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation to set and implement reconstruction priorities in the region.

Other measures are designed to provide immediate support and assist people and businesses with returning to their lives as quickly and as safely as possible, including:

  • $312.5 million to deliver State and local government transport infrastructure resilience improvements and upgrades in the Northern Rivers.

  • $145.0 million to replace water and sewerage critical infrastructure.

  • $142.0 million for the Property Assessment and Demolition Program to assess properties and demolish those found to be uninhabitable.

  • $67.0 million for the North Coast Flood Recovery Education Support Package to support the recovery of schools, early childhood education services and training providers.

  • $36.0 million for levee repair works across northern NSW.

  • Direct support grants for local councils, individuals and families, primary producers, small businesses, and not-for-profit organisations.

The NSW Government is also investing an additional $132.7 million to enable the NSW State Emergency Service to better respond to, understand, plan and prepare for flood and storm events. This includes:

  • $58.7 million to upgrade critical priority unit facilities across New South Wales.

  • $43.0 million to establish two additional zones in northern and western New South Wales with sufficient staffing to support local volunteers.

  • $18.0 million to update the capability of the existing five NSW SES Zone Headquarters to Level 3 Incident Control Centre capability.

  • $11.7 million to establish Zone Headquarters with Level 3 Incident Control Centre capability for the two new Zones.

  • $1.3 million to develop an NSW SES Facility Strategy for modern Incident Control Centres.

Bushfires

The NSW Government continues to provide $4.5 billion, in partnership with the Commonwealth Government, to assist the continued community recovery from the Black Summer bushfires.

The Government has accepted all 76 recommendations of the NSW Bushfire Inquiry and, in partnership with the Commonwealth Government, committed a further $315.2 million to:

  • $147.9 million for extending hazard reduction activities.

  • $129.7 million for firefighting tanker replacements and safety upgrades.

  • $27.7 million over four years to upgrade and operate national parks radio infrastructure enabling firefighters to gain critical access to the NSW Public Safety Network.

  • $10.0 million to continue the delivery of critical strategic fire trails.

For national parks, this takes the total Budget investment to $173.8 million, which will establish an additional 200 permanent firefighter roles and 50 bushfire conservation roles.

Image of three female volunteer firefighters talking together behind a firetruck in Whittingham in the Hunter region
Whittingham