The NSW Reconstruction Authority (NSW RA) is under examination to look at how it has managed the response to the 2022 floods and other disasters in the state as part of a joint parliamentary committee, with members from both houses, to look at whether it has had an effective response. And they want to hear from the public, local councils and other groups impacted by floods and fires that have been happening over the last five or more years.
The Authority is NSW’s permanent state-wide agency dedicated to disaster preparedness, recovery and reconstruction. The Authority was established by the Act in response to the major floods that hit significant areas of NSW in 2022 and recommendations from the State government’s independent inquiry into these floods.
‘The establishment of the Joint Standing Committee was a key Labor recommendation and amendment presented to the government at the time. I led on this legislation and had strong input,’ Lismore MP Janelle Saffin told The Echo.
‘It is important to have parliamentary oversight of critical government agencies and in particular that the NSW Reconstruction Authority is fit for purpose and that each disaster can be reviewed and examined in a public way.’
Committee Chair, Clayton Barr MP, Member for Cessnock highlighted the vulnerabilities of the Australian environment saying ‘We are fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the world surrounded by amazing coastlines, bushland and national parks. Unfortunately, as we have experienced in recent years, much of our state is vulnerable to natural disasters like bushfires and floods.’
Impact of climate change
Greens MP and spokesperson for the North Coast Sue Higginson told The Echo that, ‘The work that the Reconstruction Authority is undertaking is absolutely critical and must be something that is subject to continual adaptation, improvement, and scrutiny.’
‘NSW is on course for between 2.5 to 4 degrees of warming, that is the evidence given by the government in a different inquiry. The Reconstruction Authority is responsible for guiding NSW, communities and the environment, into this uncertain and disrupted future. No state agency or authority can do this task without the leadership of communities.
‘The Northern Rivers community has the lived experience that is fundamental to informing the Committee about what powers and resources are needed going forwards. I urge members of the community with capacity to engage with this process to do so. It will take all of us together, to get the settings as best as we can,’ she said.
The Committee will conduct a review of the Act, focusing on whether the Act’s policy objectives are still valid and if its terms remain appropriate to meet the objectives.
‘We want to make sure that the Authority is effectively helping communities put strategies in place to mitigate the potential impacts of disasters before they occur. And, when disasters do happen, that the Authority is facilitating the coordination of support for affected communities to heal and rebuild. We owe it to the people of NSW that both the Act and the Authority are fit for purpose,’ said Mr Barr.
‘In undertaking the review of the Act, the Committee would like to hear from those members of the community, local councils and other organisations who have engaged with the Authority.’
Submissions close Friday, 17 May, 2024. For more information about the Committee and the review of the Act, including the terms of reference, and how to make a submission, is available at the Committee’s website.
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