While the federal and NSW governments continue to approve and extend coal and gas mines, that regardless of where the fossil fuels are burnt will have negative impacts on all our futures, there are a few things you can do to prepare.
The NSW government approved the Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project, that has been extended to 2045, it will generate over 800 million tonnes of climate pollution.
‘This is not a “just transition”. It’s not even a transition. It’s an expansion,’ said Rod Campbell, Research Director at The Australia Institute.
‘The government pretends it’s OK to dig up more coal in the Hunter Valley because someone, somewhere else promised to do something to reduced emissions. This approval shows that Australia’s climate policies are working exactly as the government intended: pretend to be tackling emissions reduction while carrying on expanding coal.’
2019 saw drought, then the impact of the Black Summer bushfires, which destroyed homes and properties, and with decisions like these, now is the time think about how to prepare for the future and to look at your water systems, tanks, fire tanks, and surroundings and prepare for a high-risk year ahead.
Mullumbimby NSW Fire and Rescue are urging the community to spring clean and reduce fire hazards in and around the home during the warmer months.
A good start is to remove flammable clutter such as newspapers and cardboard in and around your home. Safely dispose of any unrequired hazardous materials and chemicals, including old containers of flammable paints, solvents and thinners which can fuel and intensify a residential fire. Make sure you clear leaves and litter from gutters to remove potential fuel for flying embers, and check that any garden hose is long enough to reach your entire garden.
For those living in the bush making a fire plan is essential. It allows you to assess you location, determine under which conditions you would stay and fight a fire and when to leave, and where to go.
‘While winter is over, the changing weather brings a new range of fire risks [even to those not in a bush setting]. Firefighters attended 1,005 residential fires across NSW in the spring of 2025,’ On-Call Firefighter Kimberley Jones told The Echo.
‘In 45 per cent of those blazes, firefighters could not find a working smoke alarm.’
As temperatures rise, new fire hazards present themselves in and outside the home.
‘It’s time to make sure you and your family are as prepared as you can be,’ she said.
The Northern Rivers has seen plenty of disasters from floods to fires and a key part of managing these as a community is acknowledging the changing landscape of risk and preparing in advance for these events.
For more information, contact the NSW Fire and Rescue at: https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au and the Rural Fire Service at: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au.
Aslan Shand, editor
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