disaster resilience
The Hunter is predicted to experience increased extreme weather and natural hazards, with the effects of this already impacting the region. Many of the region’s communities are struggling to recover from the continual and combined impacts of more frequent and severe disasters.
The May 2025 NSW East Coast severe weather events again demonstrated both the essential role of councils in disaster response and recovery, and the critical need for strong, consistent, and collaborative leadership from state and federal governments. We welcome the opportunity to continue working with the NSW Reconstruction Authority towards regional-scale Disaster Adaptation Plans (DAPs) for the Hunter, to strengthen preparedness, recovery, and long-term adaptation.
Local government involvement is crucial – councils hold the local presence, knowledge, skills, and systems required to deliver place-based adaptation, capabilities that no other level of government can provide1.
Investment to enhance disaster resilience, upgrade vulnerable infrastructure, and sustain community preparedness is increasingly urgent. Yet councils, particularly in regional and rural areas, remain under-resourced and heavily reliant on grant funding for both recovery and long-term risk reduction. This grant-dependent approach creates systemic challenges.
1 Australian Local Government Association, 2025. Adapting Together: Local Government Leadership in a Changing Climate.
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