Help shape a safer future for the Northern Rivers

Together with community, business and industry, councils and government agencies, the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) is developing the state's first multi-hazard Disaster Adaptation Plan (DAP) for the Northern Rivers region.

We are seeking input and feedback from across the region to develop a plan that reflects local knowledge, values and lived experience.

There will be a range of opportunities to have your say and help inform the development of the DAP. Upcoming opportunities will be published on this page.

  • Join our Community Reference Group

    RA is establishing a Community Reference Group (CRG) for the Northern Rivers DAP. CRG members will provide insights on the values and priorities of people who live in the Northern Rivers. This will support:

    • understanding current and future regional risks from natural hazards such as floods, bushfires, cyclones and coastal erosion
    • assessing ways to reduce and/or adapt to these risks.

    We invite community members to submit an expression of interest to join the CRG by Friday 19 September 2025.

    Express your interest now 

  • Share your views on what matters most

    We are also running workshops across the region through our partnership in Living Lab Northern Rivers to gather feedback on what communities value and how they may be impacted by disasters. The feedback from these workshops will be used to inform a risk profile for the region. Information about the public workshops will be available here soon.

    You can also share your views online by answering our survey. This survey should take 5 minutes to complete. It will be open until 30 September 2025.

    Take the survey now 

Stay involved in other ways

There are many ways to be involved in the development of the Northern Rivers DAP over the coming months. The engagement will also include:

  • Community conversations and technical group roundtables
  • Engagement through local organisations and networks
  • Engagement with Aboriginal communities
  • Community pop-ups across the region.

If you want to be involved, please subscribe to receive updates for the Northern Rivers. We will be providing updates on engagement and progress of the Northern Rivers DAP development.

If you live, visit or work in the Northern Rivers, we encourage you to share your ideas or questions about the Northern Rivers DAP by emailing us at NRDAP@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au

Information about the Northern Rivers DAP

The Northern Rivers covers 7 local government areas: Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and the Tweed. Home to more than 310,000 residents and 30,000 businesses, the region has one of the highest natural disaster risk profiles in the state. There are 9 natural hazards that will be considered in the Northern Rivers DAP. They are bushfires, coastal erosion and inundation, earthquakes, floods, heatwaves, landslips, storms and cyclones, tornadoes and tsunamis.

The Northern Rivers DAP will identify what actions are needed to reduce the risk of disasters where we can, or to adapt where we can’t. These actions will take into account climate change, which may make disasters more frequent and more intense.

Find out more about the Northern Rivers DAP.