The NSW Reconstruction Authority is establishing a Community Reference Group to contribute to the development of a Disaster Adaptation Plan (DAP) for the Northern Rivers. CRG members will provide insights on the values and priorities of people who live in the Northern Rivers region. These insights will support:

  • identifying and understanding the 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 are inviting individual community members to submit an expression of interest to join the Northern Rivers DAP Community Reference Group by Friday 19 September 2025.

We are looking for people who are interested in influencing how your community reduces risk, adapts to a changing climate, and mitigates against the hazards we will face into the future.

The Community Reference Group will meet regularly (mostly online) during the development of the Northern Rivers DAP.

The Community Reference Group will consist of up to 40 individuals who reflect the diverse people and places across the Northern Rivers. It will:

  • include participants who represent a diversity of age, gender, location and socioeconomic status,
  • meet in person for the first meeting and then meetings will primarily be online,
  • encourage members to be open, respectful, and committed to working together.

We ask members to commit to an initial term through to June 2026. After this time, the role and purpose of the reference group will be reviewed.

Please see the draft Community Reference Group Terms of Reference for background on purpose, roles and meeting arrangements.

Applications are open for the Community Reference Group from 14 August to 14 September 2025.

To apply to be a member, please complete the survey below by Sunday 14 September 2025.

We suggest you read through the draft Community Reference Group Terms of Reference ahead of applying for the group.

Applicants for the Community Reference Group must:

  • be a community member, living in one of the 7 local government areas in the Northern Rivers region
  • be 18 years of age or older
  • not be a current state or federal member, or a registered political lobbyist or current councillor, of one of the LGAs in the Northern Rivers region.

If you would like help to complete your application, or need more information, you can contact the Northern Rivers DAP team at NRDAP@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au for support.

Once the expression of interest has closed, all submissions will undergo a random selection process which aims to represent the broad demographic of the Northern Rivers community. Selection is based on location, gender, age and socioeconomic status aligning with the regional profile from the 2021 census.

Any submissions with offensive or threatening language, and anyone who is currently in legal proceedings with RA, will be excluded from the selection process.

We expect to confirm membership for the group by late September 2025, with the first meeting in October 2025.