THE NSW and Federal Labor governments have provided more than $160 million in new funding to five Northern Rivers councils to repair roads and transport infrastructure damaged during natural disasters.
This funding boost comes as local councils in Lismore City, Tweed Shire, Byron Shire, Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley were among the first in the state to sign a pioneering pilot funding agreement with the NSW Reconstruction Authority and Transport for NSW, streamlining the distribution of disaster recovery funds.
Previously, councils faced significant financial strain as they had to finance infrastructure repairs upfront and wait for reimbursement from other levels of government.
Now, through the newly established Tripartite Agreements, councils can access advance funding at the onset of each reconstruction phase.
The Tripartite Agreements mean less financial pressure on councils, faster road repairs for communities and enhance collaboration between government agencies.
Councils receiving funding under this initiative included:
- Lismore City Council — $54.1 million
- Tweed Shire Council — $29.6 million
- Byron Shire Council — $15.7 million
- Richmond Valley Council — $10.4 million
- Clarence Valley Council — $50.6 million
Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:
“The Tripartite Agreements are a great example of government working with communities to develop new solutions that improve disaster response.
“We are committed to building on the success of these agreements and rolling out more support to help communities rebuild faster after disasters.”
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:
“For too long councils have struggled to get timely access to disaster road recovery funding, so the new Tripartite Agreements were introduced to speed up the process.
“The Tripartite Agreements have been a huge success as Transport for NSW was able to deliver $296 million into councils’ bank accounts in the last three months alone. Prior to the 2022 natural disasters, a normal budget would have approximately $190 million per year for natural disaster road recovery funding.
“With the $3.3 billion in the budget allocated over the next four years for natural disaster road recovery funding, we will be rolling out funding faster than ever before.
“Regional communities will now be able to rebuild roads and restore vital transport links more quickly thanks to the collaborative efforts of councils, Transport for NSW and the NSW Reconstruction Authority.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery and Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said:
“The Tripartite Agreement pilot is a major advance in disaster recovery, and importantly, it paves the way to better procedural preparedness.
“As Parliamentary Secretary I interact closely with most of these councils so I know what a difference it is making and will continue to make.
“I commend the NSW Reconstruction Authority and Transport for NSW for leading this new way of rebuilding roads and transport infrastructure.”
Federal Member for Richmond Justine Elliot said:
“This funding agreement between Federal, State and local governments under the Tripartite arrangements are vital to our continued disaster recovery response on the North Coast.
“Funding from our Tripartite Agreement allows local councils to access advanced funding faster at the earliest phase of reconstruction projects.
“This will mean faster road repairs for our communities on the North Coast. I congratulate Tweed, Byron and other North Coast councils in securing this funding.”
