Diocese reverses decision on closing flood-damaged school
“When can we go back?”– a mother said her daughter keeps asking when she can return to school. The mother was speaking at the community meeting in June about reopening St Joseph’s Primary School in Woodburn that was flooded in February last year.
MRSG explains ‘a better way’ to Senate Basin Plan hearing
“There are alternative investment options that deliver far greater and more sustainable environmental outcomes than the original architects of the Basin Plan’s approach of ‘just add water’. Sadly, politics doesn’t allow common sense to prevail. MRSG has also identified a range of project options that could achieve environmental outcomes while at the same time protecting staple food production, jobs, rural communities, economic activity and export earnings”: Louise Burge, Murray Regional Strategy Group.
Prepared for the next flood
The damage caused to the Dalrymple Creek bank by previous flooding was a wake-up call that some sort of prevention needed to take place. The answer was stabilising the creek bank.
Flood Corporation withered – now we hope FloodCorp3 will provide serious relief
It is the end of the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation. From Tuesday, October 31, the NRRC will be dissolved and its assets, rights and liabilities transferred to the NSW Reconstruction Authority. This is hardly a surprise...
As buybacks remove houses, the town shrinks and there’s nowhere else to go
Woodburn needs better solutions for its flood recovery, councillor Robert Hayes said. At Richmond Valley Council’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 17, Mr Hayes asked the council to write to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces and the NSW Reconstruction Authority to express concern about the potential impacts of large-scale housing buybacks on the future of Woodburn.
Make a submission to Planning System inquiry
A NSW Parliamentary inquiry into the Planning System and the Impacts of Climate Change on the Environment and Communities is calling for public submissions and the Yamba Community Action Network Yamba CAN Inc is encouraging locals to show their concerns about what is happening on the Yamba floodplain.
A year after statewide floods … roads still in ruins
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says more than one year after Victoria’s devastating 2022 flood event, the state’s crumbling roads are worse than ever and continue to fall into disrepair.
Council calls out “complete and utter disregard” from Insurance Council of Australia
Lockyer Valley Regional Council says the integrity of the Insurance Council of Australia should be questioned, following months of unanswered correspondence from the region’s Mayor ... “Following the 2022 floods, the Insurance Council advised us they were willing to engage and could encourage insurers to undertake consistent and meaningful assessments for those impacted from flooding, but unfortunately it seems to have been empty promises": Mayor Milligan.
Youth-led local solution for disaster preparedness wins Disaster Challenge 2023
A concept for young people aged 13-18 to take a leading role in disaster resilience in their local area has taken out the 2023 Disaster Challenge, run by Natural Hazards Research Australia in Melbourne.
Planning application concern
Opposition has been expressed by nearby residents regarding a proposed planning permit application for a 16-block subdivision in Maldon on land bordered by Lowther, Reef and Polsue Streets ... It is understood that their objections include the small size of some of the blocks and the inappropriateness of the development in relation to the surrounding area.
Expo strikes a chord
A record number of 25 exhibitors showcased the resources that are available to communities before, during and after an emergency at the North East Emergency Expo in Corryong on Saturday.
Join WA Parks and Wildlife’s Trainee Ranger of the Year in the stunning environs of Bunuba country
Meet Lionel Marr, a proud Bunuba man, who always felt a calling to return from the city back to his childhood home of Fitzroy Crossing. He wanted to know more about his country, his people and his culture and became a trainee ranger with the Parks and Wildlife Service, earning a coxswain skippers ticket. Lionel’s efforts during the Kimberley floods of January 2023, despite losing his family home, and his commitment to his job, earned him special recognition.
Richmond Landcare: Impacts of 2022 floods
Richmond Landcare, in collaboration with Border Ranges, Richmond Valley Landcare Network, and the Department of Planning and Environment, is proud to announce the release of a compelling video documenting the Environmental Impacts of the 2022 Flood Disaster on the Richmond River Catchment. The video aims to raise awareness and promote sustainable land management, by showcasing the devastating ecological consequences of the 2022 floods in the region.
Rous weeds
Kidney-leaf mud plantain (Heteranthera reniformis) is an aquatic weed that was brought to Australia as a decorative pond plant. It has since washed into our freshwater waterways where it slows the movement of water, impedes the growth of native water plants, and reduces the food supply for aquatic life.
Murray–Darling Basin Authority communique, October 2023
The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) met on 11 October in person on Ngunnawal Country (Canberra) ... Having returned from a 4-day listening tour of the lower Murray across South Australia and Victoria, Sir Angus shared reflections from farmers, local governments, First Nations, and communities impacted by the 2022 and 2023 floods who now face the prospect of hot and drying conditions.
UniSA study checks-in on farmers’ wellbeing post flood disaster
Farmers rely on good weather to grow crops and sustain livestock, so when the Bureau of Meteorology issues an El Niño warning, it’s a bitter pill to swallow given that so many farmers and rural communities across Australia are still reeling from recent floods. Now, researchers at the UniSA are hoping to connect with farmers who have been affected by the 2022-23 floods to better understand their first-hand experiences and how they would like to be supported to regain optimal wellbeing.
Great heat over great wall
Patrick Goldsmith. Opposition to a proposed seawall at Coobowie is growing louder, with more than 60 people gathering at a town hall meeting on Sunday, October 1. The event was organised by the newly formed Friends of Coobowie Foreshore and attendees heard from ecologist and marine biologist John Douglas and aired their own grievances with the Yorke Peninsula Council proposal.
60 blocks will not be built on floodplain land as council refuses DA
Richmond Valley Council has refused the development application at 59 Rileys Hill Road, Broadwater ... “This development is not in the public interest and is not suitable for development due to flood risk”: Jemma Donnelly. During the floods in February–March last year, the site was underwater.
Council puts case for a special rate variation
General Manager George Cowan highlighted issues around the council’s financial position at last week’s Council meeting and sought a resolution to proceed to community consultation on a potential application for a proposed permanent Special Variation (SV) ... representing a cumulative Special Variation of 48.1 per cent over two years. "Some of the causes of this position have been building progressively over a long period and some are much more recent ..."
Basis for rate variation explained
A report presented to the Narrandera Shire Council last week provided a detailed analysis of Council’s current and long-term financial position and outlined drivers for those outcomes. It was tabled together with the recommendation for a rate variation application that will now go to the ratepayers of the shire for consideration. The report identified implications for service levels and impact on residents.
Budget forgets flooded locals
Northern Rivers residents impacted by the devastating 2022 floods have been left short-changed following last week’s state budget claim Nationals MPs with no sign that the Resilient Homes Program RHP will be fully funded. Member for Clarence Richie Williamson and Member for Tweed Geoff Provest said the budget provides little certainty forward and was a cruel blow to the flood impacted residents still trying to rebuild their lives.
Whole Loddon Love: a music revival for flood recovery
October promises a revival of spirits and music along the Loddon River as the ‘Whole Loddon Love’ initiative orchestrates a series of live music events ... A bevy of talent is set to grace the Baringhup Hall stage, with performers like The Maes from Melbourne (ex Maldon), The Jess Parker Band from Castlemaine...
