Review of the operations of the NSW Reconstruction Authority

Review of the operations of the NSW Reconstruction Authority

NSW Reconstruction Authority and the 2025 East Coast severe weather event

5

Coral Sea but weakened before making landfall. It was downgraded from a

cyclone to a tropical low on 8 March 2025.29

1.19 Despite being less severe than initially predicted, the weather event caused

widespread disruption and damage across northern NSW. A natural disaster was

declared across 19 LGAs in NSW across the Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast

regions (AGRN 1198).

30

Major electricity outages affecting Far West NSW

1.20 On 17 October 2024, severe weather damaged infrastructure that was critical to

the power supply for the Broken Hill area. This caused a power outage affecting

12,700 properties in the region. A Natural Disaster Declaration was made on 20

October (AGRN 1149), and the NSW Premier declared an Electricity Supply

Emergency on 23 October 2024.

31

1.21 This disaster was the subject of a separate inquiry by the Legislative Assembly

Committee on Environment and Planning. It is explored in further detail in the

inquiry's report, tabled June 2025.

32

Catastrophic floods in the Central West region in 2022

1.22 In 2022, the Central West of NSW experienced a series of flooding events caused

by above average rainfall over three consecutive years.

33 This included AGRN

1030 from 4 August 2022 and AGRN 1034 from 14 September 2022.34

1.23 In relation to AGRN 1032, the Committee heard evidence about the impact of

flash flooding in November 2025, and the damage this caused in the Cabonne,

Forbes, Lachlan, Parkes and Lithgow LGAs. These floods caused significant

damage to homes, businesses, and essential services.

35

Other disasters

1.24 In line with its terms of reference, the Committee also heard evidence about

other disasters that were subject to a Natural Disaster Declaration and in which

the Authority exercised its functions. This included the Authority's response to

the major rain and flood event on 6 April 2024 in the NSW East Coast and

29 Bureau of Meteorology, Severe Tropical Cyclone Alfred (22U), accessed 23 March 2026.

30 NSW Reconstruction Authority, Annual report 2024-2025, p 68; NSW Reconstruction Authority, Natural disaster

declarations from financial year 2024-25, accessed 23 March 2026.

31 Submission 35, The electricity outages affecting Far West NSW in October 2024, Legislative Assembly Committee

on Environment and Planning, NSW Government, pp 4, 6-7; NSW Reconstruction Authority, Natural disaster

declarations from financial year 2024-25, accessed 23 March 2026.

32 Legislative Assembly Committee on Environment and Planning, The electricity outages affecting Far West NSW in

October 2024, report 2/58, Parliament of New South Wales, 5 June 2025.

33 X Gregory, 'Floodwaters cut off western NSW farmers and towns, with more rain expected', ABC News, 23

September 2022, accessed 23 March 2026; Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub, Murray-Darling Basin

flooding, New South Wales, accessed 23 March 2026.

34 NSW Reconstruction Authority, Natural disaster declarations from financial year 2022-23, accessed 23 March

2026.

35 Submission 39, Central NSW Joint Organisation, p 2; Submission 18, Cabonne Council, p 1.