No images? Click here Staying Connected - 10 May 2021On Wednesday 5 May, the Prime Minister the Hon Scott Morrison launched the National Recovery and Resilience Agency at an event in Townsville, Queensland. I encourage you to read Prime Minister Morrison’s speech. Its establishment delivers on the commitments the Australian Government made in November 2020 in response to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements. As the PM noted in his speech, when I gave evidence to the Royal Commission, I said there were three things we needed to do: we must have a mandated single Agency to oversee recovery and resilience; we must be consistent in the way we respond and operate regardless of which government agency is involved; and the approach to recovery must be locally led, locally understood and locally implemented. The formation of this Agency delivers on all these objectives. The Recovery and Resilience Agency brings together the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and the National Drought and North Queensland Flood Response and Recovery Agency. As a single disaster agency, combining our shared experiences of supporting communities recovering from bushfire, floods, drought, as well as the impacts of COVID-19, we will use our learnings to respond swiftly to communities impacted by disasters including drought – so that locally-led recovery can commence sooner and individuals, businesses and communities will be better prepared for future shocks. From July 1, we will incorporate the disaster risk reduction and recovery functions from the Department of Home Affairs, and Rural Financial Counsellors from the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. As a Nation we are good at mopping up, cleaning up, standing up, we are after all the land of drought and flooding rains in this sunburnt country of ours, but it is simply not sustainable for the taxpayer and ratepayer to keep picking up the tab. We must be better prepared and help local communities find a pathway to strengthening their resilience to future disasters. People who have been hit by a disaster or who are struggling under the heavy weight of prolonged drought, want to talk to a person, someone who understands what they are going through. The National Recovery and Resilience Agency will have its ‘boots on the ground’ through a national network of Recovery Support Officers who come from, live and work in communities across Australia. These Support Officers will make sure you get the information you need and direct you to the help and support that is right for your situation. We will also continue to provide advice back to the highest levels of Government about what is working and what needs to be improved, aiming to streamline and simplify the recovery process and helping communities better withstand future disasters. You will see some changes but I want to personally assure you that we will continue to serve you and others affected by disasters without disruption. As we have before, we will continue to work in close partnership with local councils, health services, charities, our federal and state government partner agencies, peak industry bodies and community leaders. We are all in this together and we are only as good as each other in delivering on community expectations. As the PM said on Wednesday, we have a generational opportunity to address many of the challenges we face as Australians. I look forward to us facing these challenges together. The Hon Shane L Stone AC QC Agency Advisory Board member is 2021 Beef Achiever Our Advisory Board member Tracey Hayes has been named 2021 Queensland Country Life Beef Achiever! At an awards ceremony at the Rabobank Beef Industry Awards dinner, as part of Beef Week 2021, Tracey was presented her award by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Penelope Arthur, National Agricultural News Editor for Australian Community Media. Tracey was recognised as the "driving force behind the monumental Federal Court case in which cattle producers took on the 2011 decision to ban live exports to Indonesia." Managing the mouse plague CSIRO Research Officer Steve Henry is offering help and advice to farmers and regional communities grappling with the mouse plague sweeping Eastern Australia. Steve’s research is a partnership with the Australian Government Grains Research & Investment Corporation (GRDC) and focuses on minimising the impact mice have on farming systems. In our two-part video series, Steve answers some common questions about the appropriate way to deal with high mice numbers safely and effectively, as well as the impact of weather events. Comedy relief lifts spirits Last month, the 'What A Relief! It's Damian Callinan' tour rolled out in town halls across Northern NSW. The tour lifted the spirits of 10 communities hit hard by drought, flood, fire and COVID-19, delivering a much-needed dose of comedy relief from multi-award-winning comedian, actor, screenwriter and storyteller, Damian Callinan. It’s been a long time since some of these communities have been able to see a live show or host an event, so the tour was a great opportunity for locals to reconnect with their friends and neighbours and to laugh and relax together. New National Recovery and Resilience website The new National Recovery and Resilience Agency website went live on 5 May 2021. Featured is recovery support for the 2021 eastern Australia storms and floods, Black Summer bushfires, 2019 North Queensland floods, mental health support, and more. Visit our Recovery Support Officers (RSOs) page to learn about our dedicated liaison network and the support they provide to disaster-affected individuals and communities. You can find each town they’re located in and reach out if you’re in an area affected by disaster or drought. Emotional and mental health support in bushfire and flood-affected areas Natural disasters such as fires and floods can have a big impact on wellbeing. Knowing where to go in your local area for emotional and mental health services is a great first step for those wanting support. Our Agency is working with a number of communities on something to make that easier - a cheat sheet of free local counselling and other wellbeing support. Each factsheet pulls together the key local touchpoints, whether those are funded by the Commonwealth, state, council or other organisations. Initially the work focused on communities affected by the Black Summer bushfires, and it is now being expanded to cover a number of communities also affected by the flooding this year in NSW. Interested in what it looks like in practice? Have a look at the factsheets for the Shoalhaven and Bega Valley regions. For more information on the wellbeing support available for people affected by recent disasters visit www.recovery.gov.au/recovery-support/mental-health-and-wellbeing Visiting Gatton for ANZAC Day NRRA staff recently visited the bushfire-impacted small town of Gatton, in Queensland, to commemorate ANZAC Day and see how the community was recovering from the fires. David Magnusson and Katharyn Heagney saw first-hand the rebuilding efforts that were happening in the area with their Brisbane-based NRRA host Wing Commander George Hodgson. They enjoyed meeting some quietly determined locals who have been championing bushfire recovery efforts in the badly burnt Lockyer Valley. These included Binna Burra Lodge Director Steve Noakes, who gave a tour of the impacted Heritage-listed landmarks including the Lamington National Park. They also met with Jessica Brown, founder of The Little Pocket in Beechmont, a grassroots organisation that’s run from her carport to encourage personal, environmental and artistic connections between Black Summer bushfire survivors. The space has grown to become a platform for locals to share their personal stories and professional skills and have a cuppa with like-minded people. On ANZAC Day the Gatton RSL Club generously hosted a lunch prepared by volunteers, since the club has been closed during COVID. President of the Gatton RSL sub-branch Steve Hartigan included the NRRA team in the wreath-laying ceremony after an impressive crowd followed the ANZAC march through town. Squadron Leader Alison Lambert returned to her home town and delivered a moving address about the inclusiveness of ANZAC Day and how it’s reflected back in the generations of families who participate in the day’s events each year. The Agency team extends its warmest thanks to the Australian Defence Force, Gatton Mayor Tanya Milligan and all those who made them feel welcome on a very special and unique visit. How we got here With the establishment of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency, we wanted to share the experiences of the Drought and Flood Agency and National Bushfire Recovery Agency in supporting communities recovering from floods, drought and bushfire, as well as the impacts of COVID-19. In February 2019, North and North West Queensland went from drought to devastating floods, with more than 10,000kms of roads and fences washed away and over 500,000 livestock perished. The former North Queensland Livestock Industry Recovery Agency was quickly stood up to assist the region on the road back to recovery. In December 2019, its remit was expanded to include drought and it became the National Drought and North Queensland Flood Response and Recovery Agency. Throughout its work, the Drought and Flood Agency was guided by the principle that recovery must be locally-led. That mantra continues to guide the work of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency. To learn more about the former Drought and Flood Agency, watch a video about its work here: Restoring Hope and Rebuilding for the Future The NBRA was established in January 2020 to lead and coordinate the national response to rebuilding communities affected by the devastating 2019-20 bushfires across Australia. The focus of the NBRA was to assist people to get the help they need across governments, and to coordinate and support the vital work of communities and their corporate and not-for-profit recovery partners, with staff engaged at the local level with communities. The Open for Business video series provides an update on the regions’ recovery from the Black Summer bushfires. Read more about the series below and view the latest video. As the National Recovery and Resilience Agency, we will continue the ongoing locally-led recovery work for communities affected by floods, bushfires, drought and other challenges. Video series shows Adelaide Hills' community recovery We have partnered with Tourism Australia to deliver a 15-part video series on bushfire recovery in NSW, QLD, SA, and VIC. Each video provides an update on the regions’ recovery from the Black Summer bushfires and aims to generate an interest and return of COVID-sensitive travel. Bringing tourism dollars to these communities is an easy way to support sustained recovery of their local economies. One of the latest videos released is that of Adelaide Hills, SA. Featured in the video are Mount Barker District Council Mayor Ann Ferguson, Bushfire Kids Connect Facebook group creator Carly, Stafford Orchards owner Cam Stafford, and winery owner Simon Tolley. The locals discuss their story of survival in the wake of the fires and how they have come together in recovery. “People are getting back on their feet and they're very aware of the value of what they have to give to the community through the produce that they make. And yes, it's so rewarding to see that we can be so resilient and helpful of one another to make sure that they're building better than what they had,” Mayor Ann Ferguson said. With pristine river systems and lakes, breathtaking National Parks and great hospitality, the community is looking forward to welcoming visitors to experience the Adelaide Hills region. Through this video series, not only do we aim to validate the experiences of those sharing their stories on camera but to give them the opportunity to tell others how they want to be supported as they rebuild for the future. Join us in hearing and celebrating the stories from the latest videos including Snowy Monaro NSW, Upper Murray VIC and the Sapphire Coast NSW. Stay tuned for more to come at our Open for Business webpage. Are you a primary producer impacted by Applications for the Restocking, Replanting and On-farm Infrastructure Grants have been extended to 30 June 2022 and flood impacted producers will now have until 31 March 2024 to use any approved funds. Follow us on social media Our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages are a great way for us to keep connected. You can check out what the Agency is doing and tell us how you are doing. We also share lots of helpful information and news about drought, flood and COVID-19 assistance. Our Regional Support Officers send out lots of updates - so keep an eye out for their photos and news, too! |