Central Darling Shire Council has officially released its drought resilience plan for the state’s Far West.
The Council says the Far West Regional Drought Resilience Plan drew on experience from previous droughts, providing a plan to manage broader community implications.
In March last year, Central Darling Shire Council, Broken Hill City Council and Regional Development Australia Far West NSW Unincorporated Area started working together to produce the plan for drought resilience.
“This plan is relevant to our far west communities whilst also acknowledging the differences between our areas,” the Council said in a statement.
“The work was made possible with support from the Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program, which is funded by the Australian and NSW Governments under the Future Drought Fund.”
Developed by Independent Consultant, Meridian Urban, Council says the plan offers practical solutions to support local communities prepare and respond to drought.
It provides various valuable information relevant to the regions, including:
- Historical and predicated impacts of drought in each region;
- An evidence-based strategy to mitigate or adapt to future drought impacts;
- A prioritised list of actions and pathways to build drought resilience specific to the region and that addresses the needs of the community.
The project has involved widespread consultation and feedback from communities, stakeholders and First Nations people and this feedback is crucial to the success of the final working document.
Council says the plan also recognises that community level drought resilience depends upon strong primary industries and agricultural supply chain sectors as well as other businesses, community organisations and local government.
In 2025, the project control group will be working with Meridian Urban on the implementation phase of the plan.
Read a copy of the plan at this link.
