Wagga Wagga residents and relevant stakeholders are invited to have their say about drought resilience in the region.
At its Ordinary Meeting on Monday 24 February, Wagga Wagga City Council approved placing two drought resilience planning documents on public exhibition from 26 February to 26 March 2025.
Manager City Growth & Regional Assets Ben Creighton said Council was creating the plan in partnership with Lockhart Shire Council as part of the NSW Government's Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program, and was funded by State and Federal government programs.
"The first document is an 82-page Drought Resilience Plan; the second is a more detailed 100-page technical document," Mr Creighton said.
"The plan's objective is to build community resilience in times of drought, and to have plans and activities in place we can implement before and during a drought."
Mr Creighton said the documents were being made available to gain broader community input before a final version is developed and proposed for adoption.
"Because the Plan is about supporting the whole community in a drought, we really want to hear back from that community.
"We're putting the plan and associated documents on public exhibition on our Have Your Say webpage for a period of 28 days."
Mr Creighton said the plan was developed after research had been carried out, along with previous stakeholder and community consultation, and aligned with three pillars:
- Community - ensuring residents have access to support systems
- Environment - water security and encouraging the use of sustainable practices
- Economy - ensuring economic stability during drought.
"Every Australian is affected by drought at some time in their lives, particularly in regional and rural areas, so it's important the community and stakeholders have an opportunity to shape the final report," Mr Creighton said.
"The preliminary draft Regional Drought Resilience Plan has been independently reviewed by CSIRO through the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) with feedback incorporated into this version of the plan."
Submissions will be accepted until 21 March 2025.
