$5 million boost to kickstart flood drainage repairs for Northern NSW farmers

Jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), the Tropical Cyclone Alfred Agricultural Drainage Reset Program will restore critical drainage flow to 25 council-nominated sites. The works span the Richmond Valley, Ballina Shire, Rous County, Tweed Shire, and Kempsey Shire local government areas.

When agricultural drains are blocked or compromised, floodwaters sit on low-lying farmland for extended periods, destroying crops, degrading soil, and stalling food production.

The first tranche of the program tackles urgent local projects identified by councils, moving them directly into the detailed planning, approval, and delivery phases.

Key projects include:

• Kempsey Shire: Clearing approximately 5km of critical Flood Mitigation Drains east of Gladstone to unblock water transit paths.
• Tweed Shire: Advancing major drainage improvement and recovery works within the Condong Creek outlet.
• Richmond Valley: Clearing flood debris, thick vegetation, and heavy sediment from the 1,120-metre Rattle Gully agricultural drain in Broadwater.
• Ballina Shire & Rous County: Targeted resetting of numerous vital agricultural floodgate drainage outlets and associated piping, including major works at Pimlico, Empire Vale, and Wardell to allow unobstructed runoff into the river systems.

The program is being administered by the NSW Reconstruction Authority in close partnership with the NSW Soil Conservation Service, ensuring specialist technical expertise in sediment management and strict environmental safeguards.

Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Kristy McBain:

"Farmers across Northern NSW have faced repeated severe weather blows. This program delivers practical, on-the-ground recovery to ensure flood-affected agricultural land drains quickly after heavy rain, reducing costly business disruptions for our producers.

"By empowering local councils to nominate their highest-priority sites, the Albanese and Minns governments are ensuring recovery funds target the areas where our primary producers need support the most."

Quotes attributable to NSW Minister for Recovery, Janelle Saffin:

"Our primary producers require this sort of recovery and resilience support after multiple flood events in the North and Mid North Coast. Their resolve has been well and truly tested over the past decade following fires, floods, storms, COVID, War in the Middle East and a myriad of other disruptions but they have come up even more resilient.

"I am a strong advocate for this program because we've already proven it works. During the earlier Northern Rivers reset, clearing 77 drainage sites made a massive difference on the ground. To get them done we also had to get over farmers having to go through a myriad of permissions to do so. Now that is cracked, it is my intention to have permission procedures like these built into the disaster adaptation plans so that farmers can continue to keep the maintenance up to date themselves.

"By hitting these next 25 priority locations, we are helping our farmers get back to business faster and building vital resilience against future wet weather."

Quotes attributable to Kempsey Shire Mayor, Kinne Ring:

"Fixing the Gladstone and Belmore River drainage network is an absolute priority for the Macleay Valley's agricultural community. When these systems in the lower flood plain are clogged with flood debris for significant periods, our local farmers pay the price with waterlogged paddocks and sometimes months of lost productivity.

"This joint funding means Council can work directly with the Soil Conservation Service to clear five kilometres of vital flood drains. It's exactly the kind of practical, coordinated infrastructure support our rural landholders need to recover properly and prepare for the next event."

Quotes attributable to Soil Conservation Service Northern Area Manager, Thor Aaso:

"The NSW Soil Conservation Service is proud to provide its expertise and knowledge to help assist in restoring drainage function at 77 priority sites across the Northern Rivers. Addressing significant drainage issues such as Narho Creek represents significant flood relief milestones for all involved.

NSW Soil Conservation Service looking forward to delivering the next round of agricultural drainage network improvements, impacted by Tropical Cyclone Alfred."