Plans & Actions

To build trust between residents, businesses and government, itis important that those who are perceived to be in control of a community's resources speak openly and share data on exactly how those resources are used, Water sharing in particular can be an extremely contentious during times of drought dependent on the amount of water they are to use. The primary purpose of this action is to identify methods of obtaining water consumption data and information, This may be through existing state level mechanisms such as Water Insights by WaterNSW. Secondly, the action aims to identify ways of sharing this information with the community, including via channels like a community Facebook page, local newspaper, newsletter, Council rates letters or announcements on radio and at local events. Ukimately this action will aim to improve trust within the community and allow them to have confidence that government agencies are using water resources ‘appropriately and the water saving mechanisms in place are fair and just. This may also reduce stress and anxiety levels within the community as they know. exactly how the water within the region is being used.

Itis crucial to ensure that a regional approach to drought resilience is informed and guided by experts and led from a local level. As such, itis important to establish a role, so responsibility ies with a representative to delivery agreed drought resilience initiatives. Both Councils will assign a dedicated Resilience Officer funded by the state government to guide and manage all resilience initiatives for their local government area, This includes preparedness, preparation, response and recovery. This role will guide and inform the community about available, reliable services and resources around climate and disaster resilience. Additionally, they will drive change by integrating the resilience lens into key public policy planning As Tamworth and Walcha works to ensure a secure and healthy environment forits residents, it wil be important to train Council staff on resilience processes within agencies and Council departments will reinforce the community's trust in the Council Officer will also help provide this training and build arepository of corporate knowledge including resi nce guidelines and processes.

The primary intent of this action will be to develop scorecards that capture plausible drought risks for both Tamworth and Walcha and then present these scorecards in a format that is digestible and useful for the general community, The scorecards will be easy toaccess for the community and willbe promoted on ‘community notice boards in each region. This action will also use the scorecards to identify and validate local water-wise projects to reduce drought risk, Projects may include new rainwater tanks, design and construction of stormwater swales, ‘ownership of projects that contribute to replacing fixtures with low-water usage ones and their own resilience upgrades to public irrigation systems in sporting + Waters fields and parks, The projects could also include TIMEFRAME looking into building recycled water infrastructure LONG TERM (treated wastewater) for irrigation to secure drinking + Tamworth Water Security Alliance water storages: COMPONENTS OF RESILIENCE + SQNNSW Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub Reflective + Australian Red Cross Using past experience to assess current risk and response Robust Providing resources for community to prepare + Future Farmers Network for drought risks + NSWFarmers’ Association Resourceful Stakeholders + Namoi Unlimited Capacity to respond to risk at a community level, using community-driven approaches + Water Users Associations Integrated + The Salvation Army Alignment of tools and resources across the community Landcare Association Local Land Services Financing Options + _National Enabling Activities fund up to $7.88 million + The NSW Environmental Trust Environmental Education Grant up to $250,000 per project Revenue/Saving + N/A Opportunties Timeline + Scorecards finalised by end 2024

This action supports the development and implementation of water security bolstering initiatives throughout the Tamworth and Walcha regions. Both Councils recognise the effectiveness of financial support and incentives in driving the adoption of water saving initiatives and intend to use financial levers to drive investment in natural ecosystem services that prioritise and improve regional water security and efficiency. Through a number of supporting measures and schemes, the Councils Prioritise retention and enhancement of existing forests and wetlands into planning schemes to crease natural catchment water retention and water flow in existing assets Increase Development Application incentives for retaining water through Water Sensitive Urban Design initiatives Encourage best practice specification of industrial processes reliant on water Invest in water source shading, using conventional tree shading or innovative practices ¢ floating solar panels Invest in improvement measures and metering for water leaks to improve resilience of existing assets.

In Tamworth and Walcha, approximately 50% of total ‘water usage is associated with industry — primarily abattoirs, Water usage fees are based on a throe- tiered system, where larger consumers pay more than smal r consumers. Historically, residents are generally receptive to water restrictions during periods of drought, whereas business consumption does not vary substanti: ly during restrictions, This action seeks to implement community-focussed strategies to disincentivise the overuse of water in the region. The following measures are included: Discourage poor water usage practices with economic disincentives like local water price surcharges for non-essential uses Appropriately communicate and reiterate the importance of water saving measures (e.g. length of showers) Effectively promote efficient water uses during water restriction periods Develop real-time monitoring of water consumption and share this information to raise awareness of community water usage and increase accountability

To inform data-backed decision making and response to water scarcity, the region recognises the value of accessible and centralised knowledge. This action is intended to provide a single source of information based on region-specific data for drought warnings and drought resilience resources to provide support before, during and after drought events This action will develop an open-access platform for curated, community-wide resilience data. This will foster collaboration, align resources, drive actions and measure outcomes to deliver shared community goals for the drought resilience of the region. A user-based, visual, and multi-level hazard map wil support the region to better plan, improve knowledge of vulnerable areas, and inform decision making by government, businesses (where to invest), and individuals (where to live). The platform will include the following: + Region-specific measurements and data, in addition to expert-based knowledge to empower the community to make informed decisions + Anaccessible list of information sources (platforms, websites, etc. where readers can obtain more information) + Real time information to provide information on the severity of drought risk and the stage of a drought, with a prompt for recommended actions needed Contact details for local, state, and federal grants, financial counsellors and agricultural advisors

Itis important to approach regional drought resilience in an informed and structured manner: To address relevant challenges within the community and across the industry sectors, itis crucial to use regional, state and national drought response assessments. This drought resilience framework will streamline efforts around a single timeline, providing clarity on approaches to strengthen the region's resilience. Itwill define the ultimate goals of the region and the strategies to achieve them, including the scope of each strategy, implementation stages, expected outcomes and responsibilities, The development of this framework will highlight any outstanding gaps exposing the region's vulnerability and offer appropriate resilience responses. This document will also help initiate conversations between vulnerable industries.

To create a resilient region, drought resilience must be factored into conventional planning processes, project design and development decision making, Establishing a resilient city financing structure in both Tamworth Regional and Walcha Councils will ensure that the risk-oriented components of community. projects can be addressed. This will also ensure that, in the event of a disaster, finances are available to support services. Atransition to a climate-resilient region will require a substantial increase in the amount of investment in urban and rural infrastructure and a shift in the way existing streams of finance are allocated. This action therefore seeks to develop innovative solutions to finance resilient actions at the community level, This could include local carbon offsetting funds, Private-public partnerships, private investments, crowdfunding, social financing, micro-grants, tax incentives, or the provision of physical assets. This action will connect grassroots community initiatives with a diverse portfolio of funding opportunities to create a pipeline for community investments.

Non-profit and community-based organisations contribute to long-term community empowerment and can support the regions by preparing residents for future shocks and stresses, especially those related to droughts, This can be done directly, through awareness-raising and outreach around these issues, in addition to providing emergency relief. This can also be done indirectly, through organisation's day-to-day services (for example, combatting unemployment) which reduce the chronic stressors that contribute to vulneral This action will bring together key stakeholders from these organisations to identity their needs, funding and resource requirements. This will inform and improve the region's efforts on preparedn

This action aims to support cornmunity health (mental and physical) through access to support services and resources, To do this, the region needs to foster an environment that is supportive and conducive to community members receiving the care and the ‘support they need, in times of crisis and otherwise, to maintain healthy levels of mental and physical health, This will be achieved through a number of steps to bolster understanding of community needs, impr

This action aims to support cornmunity health (mental and physical) through access to support services and resources, To do this, the region needs to foster an environment that is supportive and conducive to community members receiving the care and the ‘support they need, in times of crisis and otherwise, to maintain healthy levels of mental and physical health, This will be achieved through a number of steps to bolster understanding of community needs, improve uptake of existing resources by reaching out to vulnerable community members, de-stigmatise mental health needs and support, develop community cohesiveness, identify and support mental health champions and local resources, and delivery of targeted initiatives to support the community in times of need

Securing direct funding to support the employment and retention of mental health professionals throughout the community will ensure long-term. commitment to mental health across the region. This will be done by ensuring there is sufficient access to mental health support professionals in times of Grought-induced stress and other high-demand periods when, historically, mental health support has been found to be insufficient. This action will prioritise and finance the development of mental health support outside of the conventional healthcare system to offer more personalised and expedited services to the community Further, this action provides increased support for mental health support workers in the region to support personnel retention, A particular emphasis is on supporting youth mental health services,

willimprove community access to high quality mental health support and enhance local capacity. This action is based on evidence that shows that communities with healthier and well-supported members have an increased capacity to deal with, manage, and recover from shocks and stressors arising from long-term drought events. This will be achieved through mental health training sessions and other upskilling initiatives for health care workers, The aim is to upskill ky staff so they can provide direct mental health support to community members and also feel equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to provide guidance and connection with the appropriate resources, Additionally, this action will also seek to establish community champions to provide mental health support outside the traditional healthcare system, This will be achieved by promoting mental health awareness first aid training for community members. Through the expansion of mental health support to more healthcare members, mental health issues in the community will be identified and addressed more effectively. Further, a network of local community champions can provide a supplementary level and support and provide accessible and familiar resources for drought-affected communities,

Our region has a significant population of First Nations Peoples with deep connection to Country: the Kamilaroi Country to the west and north, the Nganyaywana Country to the north, the Dainggatti Country to the east, and the Biripi Country to the south Traditional Knowledge and land management techniques are informed by millennia of lived experience and stories and provide a deep and connected resource to support sustainable drought resilience. It is important to recognise the intrinsic, cultural, and historical value of this knowledge and to support meaningful collaboration through the establishment of respect-driven relationships, an understanding of cultural practices and protocols, as well as an enduring commitment. The intention of this action is to meaningfully recognise the enduring value of First Nations custodianship on the land and collaboratively develop water resilient and drought tolerant agricultural and land management practices based on Traditional Knowledge and land management techniques. This action seeks to identify and engage Traditional Owner and First Nations representatives able to provide input on environmental management strategies and share Traditional Knowledge. Educational activities will be targeted to farmers, land managers, as well as various governmental agencies involved in land, water, and drought management