The ISJO was successful in 2022 in gaining $1,242,475 in grant funding under the NSW Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF) – Local & Regional Risk Reduction (LRRR) Stream, Pathway 2 to implement a comprehensive range of programs to manage over a two year period a complex regional program aimed at assisting Councils and their communities to build capacity and to better mitigate climate change risk and impacts.

The program included the Risk Profiling and Adaptive Planning Pathways – Pilot project in partnership with NSW DPHI DPHI (then DPE) facilitated a number of key engagements with Councils, State Agencies, industry and researchers to undertake a multi-hazard disaster opportunity risk assessment and to develop adaptive planning pathways to accommodate future growth and housing
needs.

Draft recommendations were developed at the State level and are currently informing the work of a range of agencies including the Reconstruction Authority.

Transport Vulnerability and Connectivity

This involved

• Working with Transport for NSW (TfNSW) on Customer Journey Resilience Plans.  A spatial tool was also developed to support network resilience planning.
• Development of a Critical Transport Infrastructure Study
• Development with TfNSW of data and Digital Twins resources. The ISJO also led a joint JO/ROC collaboration to establish data sharing arrangements through the Planwisely
  platform. Councils were provided a minimum of two licences for a period of twelve months to enable access to TfNSW datasets.

Our Multi-hazard Monitoring and Sensor Network – Illawarra Shoalhaven

The ISJO was supported by Council teams in developing a scope to trial multi-hazard monitoring and early warning systems for disaster risk reduction. In consultation with staff including CIOs, GIS and IT specialists, technical services managers, strategic planning personnel, transport and floodplain engineers and natura hazard specialists  business requirements including the types of hazards to be monitored (e.g. flood, fire, landslide); the notification and visualisation needs; and the technical system and interoperability with existing platforms.  Following a governed procurement process, a partnership between Telstra and Attentis Technologies was selected and a network of fifteen multi-hazard sensors across the region in sites considered the most advantageous by Council technical experts.

A joint procurement led by the ISJO and including Central NSW and Hunter Joint Organisations was undertaken for a consultant to identify Council data needs in this space and the Astrolabe Group was contracted to deliver a series of engagement sessions with members of the three Joint Organisations to determine business and user requirements.
A report with recommendations supporting Council requirements was delivered to the State Government in late June 2024.

Regional Resilience Integrated Planning and Reporting Guidance – Illawarra Shoalhaven

The ISJO produced a Regional Resilience Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) Guidance document to assist in embedding climate resilience and systems thinking for
climate change mitigation and adaptation into Council IP&R structures.

The Guidance provides example statements aligned with existing Council IP&R framework visions, objectives, strategies and actions that can be adapted as required or desired to suit the context, capacity and capability of each Council and will assist in guiding climate resilience activities and will promote the alignment of initiative delivery, resourcing and investment case development. Its content was developed in consultation with Member Council climate resilience technical staff and is aligned with our Members current strategic approaches and plans.