We knew it was coming but it is always welcome when it becomes official, the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation was announced by Premier Dominic Perrottet this morning in the Souther Cross University grounds.

The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) is a new body to lead the long-term reconstruction of flood impacted areas across northern NSW.

The NRRC will coordinate planning, rebuilding and construction work of essential services, infrastructure and housing across multiple government agencies to help people in the Northern Rivers communities to rebuild their homes and lives as quickly as possible.

The NRRC will have a long-term remit for reconstruction of flood-hit communities in the Northern Rivers, which will continue beyond the immediate response and recovery phase, which is being led by Resilience NSW. The term for the NRRC is be between 3 to 5 years.

As announced this morning (NR's Reconstruction Commission will be announced at 9) the NRRC will be led by David Witherdin as the CEO. Mr Witherdin currently leads Public Works Advisory and the Soil Conservation Service and was previously the CEO of Local Land Services. Mr Witherdin will more than likely be more visible than the Premier in the coming months and years of this new corporation.

(The man we will be seeing a lot of in the next 3-5 years David Witherdin new CEO of the NRRC) 

The NRRC will sit within the Department of Regional NSW and report to the Deputy Premier.

Local representation has been discussed and debated a great deal since February 28 and local communities will not be disappointed as the NRRC will be supported by an advisory board consisting of local representatives, such as local members of parliament and mayors, as well as leaders in the community, ensuring local expertise and knowledge is at the core of the NRRC work.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the new corporation would lead a single, coordinated whole-of-government approach to the permanent recovery and rebuilding of communities across the Northern Rivers.

“The NSW Government is in this for the long haul. We will support the people of flood impacted communities, across the Northern Rivers, every step of the way,” Mr Perrottet said.

“We know the community needs certainty. We are working through recovery and we have an independent Inquiry underway (Professor Mary O'Kane and former NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller) that will hear from all of those impacted, from experts and the scientific community.

“The NRRC will be able to draw on the recommendations from the Inquiry and lead the long-term reconstruction work to build certainty for future generations.

"This cooperation will ensure we build back stronger, better and in a way that protects people well into the future. 

“The rebuilding of Lismore and surrounding areas will require a united, effective and coordinated response to enable everyone in the community to plan for the future and get on with their lives, and that will be the driving responsibility of this new authority.”

The Premier was asked about what sort of budgets have been allocated.

"Budgets aren't the issue. We have said from the outset, you can put dollar figures on things at this point in time but it's not the way forward. What we have said from the outset, is that we will do whatever it takes and stand with the communities of the Northern Rivers as we move through, not just the short term, but well into the future. This job will take not months but years and will be there every step of the way.

"Now, we've got an inquiry underway with Professor O'Kane and Mick Fuller and when those when that inquiry is completed, we'll take on that. I've said to both of them, don't hold back. I don't want a political report. I want a brutal Frank report the government can implement and we get that we'll assess it and we'll invest where we need to. So let's not start with dollar figures. I don't want to have a budget that then changes from time to time where there is a need when it is identified, we will deliver for it.

The NRRC will have the power to work with councils to identify, prioritise and support projects that can rejuvenate communities within the Northern Rivers area, with a particular emphasis on housing and supporting social infrastructure.

The new body will also have the power to compulsorily acquire or subdivide land, speed up and fast-track the building of new premises and accelerate delivery of planning proposals through the Department of Planning and Environment. The insurance, construction and infrastructure sectors will be important contributors, alongside local government, industry, businesses and residents.

Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the NRRC would have broad and extensive powers to consult with the community and assist in making towns more resilient to future flooding events.

“The floods have had a devastating impact and the NSW Government will continue to provide assistance to enable the people of the Northern Rivers to get back on their feet,” Mr Toole said.

“As we transition from recovery and clean-up the focus will shift to how we can make the infrastructure and homes of the region more resilient in the event of future natural disasters.”

A lot of locals have been questioning the pace of today's announcement along with the work already done or locals considering re-building their home.

The Premier responded, "Sometimes uncertainty can be difficult, I accept that, but better to have uncertainty as we work through those issues than to have certainty and a bad outcome."

"I often find in government, there's a race for the announcement. There's a race to provide certainty on an issue and then the wrong decision gets made. So, I would prefer there to be a period of time where there may be some uncertainty as long as we get the right outcome at the end of it. I want every single person in the Northern Rivers to know one thing, and that is they don't have to go anywhere. These are communities that people love. Many people have lived here for their entire lives of generations, and our responsibility as a government is to build that resilience to build that infrastructure so whether you're in Woodburn or Coraki or Lismore or Ballina or anywhere else, you have the confidence and certainty going into that these communities will be stronger going forward."

When asked whether the NRRC will be based in the Northern Rivers, the Premier replied, "That has been raised with me and I'd like to see that. We'll come back to you but you can take that as a yes."

Resilience NSW will continue to be responsible for providing immediate relief resupplying impacted communities, restoring essential services, cleaning up properties and providing temporary accommodation in the short to medium terms. The NRRC’s work will extend beyond these timeframes with a three to five year remit.

The establishment of the NRRC will allow the NSW Government and local governments to respond and implement any relevant outcomes of the independent review and be a source of collaboration, coordination and long term strategic vision for the Northern Rivers.

The NRRC will work within and with the local government areas of Lismore, Ballina, Byron Bay, Kyogle, Tweed, Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley. 

For more information on the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation go to: www.regional.nsw.gov.au/our-work/NRRC.

In summarising the NRRC and what it is about, the Premier said, "Cut through red tape, cut through government and bureaucracy and ensure that we build the infrastructure, the homes that ensure that communities right across the Northern Rivers are in a much stronger position, not just for the homeowner, but for their children and their grandchildren going forward. Because I want generations of people who have lived in the Northern Rivers to not just stay here themselves, I want their grandkids to be here as well.

"That means we have to look at doing things differently and that means that change may be required but that change won't occur without the input of our locals. But I'll tell you what we're not doing. We're not closing up shop. We're staying for the long haul. We're building back in a more resilient way. That's exactly what this corporation will help us do into the future."