There is another tick in Lismore's flood recovery box today as shovels have hit the ground on the build of the new Rivers Secondary College, Richmond River High Campus in North Lismore.

The original Richmond River High Campus was damaged beyond repair in the 2022 floods, with students attending school in temporary facilities at The Rivers Secondary College Lismore High Campus over the past three years.

The new campus will have modern spaces at a new, elevated flood-resilient site on Dunoon Road, opposite the Lismore Showgrounds.

The campus will include 36 new classrooms, three support classrooms, science labs, wood and metal workshops, a new library, a multipurpose hall, performance spaces, facilities for agriculture, construction and food technologies, and sports fields.

The new school buildings will be placed on high ground overlooking sports fields and green spaces. The design has been informed by Connecting to Country consultation, honouring Bundjalung culture.

(An artist's impression of the sporting fields looking up to the elevated classrooms. Image: supplied)

“It’s incredibly exciting to see the works beginning for our brand new campus. Our community has faced and continues to face challenges, and the new campus shows commitment to the community and public education in Lismore," said The Rivers Secondary College, Richmond River High Campus Principal Luke Woodward.

“The new flood-resilient campus is a critical investment in the long-term stability and success of our school community and will provide certainty and continuity of education for our staff and students in the event of future floods. 

“Seeing construction begin gives us real optimism for the future, and we look forward to welcoming the next chapter of our school.”

NSW Minister for Disaster Recovery and Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said, “The start of construction on the Richmond River High Campus marks a major milestone for Lismore. 

“I want to thank the community for their support and patience. It’s great to see construction underway on a project that’s been shaped by so much local input. 

“The school community told us they wanted to retain a College campus that meets the needs of North and South Lismore and the surrounding villages, and that maintains the open rural feeling. Looking at the designs, that’s exactly what is being delivered. 

“The new Richmond River High Campus will be a school designed for this community, by this community, and built to be flood-resilient and support Lismore’s students well into the future.”

Enhanced planning powers under section 68 of the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act 2022 have been used to fast-track the rebuild of the school, which will have students set to learn from the new facilities in 2027.

This is the fourth time these powers have been exercised by the Minister for Recovery to accelerate the reconstruction of a flood-affected public school, supporting the NSW Government’s commitment to deliver safer, more resilient learning environments for local communities.

Since 2022, 18 flood-damaged schools have been repaired or rebuilt in the Northern Rivers, with the two most recent, Tumbulgum Public School and Condong Public School, welcoming their respective students back on earlier this month.

A portion of the funding for the Richmond River High rebuild project has been allocated through the Infrastructure Betterment Fund, which is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.  

Commonwealth Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain said, “The Albanese Government is really proud to be working with the Minns Government to improve essential infrastructure like schools so Lismore can continue to recover from the 2022 floods. 

“Construction starting on this new campus is such an important milestone, and I’m sure families and students are looking forward to what this new space will bring.” 

NSW Acting Minister for Education and Early Learning Courtney Houssos said, “This is an important milestone for the Lismore community as construction begins on the new Richmond River High Campus.

“This rebuilt campus will deliver flood-resilient, world-class facilities that meet the needs of students and the broader community, ensuring teachers and learners have a safe, modern, and future-ready school.

“The resilience of this community has been extraordinary, and I’m proud that the Minns Labor Government, together with the Albanese Labor Government, is building this school back better.”