Canberra – Building Resilient Assets in an Era of Climate Extremes

The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events in New South Wales pose significant challenges to the resilience of government-owned assets and the communities they serve. Many public infrastructure systems — including roads, bridges, schools, and utilities — were not designed to withstand current climate risks, resulting in repeated damage, costly rebuilds, and long-term service disruptions. A key challenge lies in transitioning from reactive recovery efforts to proactive, risk-informed asset planning and investment. Limited funding, fragmented governance, and inconsistent data on asset vulnerability further complicate coordinated resilience-building efforts. However, there are growing opportunities to address these gaps.

The NSW Reconstruction Authority’s leadership in developing the State Disaster Mitigation Plan, alongside AECOM’s technical expertise in resilience modelling and Moody’s Analytics’ insights into the rising economic costs of disasters, are paving the way for smarter, data-driven decision-making. Through collaborative planning, stronger intergovernmental coordination, and targeted investment in resilience upgrades, NSW has a unique opportunity to embed long-term sustainability and community protection into its asset management systems.

NSW continues to grapple with escalating climate-driven disasters — from the severe flooding in Northern NSW earlier this year to the bushfires in past seasons — that have spotlighted vulnerabilities in government-managed infrastructure. The state’s response demonstrates that the government’s approach must go beyond reactive recovery and focus on proactive resilience in asset management and planning.

This NSW-based resilience panel consists of representatives from:

• The NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA), backed by more than $300 million in funding, leading the recovery and mitigation effort through Australia’s first State Disaster Mitigation Plan (SDMP), released in February 2024, and via grant programs such as the Community Assets Program and Central West Recovery & Resilience package (valued at $100 million). Through these initiatives, damaged infrastructure — such as schools, bridges, and community centres — is being rebuilt with enhanced flood resilience and hazard-adaptive design.
• AECOM, whose expertise in climate adaptation, risk modelling, and infrastructure hardening underpins projects such as the Sydney Resilience Strategy and climate-risk assessments for regional NSW retail centres affected by floods and cyclones.
• Moody’s Analytics, which provides robust analytical modelling approaches. Recent assessments suggest that bushfire-related losses may exceed $4.4 billion and that annual disaster costs across Australia could more than double to $39 billion by 2050.

The session will blend case studies, policy panels, and technical sessions geared towards strengthening government-led asset resilience and advancing community recovery across NSW.