NCOSS Submission to the Review of the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act

Over the past five years, the impacts of natural disasters and emergencies has been a significant focus for NCOSS, due in part to the significant and compounding impacts of disasters on already vulnerable population groups and individuals, and the services and organisations that support them.

The intersection of social disadvantage and disaster vulnerability is well established and well known to social services and community organisations. Through bushfires, COVID-19, floods and storms, we have seen the significant and disproportionate ways emergencies impact those most vulnerable - due to factors such as income, health and disability, age, pre-existing discrimination and social exclusion, geographic and social isolation.

NCOSS’s advice to the Joint Select Committee on the NSW Reconstruction Authority is informed by our work in supporting the sector through multiple, severe and overlapping emergencies and in contributing to a growing body of evidence about the impacts of disasters and the role played by community service organisations across all phases of disaster management.

Read our full submission here: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/ladocs/submissions/86491/Submission%2059%20-%20NSW%20Council%20of%20Social%20Service%20(NCOSS).pdf