This week, the Hay and Carrathool Shire Councils launched the Hay and Carrathool Regional Drought Resilience Plan. The Plan is designed to identify strategic focus areas and priority actions to strengthen regional resilience. Convened by both councils, the Plan is the result of an extensive seven-month collaboration involving more than 300 community members, industry representatives, and government stakeholders.
The Plan envisions a future where, by 2035, the communities of Hay and Carrathool are equipped to navigate climate, environmental, social, and economic challenges while remaining strong, connected, and vibrant. It sets out a strategic path for ensuring safe and thriving places to live, work, and raise future generations.
Hay Shire Mayor, Carol Oataway, acknowledged the immense community effort behind the Plan and the commitment of local people to shaping their future.
“This level of community engagement reflects the leadership and strengths of this vibrant region and demonstrates the passion that local people have for its future,”
Carol Oataway, Mayor of Hay Shire
With five core strategies—Inclusive & Empowered Communities, Future Ready Businesses, Reimagined Care Economy, Placemaking with Purpose, and Coordinated Action for Climate Resilient Economic Development—the Plan identifies 26 priority actions, each with partners to lead and drive progress.
Key actions include setting up community hubs where people can connect, working groups so businesses can “share” employees, innovative ways to provide care to groups that need it, an initiative to collect and use environmental data, a housing strategy, and a roadmap to diversify and strengthen the regional economy.
Already, the Plan has sparked action across the community. To really bring its vision to life, collaboration between local government, businesses, and residents will be essential in addressing risks and capturing emerging opportunities.
“We’re the ones who know what our region needs… State and federal governments need to support regionally led solutions like ours.”
Carol Oataway, Mayor of Hay Shire
The Next Economy and the Australian Resilience Centre worked with the Hay and Carrathool Shire Councils and local communities to deliver the Plan. It has been developed as part of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program, which is jointly funded by the Australian Government and NSW Government under the Future Drought Fund.
Download the plan
The Hay and Carrathool Regional Drought Resilience Plan is available from the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/hay-and-carrathool-rdr-plan.pdf
A summary of The Hay and Carrathool Regional Drought Resilience Plan is available below.
For more information contact Jacqui Bell – j.bell@nexteconomy.com.au
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