The search is on for the person to take charge of a new era for the Richmond River  – and the NSW Government would like a local to put their hand up.

Speaking at a press conference beside the river in Ballina today, Water Minister Rose Jackson says the new Richmond River Catchment Coordinator will be given a budget, the ability to coordinate staff and reach across government agencies.

And while the seniority and staffing of the new position are still being finalised, Ms Jackson has made it clear local knowledge will count.

“It’d be amazing to have someone local with really strong local links and knowledge to take that coordinator role,” she said.

“We’re very open-minded about that and want to see what kind of level of experience and person might put their hand up.”

The position will sit within the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, but have direct links into Regional Development, Primary Industries, the EPA and other agencies involved in managing the catchment.

“They will have an important purview across government agencies to really make sure that decisions don’t stall,” she said.

“They don’t sit in someone’s bottom drawer. They don’t sit at the bottom of a to-do list.

“It’s actually someone’s job, one person’s job, to take those good ideas, link them to other government initiatives, and make them happen.”

Ms Jackson said the government had deliberately designed the position to avoid creating yet another layer of bureaucracy.

The coordinator needed “money and the power to bring agencies together”.

“We’ve sort of been able to turn that concept that’s been kicking around for a while into a real announcement of a real position that’s actually got some teeth,” she said.

Richmond becomes the NSW test case

The significance of the appointment will extend well beyond the Northern Rivers.

The Richmond will become the first catchment in NSW used to demonstrate the government’s new Integrated Catchment Management approach, bringing projects, agencies and community organisations together under a single strategy.

If it works, other river systems could follow.

Ms Jackson specifically nominated the Barwon-Darling as a potential candidate, but said the government first wanted to prove the model on the Richmond.

“If we can make it work here, then that’ll be a really positive roadmap for other areas in New South Wales where there might be benefits,” she said.

Success will ultimately be judged by what happens to the river itself, with the government planning comprehensive monitoring of water quality and the health of riparian zones.

Ms Jackson said she wanted to see measurable improvement in year-round water quality and degraded riverbanks restored.

“We want people using the river. We want them fishing and swimming and doing everything that you can across the length of it,” she said.

“But that requires good water quality, and it requires healthy riparian zones.”

The Richmond was chosen not only because of its serious environmental problems, but because of the strength of community organisations and government agencies already working to improve it.

“This is the first of what we hope will be a statewide approach to catchment management,” Ms Jackson said.

$500,000 to hit the ground running

The successful candidate will not arrive empty-handed.

The government has committed $500,000 towards work at Tuckean Swamp, including improving tidal connectivity, giving the coordinator an immediate project to drive.

Tuckean has long been identified as a significant contributor to poor water quality and blackwater events in the Richmond system.

Ms Jackson said the funding was intended to demonstrate that the announcement was about practical work rather than creating another government position.

“It’s not a concept. It’s not an idea. It’s not a vague plan,” she said.

“It’s a real roadmap with a plan and money to actually get things moving.”

First target: The Tuckean swamp.  Main Photo: (L to R) Rous Chair Robert Mustow, Janelle Saffin  and Rose Jackson

Minister for the North Coast and Lismore MP Janelle Saffin said about eight different groups had approached her calling for action on the Richmond, while numerous projects were already underway across the catchment.

She said about $64 million had been secured for riparian restoration across the Northern Rivers, including work on the Richmond, but what had been missing was a framework connecting those efforts.

“We actually need a roadmap,” Ms Saffin said.

“Where do we start? Where do we finish? What do we prioritise? How do we integrate all of those works that are happening now post-flood?”

Richmond Valley Mayor and Rous County Council chair Robert Mustow said the approach had to encompass the entire river system, from the upper reaches of the Wilsons and Richmond through to the lower catchment.

Ms Jackson said working with Rous, local councils, Landcare and the many volunteer organisations already active along the river would be a core part of the coordinator’s job.

For years, proponents of a whole-of-catchment approach have argued responsibility for the Richmond has been fragmented across too many authorities.

Ms Jackson said no legislation would be required to establish the Co-ordinator office and no legislative reason it could not have been addressed earlier.

“The only barrier has been political will,” she said.

COMMENT: From Terania to Bentley and now the Richmond — communities can win