The NSW Government is continuing to roll out a raft of initiatives to prepare and protect the community as the 2025/26 bushfire season kicks off.
Transport for NSW has worked across government and with emergency response agencies to plan and prepare for the bushfire season, with more than 170 local, regional and Bushfire Emergency Management Committees across the state to ensure operational readiness.
In 2025, Transport has participated in more than 60 readiness exercises to prepare for times of flood or bushfire.
Recommendation 65b from the NSW Bushfire Inquiry, handed down in July 2020.
After working with councils across the state, Transport for NSW recently completed the installation of 219 signs at locations identified for their historical risk and other factors such as potentially limited phone service.
There are 64 new signs in Greater Sydney, 58 in the north of the state, 54 in the south and 43 in the west, building on the 99 roadside signs installed at key regional areas in 2022 and bringing the total number of signs across the state network to more than 300.
Transport for NSW has installed new 30,000‑litre water tanks at the Bundjalung Rest Area and the Pine Brush Creek Northbound Rest Area on the Pacific Highway. These tanks are available for use by the NSW Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW to support crews responding to incidents and emergencies
The new water sources will provide a strategic advantage in the Clarence Valley LGA along the Pacific Highway – between Glenugie and Tabbimobile – where history has shown there are minimal nearby water refill sources resulting in extended transit times for emergency vehicles to travel to a refill location. This builds on previous water tank installations across the Kempsey and Shoalhaven LGAs.
Transport for NSW also has crews across the state currently carrying out roadside vegetation control along key road corridors to provide firebreaks in some areas while generally reducing the amount of combustible material.
