A new disaster prevention authority, rescue training for residents in flood-prone areas and a back office merger of emergency services will form part of the NSW government's response to this year's deadly floods.
Premier Dominic Perrottet released a report by former chief scientist Mary O'Kane and former police commissioner Mick Fuller in Lismore on Wednesday.
The government accepted the report's recommendations, which deal primarily with emergency response capability and management, data availability and land use planning.
The floods in the Northern Rivers and Hawkesbury-Nepean regions killed 13 people across the state in February and March.
Mr Perrottet said progress had been made in the six months since the devastating floods but there was still more to be done.
"The power of nature to swamp the beautiful Northern Rivers was devastating, and that will be matched by our commitment and dedication to rebuild and re-create our communities," he said on Wednesday.
"This is a long journey in front of us, and we need to make sure we rebuild in a resilient way, in a way that keeps the character and the charm of these wonderful communities."
The government will seek to establish a reconstruction authority by the end of the year, in line with a key recommendation from the report.
It will be the lead agency for disaster prevention and will look for long-term flood mitigation solutions as well as leading housing and infrastructure renewal in disaster-affected communities.
Resilience NSW will be reconfigured following severe criticism in the wake of the floods.
"We'll be reshaping Resilience NSW and transforming it into a leaner, nimble agency known as Recovery NSW that will focus on the first 100 days post event," Mr Perrottet said.
A partial merger of the State Emergency Service and much bigger Rural Fire Service is also one of the 335-page report's 28 recommendations.
The merger would leverage the size of the RFS and put it in charge of administration and planning.
Mr Fuller said the RFS has grown into a full-time organisation of "campaigners".
"We've seen what they've done through the bushfires, their ability to plan and use intelligence is well above even some of the other permanent agencies, to grow that in the SES would take years," he said.
The Public Service Association of NSW has already called on the government not to merge the pair, blaming past budget cuts for destabilising the agencies.
"Neither the RFS nor the SES have significant support staff resources as is. It's hard to see how merging their functions will improve matters," PSA NSW general secretary Stewart Little said.
The report also recommends consolidating various smartphone applications used by emergency services into a central NSW Disaster app and improving warnings and weather data.
A new deputy police commissioner will oversee the state emergency operations centre full-time, rather than it being a part-time responsibility of the commissioner.
A permanent cabinet committee will be created involving senior ministers and public servants ready to respond to major natural disasters.
NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns supported the reshaping of Resilience NSW and funding for the SES and RFS.
He called on the federal government to provide financial support for a potential housing buyback program in Lismore, which was at the epicentre of this year's disaster.
"There's been a lot of warm words from political leaders of both political persuasions, now is the time to commit funds so that that community can get back on its feet," Mr Minns said.
The NSW government will release further information on the implementation of the report's 28 recommendations later this year.
© AAP 2022