Minister criticised for ‘ignoring’ Dorrigo community

COWPER MP Pat Conaghan has taken aim at Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King’s Tuesday visit to the Coffs Coast, claiming she ignored nearby communities impacted by the ongoing closure of Waterfall Way. 

On Monday 19 January 2026 a landslip near Gordonville Crossing was triggered by severe local rainfall, closing Waterfall Way – which links Bellingen with the Dorrigo Plateau and the Northern Tablelands – for the foreseeable future.

More than 250 tonnes of rock and debris have fallen at the site since the initial failure, with a 26-metre-high slope continuing to shift in the days that followed. 

Minister King was in Coffs Harbour on Tuesday to announce the final stages of the Coffs Harbour Bypass, alongside NSW Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison.

While the visit included media engagements, Mr Conaghan claims no community consultation time was arranged, and no meetings had been requested with Mayors, State MPs or Federal MPs within the surrounding areas.

“She fronted the cameras in Coffs Harbour in order to take credit for the Bypass, a project she had nothing to do with, but couldn’t travel 40 mins down the road to Bellingen and Dorrigo to chat to the community about the six-month closure of Waterfall Way.”

Mr Conaghan claims that last week he “again” invited the Minister to visit Bellingen Shire to “see the issue and the critical needs of Dorrigo Plateau communities for herself”.
“She would have known weeks ago that she would be in our area today, and yet I received no response.

“The people of Bellingen and Dorrigo should not be treated as second class citizens because they didn’t vote Labor.”

A spokesperson for Minister King told NOTA on Wednesday, “The Minister was in Coffs Harbour on Tuesday to provide an important update on the progress of the region’s largest infrastructure project.
“She also met with Minister Aitchison to discuss several ongoing road projects in NSW, including the works required at Waterfall Way.

“The Minister for Infrastructure’s role is to partner with States (or local councils when it is a local road) to provide funding so they can deliver upgrades to their assets.

“The NSW Roads Minister is doing extensive work to keep the communities of Dorrigo and Bellingen connected, and to look at how the road can be remediated in the short term, and made more resilient in the long term.

“As a funding partner, we will continue to work closely with the NSW Government and local Councils and remain open to considering all funding requests to deliver more resilient and reliable roads.”

NSW Government offers updated timeframes

On Monday, more than 300 locals attended a community meeting in Dorrigo to discuss the road closure, with an official update released by the NSW Government on Wednesday.
It states controlled one-lane access will be restored to Waterfall Way within six weeks, following an extensive engineering assessment of the Gordonville Cutting landslip.

Independent geotechnical advice confirms the road can operate under strict controls while permanent remediation is designed, with protective shipping container barriers to be temporarily installed to shield motorists from potential rockfalls.

Under the interim traffic arrangement:

• One lane will reopen on the northern side of the road
• Temporary traffic lights will manage alternating traffic flow
• A 40 km/h speed limit will apply
• Vehicles wider than three metres will not be permitted

The road may close without notice in response to rainfall or further slope movement.

Engineers will continue planning the permanent stabilisation design and risk mitigation work at the Gordonville Cutting site, with options being considered similar to those proposed for Myers Bluff.

The NSW Government says “nothing is off the table” as it continues to progress a full corridor assessment of Waterfall Way and surrounding routes to identify alternative access improvements and long-term resilience measures.