In March 2017, Cyclone Debbie struck Queensland, bringing severe flooding, storm surge and widespread coastal damage. In February-March 2022, relentless rainfall triggered catastrophic floods across Northern NSW inundating communities, forcing mass evacuations, and leaving behind widespread infrastructure damage and long-term disruption.

In the weeks and months that followed both extreme events, political attention focused on recovery and resilience. New funding streams and opportunities were announced, and councils and groups that already had technically sound proposals and community backing moved quickly to secure support for new projects or novel solutions.

This was a classic window of opportunity: a short period when problem, policy, and politics align that enable or facilitate novel decisions, partnerships and entrepreneurship that otherwise take years.

Windows like these may open after extreme events, during post‑disaster recovery, in election cycles, or when new programs are launched. The difference between progress and delay often comes down to readiness and timing.