The Federal and Queensland governments are providing $170 million in funding to build and increase the resiliency of essential public infrastructure damaged in the 2021-22 disaster season.
Councils from across Queensland will benefit from the stronger infrastructure, which is being made available through the jointly-funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
The funding will allow applicable councils and state agencies to improve key assets such as causeways, culverts, roads and bridges to better withstand the impacts of natural disasters.
Eligible applicants within local government areas impacted by the Central, Southern and Western Queensland Rainfall and Flooding; Ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth Flooding; and the South East Queensland Heavy Rainfall and Flooding can apply for projects from the $150 million funding to improve the resilience of essential public assets that were damaged as a direct result of those floods.
A further $20 million made available through DRFA efficiencies is available in all 66 local government areas activated for disaster funding following the nine disasters that impacted Queensland during the 2021-22 disaster season.
The $170 million available in Betterment funding is the largest ever made available in a single disaster season in Queensland.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Senator Murray Watt, said the natural disasters had impacted Queensland communities in all corners of the state
“The Betterment Fund will increase the resilience of vulnerable assets, helping communities maintain their connectedness and reduce hardship during and after disaster events in the future,” Watt said.
Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for the Queensland Reconstruction Authority Steven Miles said the funding reflects the Australian and Queensland Governments’ commitment to making communities safer and more resilient.
“Since 2014, there have been 683 impacts to Betterment sites from 33 events, with 85 per cent of projects suffering no damage, and the remainder receiving only minor or superficial damage,” Miles said.
“From the initial investment in these projects, we have seen more than $250 million in avoided reconstruction costs and we expect that figure to increase following analysis of data from the 2021-22 season.”
The Betterment Fund will be jointly funded by the Federal and Queensland governments and is being administered by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority.
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