Twenty-three South Australian disaster mitigation projects will receive funding under Round One of the Federal Government’s new Disaster Ready Fund announced today.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt said the State will benefit from nearly $47 million in combined investment into disaster prevention, through the Federal, State and delivery partner co-contributions.
The fund will deliver national long-term mitigation funding to help protect communities from natural disasters, including through building vital infrastructure like flood levees, seawalls and hazard warning systems.
“South Australia has experienced a number of devastating floods, storms and bushfires over recent years, including earlier this year,” Minister Watt said.
“As we continue to fund disaster recovery and specific resilience programs in areas like the Riverlands, it’s critical we do more to build defences right across the state.
“As a country we invest far more in recovering from disasters than we do defending against them, and that mentality has got to change.
“This is about more than just bricks and mortar. We are changing the way Australia deals with natural disasters by planning better for the future to ensure that communities all around the country are better prepared, less exposed and in the best possible position to recover when disasters strike.
“This is just one step in our commitment to disaster reduction and mitigation – working with state and territory governments to better protect and prepare Australians for future disasters.”
South Australian Minister for Emergency Services, Joe Szakacs said local projects at both a state-wide and regional level will ensure all communities are significantly more prepared for future natural disasters.
“The Albanese and Malinauskas Governments are backing a range of projects across our state to make sure both city and country communities are better prepared to face future disasters,” he said.
“As natural disasters are becoming more common, and more dangerous due to climate change, the need for communities to be adequately prepared has never been higher,” Minister Szakacs said.
“These grants demonstrate the solid commitment from Federal and State to ensure that South Australia is better prepared for natural disasters, so we can respond and recover quicker.”
Follow link to see full list of SA projects.