The Queensland Government has pledged $7.8 million in funding for 39 eligible councils as part of an $18 million boost to the state’s Flood Risk Management Program (FRMP).
Through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), the extra funding will support initiatives that help deliver a comprehensive approach to flood management, integrating forecasting, infrastructure, community involvement, and ongoing evaluation.
This includes:
- $7.8 million for 39 eligible councils to improve resilience across communities to future flooding events, through funding flood studies, risk assessments, management strategies, and intelligence systems, all scoped to the unique local needs of regions and communities.
- $4.2 million will be shared among Queensland Government departments for similar projects, such as improvements to the flood forecasting and warning system, evacuation planning and community awareness initiatives.
- Queensland’s Department of Resources will also receive a funding boost of an additional $6 million to build on data capture work to better understand potential flood risks of the future, taking this total investment to $12.4 million.
The $18 million builds on $31 million announced in 2022 for projects to address medium and long-term flood recovery and resilience needs across the state. It brings the total value of the FRMP to $49 million.
“The Miles and Albanese Governments are doing what matters to support Queensland communities with joint funding for tailored flood studies and risk assessments,” said Queensland Disaster Recovery Minister, Nikki Boyd.
“Since 2011, Queenslanders have experienced more than 80 floods across the State.
“The Flood Risk Management Program is backing 39 eligible Councils in communities susceptible to floods.
“This is a comprehensive and integrated approach to risk, flood intelligence, resilience and recovery because the public safety of Queenslanders is always paramount.”
The program was established in response to the significant events of the 2021-22 disaster season including flooding in the south-east and across central, southern and western areas, and ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth.
“It’s great to see some of our previous investment going towards some ground-breaking initiatives that will equip councils with crucial data to enhance understanding of flood risk management across the board,” said Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Jenny McAllister.
“We know that our climate is changing, and Australians can expect to experience more intense and more frequent natural disasters, which is why the Albanese Government is acting to prepare and protect communities from natural disasters and their impacts.”
Eligible councils under the FRMP include Balonne, Banana, Barcaldine, Barcoo, Blackall-Tambo, Brisbane, Boulia, Bundaberg, Carpentaria, Central Highlands, Cherbourg, Diamantina, Flinders, Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Goondiwindi, Gold Coast, Gympie, Ipswich, Isaac, Kowanyama, Livingstone, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Longreach, Maranoa, Moreton Bay, Murweh, Noosa, North Burnett, Redland, Rockhampton, Scenic Rim, Somerset, South Burnett, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, and Western Downs.
Previous projects delivered under the FRMP, which is administered by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, include river, creek and overland flood studies, flood risk assessments and management strategies, and community education materials.
The FRMP is currently supporting an initiative to safeguard Queensland communities across 26 local councils from future flood events by capturing Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data to develop comprehensive datasets and models over an area larger than Tasmania.
Additional FRMP funding will support these councils to undertake further evidence-based flood risk management activities based on the 3D maps and models generated from the technology.
Further, more councils will be able to apply for the necessary LiDAR data for their local government areas, improving flood preparedness and management as well as flood risk understanding.
The $18 million in redirected funding includes an allocation for project costs and administration.
More information on Queensland’s Flood Risk Management Program can be found at www.qra.qld.gov.au.
