Townsville City Council took home the Local Government Award for building disaster resilience in the deaf and hard-of-hearing community at the 2024 Queensland Resilient Australia (QRA) Awards in Brisbane overnight.
Highly commended organisations include Southern Downs Regional Council for embedding disability inclusion in disaster management, the Australian Red Cross First Nations Recovery Group and Spatial Innovation’s Lockyer Valley flood information portal.
Burnett Respite Services’ Carinbundi received the Mental Health and Wellbeing award, recognising a collaboration with Bundaberg Regional Council to build disaster preparedness and resilience in adults with a disability.
The Queensland Resilient Australia Awards are an initiative of the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, in partnership with Suncorp and the Miles’s Government’s Get Ready Queensland program.
“I want to thank our remarkable Award winners for their community spirit and commitment to building disaster preparedness and resilience where it’s needed most,” said Minister for Disaster Recovery, Nikki Boyd.
“We know in Queensland when it comes to natural disasters, it’s not a matter of if but when, making resilience and recovery an essential part of our way of life.
“These award winners are inspirational with experience showing the more prepared and resilient we are, the more likely bouncing back quickly from extreme weather becomes.
“From reconstruction to individual wellbeing, there’s more to do on recovery while we Get Ready for the next disaster season.
“Because the safety of Queenslanders is what matters to the Miles Government.”
QRA CEO, Major General Jake Ellwood (Retd) said that to help others become more resilient, and to build resilience in the state, was a truly noble act worth applauding.
“As Queenslanders we are at our best when we are lifting each other up, and the individuals, organisations and initiatives celebrated through these awards are symbolic of that,” he said.
“Those prepared for severe weather are the ones who recover faster, so it’s fantastic to see disaster resilience become more ingrained in our collective mindset.
“A big congratulations to this year’s award recipients, and a heartfelt thank you for helping make sure Queensland remains strong, safe and resilient in the face of disasters.”
See the full list of 2024 Queensland RAA winners and highly commended entrants at www.getready.qld.gov.au/RAA24.
