Three Queensland councils have been recognised for their creativity and determination to build resilience to natural disasters at the 2026 Queensland Resilient Australia Awards.
During a ceremony at Parliament House in Brisbane, awards were presented to nine winners and nine highly commended entries across seven categories spanning business, community, government, education and photography.
The Queensland Resilient Australia Awards celebrate community-focused resilience building and the people making a difference by mitigating the impacts of disasters.
This year’s winners are:
- Queenslanders With Disability Network (Community)
- Tallebudgera State School (Schools)
- City of Gold Coast, and Fraser Coast Regional Council (Local Government)
- Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, and Department of Housing and Public Works and Queensland Reconstruction Authority (State Government)
- Woolworths Group (Business)
- Livingstone Shire Council (Mental Health and Wellbeing)
- Lynda Coulson (Photography)
The City of Gold Coast Council and Fraser Coast Regional Council were named joint winners in the Local Government Award category.
City of Gold Coast was recognised for its Coast Resilient Home Design Guidelines, while Fraser Coast Regional Council won for its Live Flooded Road Alerts for Safer Communities.
Livingstone Shire Council won the Mental Health and Wellbeing category for its ICare Friday Lunch – Connections Create a Thriving Resilient Community project.
Each Queensland Resilient Australia Award winner is now in the running for the national Resilient Australia Awards, which will be announced later this year.
Minister for Disaster Recovery, Ann Leahy said the Government was recognising Queenslanders who are taking practical steps to build stronger, more resilient communities.
“Building a more resilient Queensland starts long before disaster strikes, and that means communities, councils, businesses and government all doing their part,” Minister Leahy said.
“With the proposed changes to disaster recovery funding putting more pressure on our communities, the work being recognised tonight is more important than ever.
“The Crisafulli Government will continue backing Queenslanders to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters, and I congratulate every winner and highly commended finalist for the contribution they are making to a safer, stronger Queensland.”
The Queensland Resilient Australia Awards are managed by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience and delivered in partnership with State convenors Get Ready Queensland and its major sponsor, Suncorp.
For more information on the Resilient Australia Awards visit the AIDR website.
