Labor announces $200 million disaster relief funding for communities vulnerable to severe weather events
Australia’s largest indigenous community will receive a $14 million cyclone shelter to aid response efforts during extreme weather events; Labor will invest $200 million in at-risk populations as part of its latest round of funding.
Labor will distribute $200 million nationally to 96 projects to strengthen community resilience to severe weather events, including Palm Island off the Queensland coast, where the risk of tropical cyclones and severe storms is high, where an 800-person cyclone shelter and evacuation center will be built.
More than half of the total federal investment of $200 million will be invested in infrastructure projects, where construction will begin immediately, the ministry said.
The greenlit projects will facilitate a range of natural disaster relief measures, including the establishment of rescue centres, flood protection infrastructure, bushfire risk reduction and advanced warning systems for natural hazards.
Besides Palm Island, other projects include: a $1.6 million infrastructure project to protect the Townsvale Estate in South Australia; $14.1 million for stormwater restoration at Narrandera in Central NSW and $895k to increase Karajarri Ranger Capacity to reduce extreme bushfire risks in north-west WA.
The announcement marks the third round of funding from the $1 billion Disaster Ready Fund (DRF), a government initiative for disaster resilience and risk reduction.
The previous two rounds of DRF provided nearly $400 million in federal funding for more than 350 projects.
According to the Ministry, almost half of these projects are at the pre-construction or construction-delivery stage, and 43 projects are currently nearing completion or have been completed.
“Australians are no strangers to the floods, bushfires and cyclones that affect us every year, which is why the Albanian government has established the Disaster Ready Fund, providing up to $1 billion over five years,” Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said.
“The third round will benefit all 538 local government areas across all states and territories, from cyclone shelters on Palm Island to flood mitigation planning in Launceston.
“Most importantly, Round Three brings our investment in making Australia more resilient through the DRF to $600 million, and I would like to thank many of the project advocates for matching our funding.”
