Labor announces $200 million disaster relief funding for communities vulnerable to severe weather events

Australia’s largest discrete Indigenous community will receive a $14m cyclone shelter to aid response efforts during extreme weather events, as Labor invests $200m into at-risk populations as part of its newest round of funding. Labor will distribute $200m across 96 projects nationally to strengthen community resilience to severe weather events, including on Palm Island, a region off the Queensland coast that experiences heightened risks of tropical cyclones and severe storms, where an 800-person cyclone shelter and evacuation centre will be built. Of the overall $200m federal investment, more than half will be invested in infrastructure projects where construction will commence immediately, the department said. Green-lit projects will facilitate a number of natural disaster relief measures, including establishing recovery centres, flood protection infrastructure, mitigation of bushfire risks, and advanced warning systems for natural hazards. Aside from Palm Island, other projects include: a $1.6m infrastructure project to protect Townsvale Estate in South Australia; $14.1m for a stormwater upgrade in Central NSW’s Narrandera and $895k to increase Karajarri Ranger Capacity to mitigate extreme wildfire risks in northwest WA. The announcement marks the third round of funding provided by the $1bn Disaster Ready Fund (DRF), a government initiative for disaster resilience and risk reduction. Two previous rounds of the DRF have already awarded about $400 million in federal funding to more than 350 projects. Nearly half of these projects are in the pre-construction or construction-delivery phase, with 43 projects already nearing completion or complete, according to the department. “Australians are no stranger to the floods, bushfires, and cyclones that impact us year-on-year – that’s why the Albanese government established the Disaster Ready Fund, providing up to $1 billion over five years,” emergency management minister Kristy McBain said. “Round three will benefit all 538 local government areas across all states and territories. From cyclone shelters on Palm Island to flood mitigation planning for Launceston. “Crucially, Round three brings our investment to make Australia more resilient through the DRF to $600 million – and I’d like to thank many of the project proponents for matching our funding.”