$269 million boost to north Queensland flood recovery and resilience

Infrastructure, community and mental health care, business, industry, and the environment are the focus of new assistance measures to support north Queensland’s full recovery from February’s devastating floods.

Worth more than $269 million, the extraordinary disaster recovery packages are targeted at strengthening north Queensland against future disaster events.

Top priority is a $205 million Betterment package allowing key infrastructure to be built back to a more resilient standard.

The package will support the flood recovery and resilience of the Bruce Highway and other key state-owned roads and assets like Ollera Creek Bridge, which was cut by floodwater. 

Jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), the assistance measures also include:

• $26.23 million Small Business and Tourism Recovery Support Package that features financial assistance for operators who lost income after being cut off.
• $18.9 million Community Health and Wellbeing Package, providing impacted, vulnerable and at-risk residents with personal and emotional support.
• $9.7 million Mental Health Package for individual and family therapeutic care to mitigate mental health impacts caused by the floods.
• $7.1 million Primary Production Industry Support Package to help farmers with recovery activities and disaster preparedness planning.
• $2.1 million Environmental Recovery Package to support the restoration of north Queensland’s unique coastline and land ecosystems.

Developed in close consultation with councils, communities and industry, the new support packages have north Queensland’s recovery front of mind.

They bring the total of extraordinary disaster recovery funding through the DRFA going towards the flood response in North Queensland to more than $427 million.

The Queensland Reconstruction Authority will continue to work with all stakeholders on the delivery of these packages to ensure north Queensland emerges from the floods stronger than ever before.

Betterment funding information can be found at www.qra.qld.gov.au/betterment. 

Further details on disaster assistance can be found via the Queensland Reconstruction Authority website and the Australian Government's Disaster Assist website.