Another $18 million for Queensland flood risk management projects
A new $18 million injection in the state’s successful and long-standing Flood Risk Management Program (FRMP) will give 39 Queensland councils more opportunity to strengthen their resilience to flooding.
Through the Queensland FRMP, eligible councils from Barcoo to the Gold Coast and north to Flinders Shire will have access to $7.8 million for projects like flood studies, risk assessments, management strategies, and intelligence systems, all scoped to the unique local needs of regions and communities.
Another $4.2 million will be shared among Queensland Government departments for similar projects, while the Queensland Department of Resources will receive $6 million to complete data capture work to better understand potential flood risks of the future.
Previous projects delivered under the FRMP, which is administered by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, include river, creek and overland flood studies, flood risk assessments and management strategies, and community education materials.
The now $49 million FRMP is funded through the Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) in response to significant events of the 2021-22 disaster season including flooding in the south-east and across central, southern and western areas, and ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth.
The program features three work packages:
- Community engagement and education materials
- LiDAR capture and floor level database
- Flood studies, risk assessment and management strategies
The FRMP is a comprehensive and integrated approach to risk, flood intelligence, resilience and recovery, empowering councils to deliver local flood risk reduction projects that put the safety of Queenslanders first.
This additional funding for the FRMP comes off the back of $18.25 million announced in 2023 for 128 projects to address medium and long-term flood recovery and resilience needs, and $31 million first announced for the program in 2022.
Flooding remains one of the biggest threats to community safety in Queensland, with the state experiencing more than 80 floods since 2011.
Acknowledging this, QRA has worked with Queensland councils and state agencies to deliver a range of bespoke flood risk and resilience resources including the Queensland Flood Risk Management Framework and the Statewide Assessment of Flood Risk Factors.
Through its Get Ready Queensland initiative, QRA is also now responsible for delivering the If It's Flooded, Forget It campaign, to raise public awareness around the dangers of driving in floodwater.
More information on Queensland’s Flood Risk Management Program can be found at www.qra.qld.gov.au/FRMP.