Betterment centrepiece of $450 million resilience program

Betterment is the centrepiece of a $450 million program to strengthen Queensland’s resilience to natural disasters and build safer communities.

To be delivered over five years, the Queensland Resilience and Risk Reduction Program (QRRRP) establishes a holistic approach to improve community resilience.

Central to the QRRRP will be the Queensland Betterment Fund, established to provide $40 million per year to support high priority betterment infrastructure projects.

Betterment projects empower Queensland communities to build back better after disasters.

Building back damaged assets like roads, bridges and water infrastructure to a stronger standard rather than simply repairing them boosts their resilience to future disaster events.

Betterment funding will be available for vital projects across Queensland including raising the Curzon Street Bridge in Rocklea and crucial flood mitigation measures in Laidley.

Jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments, including from efficiencies realised through Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, the QRRRP will be managed by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA).

Driven by the Queensland Betterment Fund, the QRRRP will play a key role in helping communities and economies be better prepared for future disasters.

Increasing the annual investment in Betterment offers substantial benefits to communities helping them to better withstand the impacts of severe weather and allowing quicker recovery from those impacts.