Council Grant Program - Property Level Flood Information Portals
About
The Council Grant Program - Property Level Flood Information Portals is part of the Property Level Flood Information Portals Program to ensure homeowners/residents will have access to flood information for the purpose of understanding their properties flood risk and preparing for future events.
Up to $250,000 will be made available to eligible councils, who do not wish to opt-in to the QRA led portals solution for the development of new, and enhancement of existing, local government portals. New portal systems will only be considered eligible where they are required to support and/or integrate with existing council systems (and where the QRA led solution will not do this).
Funding acknowledgement
The Council Grant Program - Property Level Flood Information Portals is part of the $741 million Resilient Homes Fund - a component of the jointly funded Australian and Queensland Government (50:50) 2021-22 Rainfall and Flooding - Exceptional circumstances Category C and D funding package approved under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Key dates
- Applications opened 14 December 2023
- Applications closed 31 March 2024
- Applicants notified of funding approval no later than 30 May 2024
- Project acquittal reports are due within three months of the end of the financial year in which the project is completed.
- Project delivery deadline 30 June 2026.
Eligible councils
The Council Grant Program - Property Level Flood Information Portals is currently available to 39 local governments activated in the following 2021-2022 events:
- Central, Southern and Western Queensland Rainfall and Flooding, 10 November - 3 December 2021
- Ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth, 29 December 2021 -10 January 2022
- South East Queensland Rainfall and Flooding, 22 February - 5 April 2022
- Southern Queensland Flooding, 6 May – 20 May 2022
Eligible activities
The following activities are considered eligible activities in accordance with the Resilient Homes Fund Joint (Commonwealth and Queensland governments) Guidelines for the development of new, and enhancement of existing, local government portals:
- scoping of requirements
- solution design and development
- licensing, implementation, and integration.
New portal systems will only be considered eligible where they are required to support and/or integrate with existing council systems (and where the QRA led solution will not do this).
Grant Program – Council and Approved Values
| Council | Approved Value* |
|---|
| Lockyer Regional Council | $238,800 |
| Logan City Council | $86,100 |
*Approved Value includes program management, delivery and technical resourcing required.
Funding guidelines
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who administers funding under the Property Level Flood Information Portals (the Portals) program?
The Queensland Reconstruction Authority administers funding under this program.
How much funding will be available under the Portals program?
The Property Level Flood Information Portals (the Portals) initiative has been allocated $10 million from the DRFA funded $741 million Resilient Homes Fund (RHF). This comprises $9.8 million for the delivery of local council portals (administered by QRA) and $200,000 to update the State-administered FloodCheck portal (to be delivered by the Department of Resources).
The Program will deliver a QRA led portal solution that will be delivered as a Software as a Service (SaaS) (hosted and managed through the supplier’s cloud platform similar to the Guardian disaster dashboards) and will be available for all eligible Councils.
Up to $250,000 will be made available to eligible councils, who do not wish to opt-in to the QRA led portals solution for the development of new, and enhancement of existing, local government portals. New portal systems will only be considered eligible where they are required to support and/or integrate with existing council systems (and where the QRA led solution will not do this). Any non-QRA-solution is also required to be compatible with the QRA solution from a data sharing perspective.
Who is eligible to apply for this funding?
Funding is available for the thirty-nine (39) local government areas (LGAs) activated the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements 2018 (DRFA) in response to the following 2021-2022 disaster events:
- Central, Southern and Western Queensland Rainfall and Flooding, 10 November – 3 December 2021
- Ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth, 29 December 2021 – 10 January 2022
- South East Queensland Rainfall and Flooding, 22 February – 5 April 2022
- Southern Queensland Flooding, 6 May – 20 May 2022
For updates to the activation listings refer to QRA’s activation website at: https://www.qra.qld.gov.au/disaster-funding-activations/activations
- Balonne Shire Council
- Banana Shire Council
- Barcaldine Regional
- Barcoo Shire Council
- Blackall-Tambo Regional Council
- Boulia Shire Council
- Brisbane City Council
- Bundaberg Regional Council
- Carpentaria Sire Council
- Central Highlands Regional Council
- Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council
- City of Gold Coast
- Diamantina Shire Council
- Flinders Shire Council
- Fraser Coast Regional Council
- Gladstone Regional Council
- Goondiwindi Regional Council
- Gympie Regional Council
- Ipswich City Council
- Isaac Regional Council
- Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council
- Livingstone Shire Council
- Lockyer Valley Regional Council
- Logan City Council
- Longreach Regional Council
- Maranoa regional Council
- Moreton Bay Regional Council
- Murweh Shire Council
- Noosa Shire Council
- North Burnett Regional Council
- Redland City Council
- Rockhampton Regional Council
- Scenic Rim Regional Council
- Somerset Regional Council
- South Burnett Regional Council
- Southern Downs Regional Council
- Sunshine Coast Regional Council
- Toowoomba Regional Council
- Western Downs Regional Council
When do applications close?
Applications closed 31 March 2024.
What types of projects are eligible under the Portals program?
Projects are limited to the for the development of new, and enhancement of existing, local government portals. New portal systems will only be considered eligible where they are required to support and/or integrate with existing council systems (and where the QRA led solution will not do this). Any non-QRA-solution is also required to be compatible with the QRA solution from a data sharing perspective.
The following activities are considered eligible activities in accordance with the Resilient Homes Fund Joint (Commonwealth and Queensland governments) Guidelines:
- scoping of requirements
- solution design and development
- licensing, implementation and integration.
Is the creation of data to be used by the portal an eligible activity under this program?
No. The property level flood information portals initiative creates the functionality for councils to host, populate and publish property level flood information only. Any work required to create the data which is displayed in the portal is not eligible under this program.
How much funding can each council get?
Up to $250,000 in grant funding will be made available to eligible councils, who do not wish to opt-in to the QRA led portals solution. for the development and delivery of projects that meet eligibility requirements.
What are the requirements of council led portal solutions?
Project details are required to align with the Property Level Flood Information Portals Guideline .
Any activities and subsequent deliverables carried out under this initiative are required to align with the program’s objective of raising community awareness, and should align where possible with QRA-led solution for consistency across the state.
Where possible, the elements requiring alignment will be advised prior to applications being made, and may also be negotiated prior to approval to ensure program eligibility requirements are met.
Councils must also accept all ongoing costs for operation and maintenance of the portal solution (e.g. annual software licencing/subscription, software support, future upgrades etc.).
Is GST to be included in the funding amount sought?
No. When claiming reimbursement of expenditure, the amount to be lodged must be the GST exclusive actual cost incurred. Depending on an applicant’s GST status, QRA may gross up the grant amount to include GST.
Do applicants need to make a co-contribution to the costs of the nominated project?
No. There is no fixed or minimum co-contribution.
When do projects need to be completed?
The current DRFA funding requires projects to be completed by 30 June 2026.
How often are progress updates required?
Progress reports are required monthly throughout the delivery period until project completion. All reporting requirements are set out in the Project Funding Schedule/Agreement for successful projects.
What happens if a project ends up costing more than the approved amount?
Successful applicants are responsible for any expenditure over the approved amount.
What happens if a project does not deliver all the approved scope?
Successful applicants need to ensure outcomes are achieved as per the approved scope. Where a project does not deliver all the approved outcomes, then the project funding may be reduced based on the undelivered scope.
What happens if a project ends up costing less than the approved amount?
Unspent funds will be returned to the program and may be reallocated to other projects.
Who decides on the successful projects?
The QRA CEO provides final project approval. QRA may consult with relevant agencies and/or partners for review and/or endorsement of projects.
When will the approved projects be announced?
Applicants notified of funding approval no later than 30 May 2024.
What if I need assistance in identification of eligible projects?
The QRA have dedicated resources available to support councils limited by capacity or capability to identify suitable projects for assessment under this program.
Please contact floodteam@qra.qld.gov.au if in need of support or have any questions on the program.
