Community health, environmental management, small business and rural landholder support as well as rebuilding community recreational facilities are some of the main focuses of a new major disaster assistance package for Far North Queensland (FNQ), announced today by the Albanese and Miles Governments.
Jointly funded through Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), the support will help build on the momentum for communities continuing to rebuild following ex-Tropical Cyclone (TC) Jasper and ensure communities are better prepared for the next event.
A $3 million Rural Landholder Recovery Grants Program specific to FNQ Local Government Areas (LGAs) is being made available alongside a range of initiatives worth more than $112 million that will also benefit communities recovering from the December 2023 storms and floods in South East Queensland. This includes:
- $51.3 million Environment Recovery Programs
- $9.56 million Mental Health Program
- $22.94 million Community Health and Wellbeing Program, Community Recovery and Resilience Officers, and Flexible Funding Grants Package
- $14.81 million Sport and Recreation Community Facilities Program
- $13.4 million Small Business Support Program
More detail:
Environment – $51.3 million
- The $51.3 million Environment Recovery Program is designed to accelerate environmental and cultural recovery activities, including environmental investigations, clean-up flood debris from waterways and coastlines, aid riparian recovery, weed and pest management, biodiversity conservation, and restoration of environmental and cultural assets in national parks throughout the most heavily impacted areas. Available for both FNQ and SEQ.
Human and Social – $32.44 million
- The $22.94 million Community Health and Wellbeing Program, Community Recovery and Resilience Officers, and Flexible Funding Grants package aims to mitigate psychosocial impacts, help impacted individuals access financial support, builders and services, and assist NGOs with disaster preparedness and response planning. Available for both FNQ and SEQ.
- The $9.56 million Mental Health Program will fund Queensland Health to provide individual and family therapeutic interventions for impacted people, with particular attention paid to vulnerable people displaced from their home, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Available for both FNQ and SEQ.
Economic – $16.4 million
- The $13.4 Small Business Support Program includes one-on-one case management focused on mental health and financial security, partnerships with councils and chambers of commerce to address local support needs, and grants for small businesses that have lost income due to prolonged isolation. Available for both FNQ and SEQ.
- The $3.0 million Rural Landholder Recovery Grants Program will support the extraordinary clean up and reinstatement of rural residential properties that do not meet the criteria for primary producer assistance. Available for FNQ only.
Building – $14.81 million
- The $14.81 million Sport and Recreation Community Facilities Program will help rebuild and repair sport and recreation facilities impacted by the cyclone and storms and floods. Available for both FNQ and SEQ.
