Recovery and Resilience in South West and South East Queensland

Abstract

Queensland is the most flood-prone state in Australia, with flooding causing more damage in Queensland than any other natural hazard. Recent national research on the cost of natural disasters in Australia predicts Queensland’s disaster risk will continue to increase, with total costs of natural disasters predicted to exceed $466 billion. Recognising this, the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) manages and coordinates Queensland’s program of recovery and reconstruction funding within disaster-impacted communities, and delivers best practice administration of public reconstruction and resilience funds. This includes implementing effective strategic flood risk management and resilience activities across Queensland for long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability. This makes QRA best placed to provide an update in relation to the assistance measures being provided to support communities in their recovery from the recent Central, Southern and Western Queensland Rainfall and Flooding, 10 November – 3 December 2021 event. One of the key projects that QRA has been leading to strengthen disaster resilience is Resilient Queensland, with the aim by 2022 for every region across Queensland to be part of a locally-led and regionally-coordinated blueprint to strengthen disaster resilience. In the South West and Darling Downs regions the QRA has been working with stakeholders to co-design Regional Resilience Strategies using a locally-led, regionally coordinated and state facilitated multi-hazard approach to address bushfire, flood, heatwave, severe storm and wind, and earthquake. For example, in the South West the Regional Resilience Strategy captures local knowledge of landscape and hazard behaviours for future use and education; focusing on infrastructure provision and resilience to support community prosperity and sustainability; and support for disaster management and resilience capability increases. These Regional Resilience Strategies will benefit our communities by guiding how locally-led and regionally coordinated resilience solutions will help address recent and emerging disaster risks and provide pathways for improving resilience over time. The Local Resilience Action Plans for each council will help prioritise resilience initiatives and align them with potential funding opportunities.