$850,000 on offer for local flood recovery and resilience projects
Grants of up to $850,000 per council are now on offer as part of the ‘Recovery and Resilience’ grants program for the 14 shires hardest hit by the 2019 North Queensland flood event.
The funding – which is one of two streams of the $20 million program – will give eligible councils the opportunity to invest in projects that local communities have decided are priorities for their futures.
Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson said he hoped the Townsville City Council would take full advantage of the funding.
“We’re nearly two years on from our record flood event but we know that our city is still feeling the effects,” Mr Thompson said.
“This grants program has been designed to ensure we can not only continue recover from the impacts of last year’s disaster, but also be better prepared for the next one.
“I would encourage everyone to let Council know what sort of projects they’d like to see undertaken in our community.”
Councils have until 31 March 2021 to submit their proposals. The money could be used for a range of projects – from workshops that build business skills and training in disaster recovery, public events that bring people to the town and attract tourists, and infrastructure projects like community facilities, emergency communications and water assets.
Stream 2 of the program, which opens early next year, will see $8 million in competitive grants made available to the affected communities to the end of 2023.
The program is one of five measures totalling $60 million earmarked by the Australian Government to support ongoing recovery from the devastating event.
For more information on the long-term flood recovery strategy and the grant opportunities, visit: https://www.droughtandflood.gov.au/flood-recovery.