Senator the Hon Murray Watt

Minister for Emergency Management 

Dan Repacholi MP

Federal Member for Hunter

MEDIA RELEASE

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The Hunter Region will be better protected and prepared for future natural disasters following today’s announcement of local projects being funded under Round One of the Albanese Government’s new Disaster Ready Fund.

Through the first round, the region will benefit from more than $2M in combined investment into disaster prevention, through the Federal, State and delivery partner co-contributions.

The Fund was an election commitment by the Albanese Government, and will deliver national long-term mitigation funding to help protect communities from natural disasters.

State and Territory governments submitted applications for a range of projects to improve mitigation and resilience, in collaboration with local Councils and community groups.

Federal Member for Hunter, Dan Repacholi MP said local projects included $675,000 for Singleton Council for the Disaster Ready Singleton Plan and $1.18M for Muswellbrook Council for the Denman Drainage Strategy.

“The Hunter Region faces the threat of bushfires and floods every year and natural disasters are becoming more common, and more dangerous due to climate change,” Mr Repacholi said.

“Through the Albanese Government’s new Disaster Ready Fund, we’re investing up to $1 billion in Commonwealth funding over five years to build critical projects that will reduce disaster risk, help to reduce recovery costs and strengthen community resilience across Australia, including in the Hunter Region.

“The Singleton project will help Council gain a greater understanding of the impact of natural hazards on their assets in respect to potentially hazardous goods and develop the communities understanding of floodplain risk management and enhance their ability to better prepare and develop a Disaster Risk Management Plan.

“Muswellbrook Council will use the funding to upgrade drainage in Palace Street and the Golden Highway in Denman to improve the management of existing and future stormwater.

Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt said while the Federal Government would continue to support areas impacted by disasters, it was critical we do more to build defences, to better protect communities and their regional economies.

“We know that every dollar spent on disaster resilience and mitigation delivers a return on investment to governments and households nine times over. But as a country we invest far more in recovering from disasters than we do defending against them, and that mentality has got to change,” Minister Watt said.

“This is about more than just bricks and mortar. We are changing the way Australia deals with natural disasters by planning better for the future to ensure that communities all around the country are better prepared, less exposed and in the best possible position to recover when disasters strike.”

The Disaster Ready Fund builds upon the Albanese Government’s commitment to ensure Australia is better prepared for natural disasters.

Over the last year, the Federal Government has paid out more than $2.7 billion in recovery and resilience programs and payments to support individuals and communities impacted by natural disasters.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) will work with each jurisdiction to negotiate funding agreements with funds to be provided as soon as possible from July 2023. Projects must be completed within three years.

There were more than 300 applications submitted across all states and territories. Successful projects were selected following a rigorous merit-based assessment process undertaken by NEMA.

More information on the Disaster Ready Fund, including updates about Round Two of the Disaster Ready Fund, can be found on NEMA’s website.