Another council is pushing back against proposed reforms to the federal government’s disaster recovery funding.
Noosa councillors unanimously supported Mayor Frank Wilkie’s Mayoral Minute for the council to join a state government petition opposing changes to the federal government’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Mayor Wilkie said the proposed reforms would remove safeguards that currently commit Canberra to contribute up to 75 per cent of disaster recovery funding when recovery costs exceed a state’s capacity.
“Under the proposed model, Queensland would receive no more than 50 per cent Commonwealth funding, regardless of the scale or severity of disasters,” he said.
His comments come after Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the proposed changes could leave frequently impacted regions worse off. She said the move to a new funding split between the Commonwealth and the states and territories risked shifting more costs onto disaster-prone communities.
But federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said councils would not be worse off under the reforms, which she aimed to simplify funding and improve recovery and resilience efforts.
Mayor Wilkie said Noosa residents had seen the benefits of the current funding arrangements first-hand. Since the DRFA began in 2018, Noosa has received about $198.2 million in disaster recovery funding.
He said a funding shortfall “would affect our ability to restore essential infrastructure such as roads, drainage networks and waterways after disasters,” he said.
The Mayor said the existing funding model was critical to delivering major recovery projects, including the $40 million Black Mountain Road landslide reconstruction.
The three-year project was made possible through joint federal and state funding under the DRFA, alongside a $400,000 council contribution.
Cr Wilkie also warned the proposed changes could affect community recovery programs.
“The proposed reforms could also reduce support for evacuation centres, sandbagging, emergency response activities and rapid repairs to essential infrastructure,” he said.
“With natural disasters becoming more frequent, severe and costly, these changes risk reducing resources for recovery, resilience and preparedness.”
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During summer, 71 of the state’s 77 local government areas experienced disasters, including cyclones and widespread flooding.
A Noosa Council media release stated that local officials will also write to the National Emergency Management Agency, the federal Member for Wide Bay and Queensland senators to express its concerns.
“We will also provide feedback to the Local Government Association of Queensland for inclusion in a statewide response,” Mayor Wilkie said.
Queensland Minister for Disaster Recovery Ann Leahy also expressed concerns, stating that the federal government “is walking away from a longstanding partnership that supports communities in their hour of need”.
However, Ms McBain said councils should not be worse off under the proposed changes.
“Councils are not responsible for disaster recovery funding and that will not change under our proposed reform,” she said.
“We are proposing to embed an equal partnership between the Australian, state and territory governments through a 50:50 funding model after every major event.
“Our reforms will make the process simpler and faster for councils to navigate and no council should be worse off.“
All states and territories are required to provide feedback on the proposed changes by July 31.
