With Queensland councils gearing up for another disaster season, local government leaders have united ahead of the state election in their call to ramp up funding to build local infrastructure back better.
Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) Chief Executive Officer Alison Smith called on the State Government to partner with the Federal Government and increase opportunities for local betterment projects and increase community resilience from local disasters with an additional $200 million per year.
“Building safe, resilient and liveable communities is not just about councils being disaster ready, but ensuring our essential infrastructure is built to a standard that can withstand future disaster impacts and protect local communities,” Ms Smith said.
“With weather events becoming more severe and more frequent, increased resilience in local infrastructure is vital to minimising impacts to local communities, the functionality of cities and local and regional supply chains.
“Queensland is the most disaster prone-state and after 66 local governments out of 77 Queensland councils were disaster activated at least once last year, now is the time to ramp up a focus on betterment funding.”
The State Government’s own analysis shows that betterment projects that have been re-impacted, an investment of $174 million has generated approximately more than $397.5 million in savings or avoided costs. Betterment has not only achieved substantial cost savings through more resilient infrastructure, but it has also improved the lives of residents living in impacted communities.
A Senate Inquiry report into Australia’s disaster resilience released just last month also recommended building betterment into recovery and reconstruction funding arrangements.
“The benefits of betterment are well understood and accepted, but we need to ramp up funding to keep our cities, suburbs and critical freight routes connected during a natural disaster,” said Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.
“As a nation we spend a lot of money on disaster recovery, but the focus needs to shift more towards building more resilient infrastructure.”
“The current disaster recovery arrangements don’t provide enough focus on betterment funding to ensure building back better isn’t just a slogan, but a priority for all governments,” Burke Shire Mayor Ernie Camp said.
“A $100 million program doesn’t go far when one bridge can cost $30 million to upgrade.”
“When public infrastructure is damaged or destroyed, it only makes sense to build it back better rather than simply replacing it for the same fate the next time the wild weather arrives but it can only be done with proper funding from the other levels of government,” Etheridge Shire Mayor Barry Hughes said.
“The Gilbert River Bridge is the lifeline of the gulf country. When one river goes over, the whole gulf country can be cut off for up to four months, something that we shouldn’t have to live with,” Croydon Shire Mayor Trevor Pickering said.
“The only way to fix that is to increase funding and raise the bridge, keeping communities connected and vital supply chains open.”
“Our communities are frustrated when they see recovery money being used to replace damaged roads and bridges to the exact same standard that saw them wash away,” Maranoa Regional Council Mayor Wendy Taylor said.
“It doesn’t make sense. We know the weather, the rain and the floods will come back so unless we build back better it is just letting money wash away. It is only common sense, and good financial sense in the long run, to invest in betterment, not just replacement.”
“Wujal Wujal entrusted me to lead our community and rebuild as the number one priority to safeguard us against extreme weather events in the future,” Mayor Alister Gibson said.
“Our whole community had to be re-located after one night of heavy rainfall. It then took several months for us to be able to return home, such was the devastation to local roads and houses.”
“More funding to fix critical local roads, like the connection to Cape Tribulation which was wiped out earlier this year, will not only ensure repairs happen in a more timely way but key communities will stay connected,” Douglas Shire Mayor Lisa Scomazzon said.
“It’s not just about better infrastructure, but also protecting lives.”
The LGAQ’s Vote for Local campaign is calling on Queenslanders to let their local priorities inform their vote ahead of the October State Election.
Voters can visit www.voteforlocal.com.au and see how the political parties are stacking up on issues like closing the digital divide ahead of casting their vote in October.
For more information, please contact:
Dan Knowles, Media Advisor