Shaping the future of our region

Carpentaria Shire Council is warning proposed changes to Australia’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) could make large-scale emergency responses such as coordinated fodder drops harder to fund in future disasters.

During major North West Queensland flooding earlier this year, the Australian and Queensland Governments jointly funded an initial $2 million emergency fodder support package, including Carpentaria Shire, followed by a $12 million Coordinated Emergency Fodder Support Package across 10 flood-affected council areas. The assistance supports extraordinary costs associated with getting emergency fodder to isolated livestock.

The North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NWQROC) has lodged a formal submission to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) strongly opposing the Federal Government’s proposed Disaster Management Reforms, warning that the changes would leave remote communities exposed, delay recovery, and shift millions of dollars in additional costs onto councils and primary industries.

When Tropical Cyclone Kirrily cut Ballaleah Road on Mornington Island in early 2024, residents were shut off with no alternate road to take. Under a proposed change to disaster funding by the Albanese government, the next repair bill could be one that Council simply cannot pay.

North West Queensland leaders have ramped up their opposition to the federal government’s proposed disaster funding cuts a Disaster Funding and Agricultural Round Table in Julia Creek last week.

Joining the group at the table were Minister for Disaster Recovery, Ann Leahy, Minister for Agriculture Tony Perrett, Assistant Minister for Primary Industry Development, Sean Dillon, Member for Traeger, Robbie Katter, AgForce President, Shane McCarthy and Queensland Reconstruction Authority, CEO Major General Jake Ellwood (Retd).