Funding for disaster mitigation projects has been labelled as "vastly insufficient" by councils pointing to a deluge of knocked-back applications to a key federal government program to make their case.
In the lead-up to May's Federal Budget, the Australian Local Government Association said Labor must more than double the $200 million it is already pouring into the Disaster Ready Fund to $450m per annum to cover unmet demand and protect communities from "increasingly frequent and more severe natural disasters."
Regional Australia and agriculture in particular have suffered severe setbacks in recent years after critical infrastructure was damaged or destroyed and transport routes and supply chains to cities, ports and markets were cut by flooding and other extreme weather events, compromising access to essential services, food security and trade.
The government received 300 first round DRF applications from around the nation, seeking about $460m, last year however only 187 were approved.
ALGA president Linda Scott said while the DRF funding was welcomed the large amount of applications not approved pointed to a program that was heavily oversubscribed.
"Our communities have been repeatedly hit by floods, fires and cyclones over the past two years, with more than 60 per cent of local government areas affected," she said.
The National Emergency Management Agency - the authority with oversight of the DRF - also recently said extreme heat, heavy rainfall, coastal inundation and bushfires were increasingly impacting regional communities, the environment and national economy.
Labor's signature DRF program commenced in March 2023 as a re-badged version of the former Emergency Response Fund created in 2019.
Up to $200m in Commonwealth funding has been made available per year over five years from 2023-24 to reduce disaster risk and improve Australia's resilience to natural disasters. Under the deal, states, territories and delivery partners match the federal investment where possible.
In 2021 Deloitte Access Economics reported that natural disasters were then costing the nation about $38 billion per year and estimated the yearly cost of disaster mop-ups would jump to $73b a year by 2060 courtesy of climate change and population and property value growth.
In pointing to data contained in a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade report, Cr Scott said each dollar spent on mitigation funding could save the government up to $8 in future cost-recovery when assessed several years ago.
"Given these large-scale mitigation projects can cost tens of millions of dollars to plan and deliver, Australia needs to significantly increase its investment in emergency preparedness," she said.
"For example, the Bundaberg East flood levee - proposed by Bundaberg Regional Council and funded by the Federal and Queensland Governments - will cost around $175 million alone."
Submission of project proposals from local Councils and community groups to state and territory lead government agencies for round two DRF funding closed on March 20.
These agencies are then charged with prioritising projects to recommend to NEMA for DRF funding.
