The Queensland Government is seeking $771 million to help disaster-affected Queenslanders clean up and improve household resilience.
Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk has written to Prime Minister, Scott Morrison offering to split the funding packages 50:50.
Ms Palaszczuk said a $741 million Resilient Residential Recovery Package would provide Queenslanders whose homes had been badly damaged by flooding with a range of options that may include retrofitting, house-raising or the voluntary buy-back of homes at high risk from future floods.
She said a $30 million Clean-Up Package would support Councils and Agencies with the clean-up of flood-related debris, including commercial, building and housing debris, that were not normally eligible for reimbursement.
Ms Palaszczuk said the packages marked the next wave of financial support to ensure flood-affected communities in Queensland got the support they needed to recover and build back better.
“Councils, communities and the Australian Defence Force have done a magnificent job working together to clean up, but there’s still a way to go and the Clean-Up Package will give Councils and Agencies an extra boost to finish the mammoth task of removing the huge amount of waste and debris that has accumulated throughout the impact zone,” she said.
“This is the biggest single disaster support package in Queensland’s history and it reflects not only the immediate challenge in terms of cleaning up and rebuilding, but the longer-term need to increase resilience in Queensland communities.”
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, Steven Miles said the Government was committed to building stronger and safer communities.
“I have been to many of the hardest-hit communities and I have repeatedly seen the harsh reality of families’ belongings sitting on the curb, and houses ravaged by floodwaters,” Mr Miles said.
“Sadly, the floods have damaged almost 7,000 homes,” he said.
“This support package of $741 million will deliver a range of household resilience measures for Queensland homes directly impacted by floods,” Mr Miles said.
