Emergency Response Fund

Overview of the Emergency Response Fund

The Emergency Response Fund is an investment fund to maximise the Commonwealth’s capacity to support states and territories responses to major natural disasters into the future.

The Emergency Response Fund was credited with approximately $4 billion on establishment in 2019 and is managed by the Future Fund Board of Guardians.

The Emergency Response Fund Act 2019 (the Act) allows the Australian Government to draw up to $200 million in any given year, beyond what is already available to fund emergency response and natural disaster recovery and preparedness.

The Act allows the Government to draw up to:

$50 million each financial year to build resilience to, prepare for or reduce the risk of future natural disasters.
$150 million each financial year to fund recovery and post-disaster resilience in accordance with the Emergency Response Fund Act following a natural disaster that has a significant or catastrophic impact.

Funding from the Emergency Response Fund complements existing sources of funding for emergency response and disaster recovery, including the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, and the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Allowance.

It also complements the Government’s existing suite of arrangements helping Australia prepare for disasters, including strategic work being undertaken to reduce disaster risk, in line with the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework.

The Disaster Ready Fund replaces the Emergency Response Fund which terminates on 30 June 2023. ERF Programs will continue to be honoured.