Preparing Australian Communities Program - Local
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Supporting locally led projects that improve the resilience of communities against natural hazards
Preparing Australian Communities Program – Local
Supported by the National Emergency Management Agency, the Preparing Australian Communities Program – Local stream is providing support to locally identified and locally led projects that will improve the resilience of communities against natural hazards.
The 158 funded projects are improving the resilience of communities against bushfires, flood and tropical cyclones through the following activities:
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Planning - assessment of risk, vulnerability, resilience and disaster risk reduction activities, investment/business case, or technical feasibility
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Awareness and capacity - increasing disaster risk and resilience awareness and capacity building activities
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Infrastructure - delivery of built and/or natural infrastructure, including new or upgraded infrastructure.
Projects are aimed at reducing the risk to and improving the resilience of communities against bushfires, flood and tropical cyclones and increasing communities’ ability to mitigate, avoid, withstand and recover from the increasing effects of natural hazards as a result of climate change, through activities targeting or delivering resilience in one or more of the following domains:
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social environment - increasing the community’s social resilience to relevant natural hazards.
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This may include projects that strengthen social networks or essential services that enable the community to continue functioning in the event of a disaster, or support health, wellbeing and social recovery following an event.
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economic environment - improving the ability of the local economy to withstand and recover from relevant natural hazards.
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This may include projects that enable businesses to continue operating in the event of a disaster or reduce their vulnerability to the economic shocks associated with particular kinds of hazards.
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built environment - increasing the disaster resilience of and/or reducing the disaster risk to infrastructure assets such as transport, energy and telecommunications, utilities, housing, cultural and commercial precincts, and other assets.
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This might involve, for example, projects designed to reduce the risk of local infrastructure sustaining damage in the event of a relevant hazard event, or enable it to continue functioning (or quickly resume functioning) following an event.
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natural environment - increasing the disaster resilience of and/or reducing the disaster risk to natural assets such as wetlands, rivers, land, forests, oceans, other complex natural ecosystems, agriculture, and water sources.
Purpose
The intended outcome of the grant opportunity is to support communities to undertake disaster risk reduction and resilience initiatives that provide public benefit through reducing:
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the impact of future natural hazards on Australian communities, and/or
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the burden (cost and time) of recovery in communities following future disasters.
Projects were required to demonstrate that they will support a community that is at increased risk of bushfire, tropical cyclone and/or flood due to climate change; reduce the risk or increases the long term resilience of the community against disruption/disaster arising from bushfire, tropical cyclone and/or flood; and align with the objectives of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework.
Risk reduction
Enhancing our collective focus on disaster risk reduction was a key focus of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.
The Preparing Australia Program - Local aims to make Australian communities stronger in the face of natural disasters, such as bushfires, floods and cyclones, and reduce the cost of recovery support.
National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework
The National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework has three disaster risk reduction goals to be achieved by 2030:
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Take action to reduce existing disaster risk
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Minimise creation of future disaster risk through decisions taken across all sectors
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Equip decision-makers with the capabilities and information they need to reduce disaster risk and manage residual risk
Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements
Managing and reducing risk is key to limiting the impacts of disasters.
Risk reduction was a focus of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements and is a critical part of the Preparing Australia program.
Preparing Australia Program
The Preparing Australia Program was a commitment of the previous Government, with only one stream of the program delivered.
The Preparing Australia Program was intending to put around $200 million towards private risk reduction. The Resilient Homes Fund in Queensland alone is $741 million - which shows the Government's commitment to risk reduction.
The Australian Government has made a $22.6 million investment around insurance and $38.3 million for Disaster Relief Australia, which demonstrates a focus on strengthening resilience.
In addition, the Australian Government is committing up to $200 million per year through the Disaster Ready Fund (DRF), creating an enduring, multi-year pipeline of projects to provide long term support to communities through projects aimed at disaster risk reduction and resilience initiatives. The Disaster Ready Fund will be able to fund the same types of projects previously delivered under the Preparing Australia Program.
For these reasons the Australian Government, through the Budget 2022-2023, agreed to establish the DRF and cease the Preparing Australia Program.
More information
Successful applicants and projects
- New South Wales
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Applicant Project Amount funded Bellingen Shire Council Resilience Awareness Remote Flood Monitoring Infrastructure $98,691.00 Shoalhaven City Council Shoalhaven Flood Preparation & Emergency Response for Community Resilience $1,199,000.00 Meals On Wheels Nsw Ltd ACT! - A Collaborative Toolkit $187,779.00 Wagga Wagga City Council Wiradjuri Flood Mitigation $231,000.00 Fairfield City Council Mimosa Road Detention Basin Upgrade $1,842,500.00 Laurieton United Services Club Ltd Laurieton United Services Club - Flood Defence Wall System $410,138.00 Southcoast Health And Sustainability Alliance Hanging Rock Climate Haven - Batemans Bay $99,700.00 Blue Mountains City Council Wentworth Falls Lake Dam Upgrade $3,991,883.00 The Flagstaff Group Limited PrepareAbility $262,500.00 Port Stephens Council Development of Strategic Fire Management Plans for Port Stephens $100,000.00 Upper Lachlan Shire Council Upgrade of Upper Lachlan's Emergency Operations Centre $67,480.00 Mid-Western Regional Council Get Ready Mid-Western Expo $88,110.00 Ballina Shire Council Reform planning strategies and improve flood emergency management - Ballina $760,000.00 Lismore City Council Automated flood warning signage and community flood information $99,826.00 Central Darling Shire Council Darling River Flood Mapping $100,000.00 Bega Valley Shire Council Towards Climate Resilient Assets and Infrastructure for Bega Valley Shire $2,500,000.00 North Haven Bowling & Recreation Club Ltd Club North Haven Community Club – New Roof to prevent flooding $329,943.00 Kremnos Community Group Inc Kremnos Community Group Inc – Landscaping for Bushfire and Flood Mitigation $48,872.00 Cessnock City Council Cessnock Flood Hazard Road Signage and Community Flood Preparedness $100,000.00 Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council Braidwood Major Overland Flow Investigation $99,000.00 Leeton Shire Council Feasibility Assessment - Floodplain Management Program $95,000.00 Old Bar Beach Bowling Club Ltd Club Old Bar – Upgrades to Emergency Evacuation Centre $689,892.00 Beelong Blue Mountains Incorporated B Ready - Bushfire preparedness for people living with a Disability $805,700.00 Singleton Council Creating Resilient Community through Awareness Preparedness & Connectedness $658,511.00 Mid-Coast Council Preparing the MidCoast community awareness program $296,289.00 Port Macquarie Hastings Council Westport Park Port Macquarie Revetment Wall $99,500.00 Penrith City Council Increasing community awareness preparedness and resilience to climate risks $95,000.00 Carers Nsw Limited Care2Prepare: Inclusive household and community risk reduction $1,699,183.00 Bilpin Region Advancement Group Incorporated Safe Air in Fire and Disaster $60,000.00 Peppercorn Services Inc. Person-Centred Emergency Planning Project $800,715.00 Little Owl Pty Ltd The Nestwell System $99,000.00 Springwood Country Club Ltd The replacement of the Club house roof $106,400.00 Mountains Community Resource Network Inc Resilient Villages - Pilot Project $1,126,277.00 Stuarts Point And District Community Organisation (Spadco) Stuarts Point Community helps ourselves through a resilient initiative $34,800.00 Rous County Council Richmond and Wilsons Rivers NSW Flood Mitigation Planning $250,000.00 Byron Shire Council Byron Bay Town Centre Flood Mitigation: Drainage Strategy $1,081,720.00 Australian Breastfeeding Association Community Protection for Infants and Young Children in Bushfire Emergencies $684,800.00 Billabong Koala & Wildlife Park Pty Ltd New perimeter fire suppression and wildlife protection system $28,760.00 SNPHN Ltd Northern Beaches Primary Care Flood Preparedness, Response and Resilience $308,675.00 Tweed Shire Council Resilient Tweed - Sustainable Living Festival 2022 $59,360.00 - Queensland
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Applicant Project Amount funded Mackay Marina Pty Ltd Mackay Small Craft Marina Cyclone Resilience Project $2,500,000.00 Somerset Regional Council Somerset priority evacuation routes Austroads improvement project $3,546,238.00 Cairns Regional Council Partnering to improve flooding resilience in a tropical urban catchment $1,175,000.00 Queensland Remote Aboriginal Media Aboriginal Corporation Queensland Remote Aboriginal Media Cyclone Communications Project $98,235.00 Bunya Peoples' Aboriginal Corporation Healthy Resilient Country = Healthy Resilient Communities $1,009,400.00 Everick Foundation Limited Dawson River, Gyranda Section – Wulli Wulli Heritage Resilience Project $494,967.00 Brisbane City Council Automated Flooded Road Warning Systems (AFRWS) $99,000.00 Whitsunday Regional Council Community Resilience Programs $120,000.00 Burdekin Shire Council Digital Message Board for Home Hill $93,879.00 Lockyer Valley Regional Council Community Resilience Engagement Project $437,028.00 Dabu Jajikal Aboriginal Corporation Cyclone Preparedness: building resilience in the Dabu Jajikal community $370,450.00 Mackay Regional Council PIONEER RIVER LEVEE VALETTA GARDENS / RIVERS EDGE $3,315,093.00 Bulloo Shire Council Stafford Street Minor Culvert Replacement $93,000.00 Gladstone Regional Council Coast Road Infrastructure Resilience Upgrade Design $310,000.00 Scenic Rim Regional Council Scenic Rim Region Disaster Waste Management Plan $82,965.00 Foundation For Rural And Regional Renewal Disaster Resilient and Future Ready - Burnett Inland Communities $981,782.00 Gold Coast City Council Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Improvements for Southport CBD $3,571,000.00 Longreach Regional Council Purchase Of Four Variable Message Signboards Mounted On Trailers $65,099.00 Unganco Pty Ltd Tropical Cyclone Risk Assessment and Mitigations in Cape York Communities $4,454,400.00 Reef Catchments (Mackay Whitsunday Isaac) Limited Nature based solutions to build regional resilience $3,507,750.00 Northern Gulf Resource Management Group Ltd Resilient Futures for Queensland’s Gulf Savannah $1,272,070.00 Hinchinbrook Shire Council Hinchinbrook Disaster Communication and Early Warning System Upgrade $99,999.00 Bundaberg Regional Council Local & District Disaster Coordination Centre & Community Resilience Hub $2,079,207.00 Burke Shire Council Archie Creek Crossing Upgrade – Gregory Lawn Hill Road $1,691,023.00 Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council Cherbourg Fire Mitigation Project 2022 $89,450.00 Carpentaria Shire Council Karumba Point Shoreline Protection & Revitalisation Project $1,592,473.00 Rockhampton Regional Council Archer Street Drainage Scheme Stages 1 & 2 $2,989,383.00 Tablelands Regional Council Upgrade of Merrilands Hall – Re-screwing Roof & Cafeteria Floor Replacement $93,500.00 Mount Isa City Council Incident Management System and Road Resilience $100,000.00 Southern Downs Regional Council Flood Studies - Killarney, Karara and Allora. $405,000.00 Cloncurry Shire Council Cloncurry Airport - Master Planning for Disaster Risk Reduction $551,000.00 Torres Shire Council Climate Adaptation and Resilience Planning in the Torres Strait $98,500.00 Redland City Council Increasing preparedness and resilience for Minjerribah (Nth Stradbroke Is) $573,713.00 Toowoomba Regional Council Fire trail upgrade to improve fire preparedness capacity $56,321.00 Regional Development Australia Sunshine Coast Incorporated Smoke Alarm for the Sunshine Coast $99,957.00 Sunshine Coast Regional Council Case Study Options Analysis of Coastal Hazard Adaptation Infrastructure $800,600.00 Ipswich City Council Disaster & Climate Risk and Resilience Project $269,041.00 Banana Shire Council Meissners Road Contact Creek culvert project $383,556.00 Balonne Shire Council Balonne Shire Flood Modelling and Mapping $90,250.00 Mapoon Aboriginal Council From Equipment Shed to a Resilience Base. $96,500.00 Isaac Regional Council Styx Rive and Plane Creek (south) Flood Study $98,000.00 - South Australia
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Applicant Project Amount funded The Corporation Of The City Of Adelaide Resilient Flood Planning, City of Adelaide $3,722,046.00 Adelaide Hills Council Towards Community Led Resilience $1,028,800.00 Corporation Of The City Of Marion Resilient South Regional Climate Action Plan $99,000.00 Corporation Of The City Of Norwood Payneham & St Peters Trinity Valley Stormwater Management Upgrade $9,913,174.00 Kangaroo Island Council Kangaroo Island Natural Disaster Risk Mitigation Project $290,000.00 Goolwa To Wellington Local Action Planning Association Incorporated Cultural burning for bushfire risk reduction in the Bull Creek Range $97,900.00 Mount Barker District Council Fire 2 Flourish: mitigate and reduce disaster risk in the Mt Barker LGA $1,376,818.00 Yorke Peninsula Council Understanding cultural burns as an on-Country risk reduction practice $77,000.00 City Of Onkaparinga Bushfire preparedness and resilience in the City of Onkaparinga $3,578,875.00 Charleston Community Centre Inc Improving facilities at Charleston Hall for relief, support and resilience $99,532.00 Returned And Services League In South Australia Tumby Bay Branch Tumby Bay RSL Building Optimisation Project for a Community Support Hub $98,400.00 City Of Holdfast Bay Tarlton and Whyte Street, Somerton Park Flood Protection $2,927,000.00 Adelaide Plains Council Coastal Adaptation Study and Coastal Adaptation Strategy $60,000.00 City Of Port Adelaide Enfield Disaster Risk Reduction in Port Adelaide Project (DRRPAP) $2,180,000.00 Southern Koala And Echidna Rescue Ltd SKER Bushfire Infrastructure $37,250.00 Southern And Hills Local Government Association Bushfires & Biodiversity: building balanced, long-term regional resilience $100,000.00 Kingscote Football Club Upgrade of Kingscote Emergency Relief Centre and Last Resort Refuge $99,542.00 Brown Hill And Keswick Creeks Stormwater Board Lower Brown Hill Creek Upgrades $10,000,000.00 District Council Of Loxton Waikerie Riverland Flood Disaster Risk Reduction Project – Waikerie Jetty Replacement $178,832.00 City Of Salisbury Emergency Response Flood Response Plan for flood vulnerable residents $96,500.00 - Tasmania
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Applicant Project Amount funded Friends Of Garden Island Creek Incorporated Garden Island Creek Erosion and Flood Disaster Reduction Planning Project $46,000.00 Hobart City Council Sparking Conversations, Igniting Action – Greater Hobart Resilience Program $1,624,713.00 Enzen Australia Pty Ltd Disaster Smart Tasmanian Communities $2,572,000.00 South East Tasmanian Aboriginal Corp Ngune Nire Program $1,192,112.00 Brighton Council Brighton Derwent River Foreshore Coastal Hazards Project $55,000.00 Burnie City Council Roundhill Bushfire Mitigation plan implementation $41,500.00 Geoneon Pty Ltd Anticipate and Monitor the Impact of Bushfires in Greater Hobart $361,782.00 Rural Business Tasmania Inc. Preparing your business for disaster resilience $85,000.00 Friends Of North Bruny Incorporated Dedicated Fire Water Tanks at North Bruny Fire Station $46,000.00 Derwent Valley Council Building resilience to flood in the Derwent Valley $906,090.00 Central Highlands Council River Clyde Flood Mapping and Study $247,360.00 - Victoria
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Applicant Project Amount funded Yarra Ranges Shire Council Resilient Yarra Ranges $10,000,000.00 Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria - Wimmera South West Inc. Agri & small business well-being support in complex bushfire recovery $1,664,500.00 Bass Coast Shire Council Crisis Management Preparedness Framework, Plan and Training $44,000.00 Foundation For National Parks & Wildlife Fire Wise $2,189,377.00 Glenelg Shire Council Dartmoor and Nelson Flood Study $250,000.00 Baw Baw Shire Council Emergency Management Review and Planning for Noojee and Surrounding Areas $35,587.00 Venus Bay Community Centre Inc Community Resilience and Reliable Energy Feasibility Study at Venus Bay $195,000.00 Central Goldfields Shire Council Central Goldfields Flood Mapping Project $225,000.00 Macedon Ranges Shire Council Going off-grid grid to build resilience $65,000.00 Moyne Shire Council Ocean Drive Port Fairy Foreshore Protection Options Analysis $80,000.00 Wellington Shire Council Community Risk and Vulnerability Preparedness Resource $498,408.00 Mount Alexander Shire Council Emergency Resilience Trailers $99,000.00 Maffra & Districts Landcare Network Licola landscape rehydration disaster risk reduction project $98,500.00 Forrest Public Reserves Committee Incorporated Thriving in the Otways $50,000.00 Southern Grampians Shire Council Southern Grampians flood planning for Coleraine and Dunkeld $251,000.00 Riverine Plains Incorporated More Robust Weather Station Network to Support Climate Resilience $657,254.00 Murrindindi Shire Council LEAPing into community resilience $452,400.00 Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation Culture Connecting Communities Across Borders for Bushfire Abatement $958,900.00 Community Recovery Committee Bunyip Complex Fires Association Incorporated Building Indigenous Land and Fire Management Project $296,320.00 Attentis Pty Ltd The LVIN - Expansion & Live Flood Monitoring Incorporation (LVIN-LF&FN) $198,730.00 Gippsland Health Network Limited Vulnerability mapping across Gippsland for increased community resilience $475,251.00 - Northern Territory
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Applicant Project Amount funded West Arnhem Regional Council Preparing WARC remote communities for disaster mitigation and response $141,409.00 Yawoorroong Miriuwung Gajerrong Yirrgeb Noong Dawang Aboriginal Corporation MG Community Access Roads $1,675,083.00 Litchfield Council Litchfield Council Tree Risk Management and Tree Risk data base $45,000.00 - Western Australia
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Applicant Project Amount funded Northern Agricultural Catchments Council Incorporated In the wake of the storm - Environmental Recovery and Preparedness $375,666.00 Shire Of Broome Cable Beach (Walmanyjun) Coastal Protection Project $3,850,000.00 Shire Of Irwin Refurbishment & upgrade of Emergency Welfare Centre Roof $99,000.00 City Of Busselton Busselton Storm Surge Risk Mitigation (Tropical Cyclones) $3,532,500.00 City Of Karratha Survey and assessment of tree resilience to cyclones. $72,931.00 Shire Of Carnamah Kickstart Emergency Connectivity $99,900.00 Shire Of Carnarvon Improving Flood Preparedness $1,390,772.00 Shire Of Cunderdin More Resilient Meckering $96,158.00 Shire Of Shark Bay Improving community awareness, recovery and resilience to tropical cyclones $36,323.00 Shire Of Exmouth Upgrade Tantabiddi Creek Crossing $95,000.00 Shire Of Perenjori The Perenjori Evacuation Centre Cyclone Upgrades $93,500.00 Shire Of Wyndham East Kimberley Feasibility Study - Community Resilience and Business Case $292,500.00 Shire Of Ashburton Onslow Seawall Extension $5,000,000.00 Town Of Claremont Overland Flood Analysis and Prevention Planning $60,000.00 City Of Wanneroo Prepare Together Project $83,456.00 Shire Of Coorow Coorow Power's On Evacuations and Communication $99,500.00 Town Of Port Hedland Sutherland Street Seawall $3,701,000.00 - Multiple
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Applicant Project Locations Amount funded Planergy Productions Pty Ltd Indigenous Natural Disaster Awareness Campaign WA, NT $142,844.00 Surf Life Saving Australia Limited Disaster preparedness along Australia’s coastline due to climate change QLD, NSW $1,350,000.00 Mirima Council Aboriginal Corporation Creating disaster awareness and resilience in multilingual communities WA, NT $75,029.00 The Australian Outward Bound Foundation Creating A National Centre for Outdoor Risk & Readiness at Outward Bound NSW, ACT $3,766,500.00 Australian Tourism Industry Council Ltd Don’t Risk It Manual Refresh NSW, QLD, SA $99,650.00