Isaac Regional Council will receive more than $2.2 million in funding from the Federal and Queensland governments to restore road networks and floodways across the region.
The funding is part of a $40 million Betterment Fund available under the joint Federal-State Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) to help local government areas in Queensland with their recovery after Severe Tropical Cyclone (STC) Debbie.
Minister for Law Enforcement and Cyber Security, Angus Taylor, who has Commonwealth responsibility for disaster recovery, said the Betterment Fund would enable communities to rebuild stronger and more disaster-resilient public assets.
“This funding for Isaac Regional Council will help them rebuild vital infrastructure to a more resilient standard and help the community withstand future disasters.”
Minister for State Development, Manufacturing and Infrastructure and Planning, Cameron Dick said many of the roads had a history of being damaged during severe weather events and had been identified as priority projects to ensure the community could get back on its feet sooner.
“Of the 2013 and 2015 Betterment projects completed and impacted by subsequent natural disaster events up to April 2017, 96 percent remained undamaged or sustained only superficial damage, avoiding restoration costs of more than $104 million.”
Mayor Anne Baker said the improvements would give the local community greater confidence in the local infrastructure during and after a disaster.
“For too long we’ve seen our roads suffer the same cycle of damage and repair year on year,” Mayor Baker said.
“This funding will allow us to rebuild to a better standard that will increase the resilience of our road network, ensuring the community can recover faster.”
The Isaac Region has also benefitted from the Federal Government’s Bridges Renewal Program with the recent opening of a new $6 million bridge over Cherwell Creek.
Federal Member for Capricornia Michelle Landry said more than 850 vehicles used the Peak Downs Mine Road daily, a quarter of which are heavy vehicles.
“The new two-lane concrete bridge is also seven metres higher than the previous bridge, providing one-in-100-year flood immunity. This is an important outcome for maintaining connectivity during the severe weather events and flooding which frequently affect our region.”
The Australian Government provided $2.75 million towards the $6 million project. Isaac Regional Council provided the remaining funding including $1 million from BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance.
