Queensland councils have vowed to oppose proposed changes to the Federal Government’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), warning the reforms could increase financial pressure on local governments and slow community recovery after natural disasters.
The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) said any reduction in disaster recovery funding would place additional strain on councils already facing rising costs and growing infrastructure challenges.
LGAQ President, Matt Burnett, said Queensland communities could be left worse off under the proposed arrangements.
“Queensland cannot afford changes to the current DRFA arrangements that will result in a reduction to existing funding,” Burnett said.
“Despite the Federal Government’s wording, this is not a fair or sustainable outcome for Queensland.
“Our communities will be worse off.”
LGAQ Chief Executive Officer, Alison Smith, said the proposed changes came after an exceptionally challenging disaster season across the state.
“This is a real sucker punch to Queensland after the 2026 summer season where 74 of 77 local government areas were disaster impacted, with two cyclones and monsoonal flooding affecting much of the state for five months,” Smith said.
She also pointed to ongoing financial pressures facing councils, including inflation, rising fuel costs and declining untied federal funding.
“These disaster recovery changes will hurt Queensland communities and reduce their ability to recover quickly,” Smith said.
“Mother Nature can be unpredictable, so what we need from the Federal Government is disaster funding support that is reliable, provides certainty and ensures the most disaster-impacted areas in Australia will not be worse off.
“The current DRFA arrangements are working well.”
The LGAQ is calling on the Federal Government to reconsider the proposed changes and maintain existing disaster recovery funding levels.
To find out more about the DRFA changes, visit nema.gov.au
