The Local Government New South Wales (LGNSW) has called for Federal Government investment to build more natural disaster resilient communities, to ease pressure on councils who are often first on the ground, as seen in the devastating flooding of February and March.
Currently, the national Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) only gives communities enough funding to build infrastructure back to its original state, leading local governments to call for betterment funding.
LGNSW President, Cr Darriea Turley, said councils are the first on the ground contributing significantly to disaster relief efforts as they are the closest form of government to the communities.
“The Productivity Commission’s Natural Disaster Fund Arrangements report noted that a mere three per cent of disaster funds were spent on mitigation preparedness and resilience,” Cr Turley.
“As part of our advocacy priorities, LGNSW has continuously raised the importance of being better prepared for natural emergency events.”
Cr Turley said New South Wales communities need proper support, and a targeted mitigation program, to manage these emergency events in an ever-changing climate as well as allow them support to be “built back better” for the future.
Betterment funding will ensure infrastructure is built to endure extreme conditions, saving money in the long run.
Concerns have also mounted for community infrastructure, such as sporting and recreational facilities, libraries and community centres, as they often become refuges in regional and rural areas and are not currently included in the DFRA.
Cr Turley said councils were calling on all federal parties and candidates to support:
- A targeted disaster mitigation program of $200 million a year for four years, which will reduce the costs of response, recovery and strengthen community resilience
- Ensuring betterment funding is included as a core element of disaster recovery funding arrangements
- Ensuring publicly accessible and owned community infrastructure and local government waste, water and wastewater assets, are included under Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements
- A Local Government Climate Response Partnership Fund of $200 million over four years to enable planning and preparation to minimise the impacts of climate change in local communities and enable councils to achieve climate neutrality as soon as practicable
- $100 million a year over four years provided directly to local governments to support the capabilities of indigenous councils and the implementation of the Closing the Gap local/regional voice
Cr Turley said that proper funding and a thorough plan to tackle disaster readiness will save lives, homes and businesses.
“The need to rebuild community facilities is crucial to delivering a locally led economic recovery after a disaster and essential to maintaining our communities’ social networks,” Cr Turley said.
“We need the Commonwealth to work with us to plan and develop more sustainable, resilient environments and communities.”
Cr Turley said New South Wales has had many catastrophic natural disasters in the past several years, and the impacts of climate change are causing these events to be more recurrent and severe.
LGNSW said that Northern New South Wales is still reeling from the cataclysmic flooding crisis and that it has become increasingly challenging for councils to allocate funds to help rebuild the communities; forcing councils to have a huge reliance on federal funding.
Cr Turley said the priorities had been independently assessed and, if funded, they would create 3,104 jobs and add $470 million a year to Australia’s GDP.
