Scenic Rim Regional Council is calling on the Australian Government to reconsider proposed changes to Federal Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), fearing the reforms could shift the financial burden of natural disasters onto local councils and communities.
At the July Ordinary Meeting, Councillors unanimously voted in favour of a four-point response to the proposed Commonwealth reforms which could impact Australia’s disaster recovery funding model.
Scenic Rim Mayor Tom Sharp said the projected flat 50:50 cost share and other aspects of the proposed changes could shift future counter disaster operations and costs to Council.
Cr Sharp said that, at the federal level, councils had experienced a deterioration of assistance grants since the 1970s.
“All that advocacy work and all those attempts for whatever reason haven’t worked,” he said.
“Council supports reform that simplifies and accelerates disaster assistance and increases investment in resilience.
“Council does not support reforms that reduce overall Commonwealth responsibility, transfer unfunded financial risk to Queensland or local government, prevent locally responsive exceptional assistance, remove proven betterment pathways or leave essential response activities such as counter disaster operations uncertain.”
Cr Sharp said the proposed changes risked placing an unsustainable strain on councils, particularly the local region which had experienced a series of natural disasters from floods to fires since 2018 and is already facing rising costs and growing infrastructure challenges.
Local Disaster Management Group Chair Councillor Stephen Moriarty expressed his concern about the burden being placed on councils.
“These changes have the potential to disproportionately affect smaller councils like ours,” he said.
“This is just another example of the federal government transferring costs onto both the state and local governments.
“We all know that the key to helping our communities get back on their feet after a natural disaster is to carry out recovery works as quickly and as efficiently as possible so people can get back to business as quickly as possible.
“The proposed increase in the minimum disaster criterion trigger point from approximately $240,000 to $2.7 million, could make locally significant events such as the Queensland bushfires, from September to December 2019, ineligible and could shift future Counter Disaster Operations and LDCC costs to Council.”
