DRFA resilience boost for North Qld and WA communities

Efforts to
improve infrastructure resilience across north Queensland have been boosted with
a $1.2 million grant to stabilise riverbanks in Innisfail.

Flooding in
early 2019 undermined the banks for of the Johnstone River and weakened a
retaining wall below the Innisfail Bowls Club, affecting nearby infrastructure.

The money,
which is being jointly provided by the Federal and Queensland Governments under
Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) through the $20 million Community
Assets Program will be used to repair the riverbank erosion issue.

Work is
expected to be completed by June 2021.

In other
DRFA news, assistance is now available for storm-damaged communities in the West
Australian local government areas of Augusta-Margaret River, Ashburton,
Busselton, Capel, Dardanup, Donnybrook-Balingup, Greater Geraldton, Harvey, and
Irwin.

Infrastructure
in these areas was damaged by heavy rain and strong winds in early May, and
again in late May during passage of a waning cyclone.