Qld bushfire-affected councils get $1.8m in recovery funding

Bushfire recovery and resilience-building projects in 23
Queensland local government areas will receive $1.8 million in state and
federal grant funding.

The projects receiving a grant under this round of the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) include:

• $68,848 to Baffle Creek Community Inc to
  undertake improvements to the Baffle Creek Community Centre;
• $35,000 to Save Mt Lofty Inc for a community
  bushfire preparation project in Toowoomba;
• $99,000 to Queensland Fruit & Vegetable
  Growers Ltd for a recovery and resilience in the horticulture industry pilot
  project in Central Queensland; and
• $80,848 to Mount Larcom and District Show
  Society Inc for a community disaster recovery hub and animal refuge.

Queensland Minister for Communities Coralee O’Rouke said the
range and geographic spread of these successful grant recipients reflects the
widespread destruction of the 2019 spring-summer bushfires.

Councils in bushfire-affected communities are also
benefiting from the grants, with funding for projects to be delivered by the
Brisbane City, Cook Shire, Livingstone Shire, Mareeba Shire, Redland City,
Scenic Rim Regional, Somerset Regional, South Burnett Regional, Toowoomba
Regional and Whitsunday Regional Councils.

These council-run projects include:

• $35,000 for Brisbane City Council to deliver a
  bushfire awareness program in the Pullenvale ward;
• $63,800 for Livingstone Shire Council to build
  community resilience at The Caves; and
• $42,750 to Toowoomba Regional Council for fire
  trails at Crows Nest and Millmerran West.

Additionally, the Townsville Motorcycle Club has received
$294,612 from the Commonwealth and Queensland governments under the DRFA’s Community
and Recreational Assets program to repair its flood-damaged track and amenities
at Woodstock.