Governments commit new funding to protect Australians from natural disasters

CANBERRA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) — Australian federal, state and territory governments have committed new funding for projects to improve the nation’s natural disaster defenses.
Jenny McAllister, the Minister for Emergency Management, on Wednesday announced that 164 projects will share in 387 million Australian dollars (262.7 million U.S. dollars) in funding under an initiative to better protect Australians from natural disasters.
Of the funding, 200 million AUD (136 million USD) will come from the second round of distributions from the Disaster Ready Fund (DRF), with the rest to be contributed by the states and territories.
McAllister said that Australians should expect more frequent and intense natural disasters as a result of climate change.
“By working with all levels of government to make significant investments in mitigation projects, we are reducing the risks and impacts Australians face during disasters,” she said. “This means better outcomes for communities while reducing clean up and recovery costs.”
Established in 2023, the DRF is the federal government’s flagship initiative to improve natural disaster resilience and risk reduction.
Projects that were awarded funding on Wednesday include levee upgrades, coastline restoration and warning system upgrades.
An emergency evacuation center in the state of Western Australia will receive 15.7 million AUD (10.6 million USD) for upgrade works to make it cyclone-ready, while 6.8 million AUD (4.6 million USD) has been allocated for flood works in western New South Wales.
The DRF was set up with an initial 1 billion AUD (680 million USD) to spend over five years. The federal government in 2023 committed 200 million AUD in funding for more than 180 projects under the first round of DRF distributions. ■