Disaster assistance is now available to the Boulia, Cloncurry, Cook, Mount Isa, Palm Island and Richmond local councils after the recent monsoon and flooding across Northern, Central and Western Queensland.

Assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements to repair roads and other infrastructure.

Minister for Natural Disaster and Emergency Management David Littleproud said rebuilding infrastructure was an important first step in the recovery.

“This will see State and Federal Governments share rebuilding costs with local councils,” Minister Littleproud said.

“This will make sure roads are repaired as soon as possible, which will speed up the overall recovery.

“We’re standing by affected communities and will make further assistance available as it’s needed.”

Queensland Minister for Emergency Services Craig Crawford said the funding will assist the rural and remote councils with restoring damaged public infrastructure and alleviate the financial burden on these impacted communities.

“Queensland communities are a resilient bunch, and although this rain is welcome in many areas, it can still be destructive and cause damage in others,” Minister Crawford said.

“The size and scale of the event could take months to be fully realised so it’s essential we provide support and assistance as quickly as we possibly can.

“Flooding continues in many parts of Northern, Central and Western Queensland so we will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with the Commonwealth to provide additional assistance as information comes to hand.”

DRFA assistance in response to the 2020 monsoon floods is now available in 15 local government areas: Barcaldine, Barcoo, Blackall-Tambo, Boulia, Burdekin, Carpentaria, Cloncurry, Cook, Flinders, Longreach, Mount Isa, Palm Island, Richmond, Townsville and Winton.

Information on disaster assistance can be found on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at www.disasterassist.gov.au and the Queensland Government’s Disaster Management website at www.disaster.qld.gov.au.