Community
12 January, 2024
Millions in flood relief
PRIME Minister Anthony Albanese has promised more funding for Douglas Shire communities before taking an aerial inspection with Mayor Michael Kerr and Queensland Premier Steven Miles to inspect damage in the wake of Cyclone Jasper on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister was amazed at the sheer size of landslides still blocking parts of the shire’s road network after announcing four funding programs of more than $40 million, including:
A $24.25m Tourism Recovery and Resilience Program of grants for Far North operators who have been cut-off or heavily affected by the extreme weather
A $20m Clean-Up Program for councils and state agencies to clear up desbris in the Far North and south-east
Three cyclone industry recovery and resilience officers to work with FNQ industry, councils and impacted farmers
Recovery project managers for Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council and Douglas Shire Council.
“This beautiful place has been ravaged by this disaster, and we want to help Far North Queensland get back on its feet as soon as possible,” Mr Albanese said. “Disaster recovery at this scale will take time so it’s vital we keep making these investments so that Far North Queensland can bounce back faster and stronger,” he said.
“Tourism, in particular, is one of the lifeblood industries of Far North Queensland, and we want to make sure businesses hit hard can not only survive but thrive again.
“We’re also giving a boost to clean-up efforts and focused recovery for primary producers and the councils of Wujal Wujal and Douglas, which will make a major difference for the region.”
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr urged local residents and business operators to make the most of the new financial assistance on offer.
He said a commitment had been made to send more on-ground support with ADF assistance to the region.
“We’ll have extra boots on the ground in the next 48 hours,” he said.
In the meantime a geo-tech engineer will join local work crews surveying the best and safest way to clear a giant 56m-high landslide at the top of Noah’s Range.
Council teams have united with locals over the past few weeks and access to all residential properties has now been cleared.
Shire council acting chief executive Scott Mason said workers were facing a mammoth task co-ordinating tricky and complex operations.
