The Queensland Government’s $12 million QCoast2100 fund will assist another three local governments to help coastal communities prepare for the impacts of climate change.
Environment Minister, Dr Steven Miles, said today that Townsville City Council, Douglas Shire Council and Livingstone Shire Council were all successful in their applications for funding, which is available to all coastal councils.
It brings the total number of councils to benefit from the fund so far to six, after Moreton Bay Regional Council, Noosa Shire Council and Whitsunday Regional Council also each submitted strong applications for a share of the funding.
“The Councils will now either commence or improve their Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy for their area based on an assessment of the specific local conditions and challenges which they need to meet,” Dr Miles said.
The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) is administering the QCoast2100 program and helping eligible councils with proposals and preparation of their potential projects.
LGAQ President, Mark Jamieson, said that the QCoast2100 program is designed to be accessible to coastal local governments irrespective of their current level of planning, capability and resourcing.
“More than half of Queensland’s 77 councils will be exposed to coastal hazards in the future, ” he said.
“It’s vital that local governments work together to assess risks and identify practical solutions that will help coastal communities prepare for serious issues such as storm tide flooding, coastal erosion and sea level rise.
“In the past decade, natural disasters have caused billions of dollars in damage to local government assets alone, ” he said.
Dr Miles said that the Palaszczuk Government was committed to ensuring communities were protected from coastal hazards.