Deadline: 20-Mar-2024
The Australian Government is providing up to $200 million nationally under Round Two of the Disaster Ready Fund (DRF) to support disaster risk reduction.
The DRF is the Australian Government’s flagship disaster risk reduction initiative which will fund a diverse set of projects in partnership with states and territories to deliver medium-term and long-term national outcomes, investing up to $1 billion over the next five years.
The Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) is the lead agency coordinating Queensland’s application for the DRF and will work with state agencies, local councils, non-government organisations and universities to submit applications for DRF funding to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
QRA is seeking project applications that increase the understanding of disaster impacts, increase resilience, build capacity and capability, and reduce disaster risk. Project applicants are expected to contribute 50 per cent towards their proposed project.
DRF Objectives and Investment Principles
- The DRF’s Objectives are to:
- increase the understanding of natural hazard disaster impacts, as a first step towards reducing disaster impacts in the future;
- increase the resilience, adaptive capacity and/or preparedness of governments, community service organisations and affected communities to minimise the potential impact of natural hazards and avert disasters; and
- reduce the exposure to risk, harm and/or severity of a natural hazard’s impacts, including reducing the recovery burden for governments, cohorts at disproportionate disaster risk, and/or affected communities.
- The objectives are underpinned by the DRF Investment Principles which guide DRF investment decisions. The Investment Principles are incorporated into DRF activity types and selection criteria, to encourage projects that are:
- Risk informed: Proposals draw on evidence of disaster risk (e.g. risk assessments) when outlining case for funding.
- Aligned with plans: Proposals align with existing national, state and territory, and local hazard mitigation and resilience or adaptation plans, or provide evidence that the planning process is underway. Where plans do not exist or are in development, proposals could support the development of those plans.
- Priority targeted: Proposals demonstrate alignment with the Second National Action Plan National Actions.
- Diverse and equitable: Investment decisions support outcomes across a broad range of natural hazard and project types, geographic areas (including both urban and regional/remote locations), domains (including the social, built and natural environments), and consider the DRF’s potential population impact (including a project’s relative per-capita benefit).
Funding Information
- Each financial year, up to $200 million will be made available to states and territories through the DRF and each jurisdiction will receive a baseline $7.5 million under round two.
- The maximum project period is three (3) years from NEMA’s written endorsement of the relevant Implementation Plan.
Eligible DRF Project Activity Types
- Stream One: Systemic risk reduction
- Projects that build the long term resilience of a community or communities in an area that is at risk of being affected (whether directly or indirectly) by a future natural hazard
- Stream One projects must fall into one or more of the following categories:
- supporting a better understanding of risk, through a better evidence base to understand and raise awareness of risk – to improve understanding of natural hazards and their potential impacts over time (i.e. disaster risk assessments and frameworks);
- projects that deliver risk reduction plans at the community, regional and state levels to mitigate identified risks and impacts;
- strengthening representational and inclusive decision making by developing or improving governance networks and communities of practice, including the development and/or alignment of resilience and risk reduction strategies.
- Stream Two: Infrastructure
- Projects which are directed at achieving any or all of the following:
- resilience to a future natural hazard that could affect an area (whether directly or indirectly);
- preparedness for a future natural hazard that could affect an area (whether directly or indirectly); and
- reduction of the risk of a future natural hazard that could affect an area (whether directly or indirectly).
- Area’ may include but is not limited to built/urban, agricultural, and natural environments or ecosystems.
- Stream Two projects must fall into one or more of the following categories:
- investment in grey infrastructure;
- investment in green-blue infrastructure (including nature based solutions);
- investment in social infrastructure.
- Projects which are directed at achieving any or all of the following:
Eligible Locations
- Projects must be delivered:
- within the Lead Agency’s respective jurisdiction/s or area of operation, except where agreement to delivery in another jurisdiction has been provided (i.e. for multi-jurisdictional projects); or
- within the Indian Ocean Territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
Eligibility Criteria
- Anyone can develop a DRF proposal, however only Australian state and territory governments are eligible to submit projects to NEMA for potential funding in Round Two 2024-25. Each state and territory has nominated one government agency or department (Lead Agency) to coordinate DRF project proposals in its jurisdiction, including submitting applications to NEMA on behalf of that jurisdiction.
- Individuals or entities who develop DRF proposals are referred to in these guidelines as ‘Applicants’ and must apply through Lead Agencies rather than directly to NEMA. Lead Agencies can also develop DRF project proposals.
- DRF funding is delivered under the Federation Funding Agreement – Environment between the Australian Government and state and territory governments. This approach recognises that states and territory governments have primary responsibility for disaster management in their jurisdictions, and are best placed to understand and coordinate priorities for disaster resilience.
- Applicants wishing to deliver projects in the Indian Ocean Territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands must apply through the Lead Agency for Western Australia.
For more information, visit Queensland Government.