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| Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements | |
|---|---|
| Name | Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements |
| Formed | 2011 |
| Jurisdiction | Australia |
Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements
The Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements provide a framework for financial assistance for post-disaster recovery in Australia. The scheme interrelates with policy instruments and institutions such as the Council of Australian Governments, Australian Government, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Tasmania to coordinate relief after major events like the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, the 2010–2011 Queensland floods, and cyclones such as Cyclone Yasi. It aligns with disaster management frameworks referenced by bodies including the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, the Australian National Audit Office, and state treasuries.
The Arrangements aim to provide pre-agreed financial support to assist recovery following eligible disasters declared by state and territory authorities such as Premier of New South Wales, Premier of Queensland, and Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. It seeks to reduce fiscal uncertainty for jurisdictions like Western Australia and South Australia by defining cost-sharing between the Australian Treasury, state treasuries, and local authorities including City of Sydney and Brisbane City Council. The policy connects to national emergency initiatives including the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework and the work of the Attorney-General's Department on relief coordination.
The Arrangements evolved from earlier agreements between the Commonwealth of Australia and states following events such as the 1999 Sydney hailstorm and the 1998 Sydney water crisis, and were formalised after reviews by the Productivity Commission and inquiries by the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements. Legislative and intergovernmental foundations reference instruments associated with the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements 2018 update and amendments influenced by reports from the Parliament of Australia and audit findings from the Australian National Audit Office. Key Ministers involved have included holders of portfolios such as the Treasurer of Australia and the Minister for Emergency Management.
Activation relies on declaration by state or territory executives, for example actions by the Governor of New South Wales or the Governor of Queensland, and assessment against thresholds informed by analyses from agencies like the Bureau of Meteorology and the Geoscience Australia. Eligible costs typically involve restoration of public assets managed by entities such as VicRoads, Transport for NSW, and local councils including the Gold Coast City Council. The Arrangements distinguish between categories of events such as bushfire incidents like the Black Saturday bushfires, flood disasters like the 2011 Brisbane floods, and cyclone impacts exemplified by Cyclone Tracy.
Cost-sharing formulas set contribution rates between the Commonwealth of Australia and states, with mechanisms for threshold testing, advance payments, and shortfall arrangements involving treasuries such as the New South Wales Treasury and Queensland Treasury. The model permits contributions to recovery programs run by agencies like the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications and welfare support coordinated with organisations including the Australian Red Cross, Salvation Army (Australia), and state-based social services. Reinsurance analogies have been drawn with instruments used by entities like the Insurance Council of Australia and disaster finance proposals advanced by think tanks including the Grattan Institute.
Administration requires collaboration among emergency management authorities such as the State Emergency Service (SES), the Country Fire Authority (CFA), and the Rural Fire Service (RFS), with financial oversight by state audit offices like the Victorian Auditor-General's Office. Implementation processes include damage assessment protocols performed by engineers certified through institutions such as the Engineers Australia and procurement managed under frameworks used by agencies like Infrastructure Australia. Reporting obligations link to parliamentary scrutiny by committees of the Parliament of Australia and reviews by the Productivity Commission.
Scholars, parliamentarians, and agencies including the Australian National Audit Office have critiqued the Arrangements for issues such as timeliness, complexity, and inconsistency across jurisdictions including Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. Proposals for reform have been advanced by entities like the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, the Commonwealth Grants Commission, and non-government organisations including the Auditor-General of New South Wales, advocating clearer thresholds, streamlined approval pathways, and stronger mitigation incentives linked to programs such as the National Bushfire Mitigation Policy and insurance reforms debated by the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Insurance Council of Australia.
Major deployments under the Arrangements include responses to the 2010–2011 Queensland floods where coordination involved the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, to the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season with recovery programs administered across New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, and to cyclones such as Cyclone Larry and Cyclone Yasi affecting Far North Queensland. Post-event audits and inquiries by bodies like the Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement have informed subsequent amendments and intergovernmental agreements involving the Council of Australian Governments and the Prime Minister of Australia.
Category:Emergency management in Australia