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Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox MP, alongside Nationals Leader Senator Matt Canavan, and other Coalition members, as well as Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson, and regional local government leaders in Canberra to protest the federal cuts to the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). Photo supplied.
Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox has joined local government leaders and Coalition leadership in Canberra to warn that the Albanese Labor Government’s cuts to disaster funding will push regional councils into financial strain.
Standing alongside Nationals Leader Senator Matt Canavan, Shadow Minister for Emergency Management and Minister for Maranoa David Littleproud, and regional mayors attending the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly, Mr Willcox condemned the decision to overhaul the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
The proposed shift to a 50–50 cost-sharing model replaces a framework that previously provided up to 75 per cent federal support for major disasters. Modelling from the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) suggests that, under the new approach, Queensland communities would have lost more than $1 billion in “betterment” funding over the past 13 years, previously used to rebuild more resilient infrastructure.
Drawing on his experience as former Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor during Cyclone Debbie in 2017, Mr Willcox said regional Australia cannot sustain the change.
"Before I came to this Parliament, I chaired the Disaster Management Group as Mayor of the Whitsundays during Cyclone Debbie. It was one of the most destructive cyclones to ever hit our shores, causing billions of dollars in damages across the country, with infrastructure and industry damage in Queensland alone exceeding $1 billion," Mr Willcox said.
"Back then, we relied on the federal government covering between 64 and 75 per cent of the recovery costs, with our council contributing the first $240,000. If this deceptive 50-50 split had been in place back then, and the state couldn’t afford the balance, our council would have gone completely broke.
"This is a cold cost-shifting exercise by a Labor Government trying to shift its core responsibilities. The communities I represent in Dawson contribute an absolute powerhouse of wealth to this nation through sugarcane, tourism, massive horticultural crops, and mining, but the geographic price we pay is living in a disaster-prone area. This is a direct hit to our productivity.
The Coalition has pledged to oppose the changes in the Senate, calling for the Emergency Management Minister to reverse the decision and maintain funding support for regional communities.
Supplied by the Office of Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox
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