“WE’RE NOT FEELING THE LOVE”

NQ’S FIGHT AGAINST PROPOSED DISASTER FUNDING CUTS CONTINUES

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A Federal Government proposal to slash its share of disaster funding has provoked fierce pushback in North Queensland, where Burdekin Shire Council officials fear the move could spell an “enormous” rate increase and leave disaster-affected communities by the wayside.

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“The Federal Government has just come up with a way to balance their budget, rather than looking at the impacts of their decision. They’re not understanding the human cost in all of this,” said Council CEO Matthew Magin.

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“For a government that prides itself on being fair, this is grossly unfair.”

The Albanese Government announced its intention to split disaster funding costs 50-50 with state and territory governments in June, replacing previous Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) where the Commonwealth covered up to 75 per cent of those costs.

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The Government argued the proposed reforms were designed to shift disaster management towards risk reduction and faster response, with Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain describing the new model as “simpler and fairer for all Australians.”

Burdekin Shire Council officials called claims of faster disaster funding delivery a “misinformation campaign”, arguing existing arrangements already provide councils with upfront funding support during disaster recovery.

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They also argued the proposed cost sharing reforms would only muddy responsibility and increase the financial burden on regional councils in disaster-prone regions.

“No one really knows who's going to pick up the bill,” said Director of Infrastructure, Planning and Environmental Services James Stewart.

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“It's just the Federal Government is saying, ‘well, we're not picking it up’, leaving it down to state or local government to make up the remainder.”

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Based on previous disaster seasons, Mr Magin estimated that funding shortfall to be in the order of hundreds of millions of dollars in Queensland alone.

“Can the state afford to double their contribution? Probably not—so they're going to come knocking on the door of the 77 councils in Queensland, and that could have a massive impact on our ratepayers,” he said.

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Mr Magin said the current arrangements had been instrumental in the Burdekin’s recovery from the 2025 tropical low that shook the region.

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He speculated that, had the proposed reforms been in place at the time, a rate hike of up to 10 per cent was entirely plausible.

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“In the last disaster season, [the proposed arrangements] would have cost [Burdekin Shire Council] an extra $3 million,” Mr Magin said.

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“A 1 per cent rate increase for us is around $300,000. So if we had to pay $3 million, that's a 10 per cent rate increase—and that's without anything else we have to put rates up for.

“It's really quite scary.”

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Council also raised concerns over changes to disaster funding qualification thresholds.

The current arrangements allow individual councils to access federal assistance once eligible disaster costs exceed around $230,000. Under the proposed reforms, costs from all councils affected by a disaster event would instead need to accumulate to $2.7 million before the Commonwealth stepped in.

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Betterment funding would also be capped at 15 per cent per damaged asset, where the current systems allow access to a broader funding pool determined by the scale of each event.

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Mr Magin and Mr Stewart warned the combination of changes could have serious consequences for local infrastructure.

“There will be some councils that simply won't be able to repair the roads. They’ll be sitting there in disrepair, and the public will have to drive over them,” Mr Magin said.

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“If a particular road keeps getting washed out, people will ask: ‘why don't you repair it properly? Why don't you bitumen it? Why don't you put concrete in?’ That’s where councils used to have the ability to apply for that funding, but no longer can,” Mr Stewart added.

Council Mayor Pierina Dalle Cort said towns would also be left looking “shanty.”

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She argued the reforms would leave North Queensland communities behind, stressing the implications extended beyond councils.

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“We're not feeling the love,” she said.

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“They're not just hurting us at council—they’re hurting the whole community, and putting more people in harm’s way.

“There are many pots of money out there that they should be drawing back on instead of disaster management.”

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Mayor Dalle Cort said her letters to the Prime Minister, federal ministers, and senators rebuking the proposals had garnered no response.

She appeared on the panel at July’s Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) Coastal Leaders Forum in the Whitsundays as councils congregated to discuss regional issues, including the DRFA.

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The forum follows months of LGAQ-led pushback, including advocacy efforts at the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly in Canberra, where councils called on the Commonwealth to reconsider the proposed changes.

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The matter remains ongoing, with the LGAQ preparing a statewide sector submission opposing the proposed changes. Feedback from Queensland councils will inform the submission, due to be lodged with the National Emergency Management Authority on the 19th August.

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