Guidelines for the community infrastructure funding stream of the $600 million Preparing Australia Program have been published ahead of applications opening in December.
Grants of between $20,000 to $10 million will be available for proponents of projects which help communities “assess and plan for disaster risk, increase capacity and raise awareness of disaster risk, or deliver resilient infrastructure”.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the $600 million program in May after recommendations by the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements for a greater focus on disaster risk reduction.
Two-thirds of the funding earmarked for the Preparing Australia Program will be for projects of local and national significance, with one-third or $200 million reserved for the “Preparing Australian Homes Program”.
Releasing details of the communities program this week, Federal Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience Minister Bridget McKenzie said projects and activities could include community-scale flood and bushfire risk assessments, communications initiatives that build awareness, and infrastructure to mitigate disaster risks like levees, bridges or community refuges.
“I encourage communities to collaborate, think about their disaster risk and check the guidelines to start preparing an application now,” Senator McKenzie said.
Click here for the guidelines, FAQs, a sample application form, and support resources.
Applications will open on 10 December 2021 and close on 6 January 2022; with successful projects to begin by mid-2022.
Details of the Preparing Australian Homes Program have been postponed because of a spike in the price of building supplies and materials.