The Federal and Queensland governments have pledged $A315 million to help Queensland’s local councils repair utilities and infrastructure in the wake of the recent floods and Cyclone Yasi.
The Queensland Local Council Package aims to ensure that disaster-affected communities have the water and sewage facilities, transport infrastructure and employment support they need to recover as quickly as possible.
The package has two components.
Firstly, the Federal and Queensland Governments will provide up to
$A265 million to the Queensland Reconstruction Authority to fast-track the repair of damaged infrastructure across Queensland.
As part of the recovery effort, severely damaged water and sewage infrastructure owned by local government will be prioritised.
In addition, an upfront payment of $A50 million will be made available to help regional and remote councils employ people to perform important clean-up and repair work, with the option to provide further funding for employment if required.
The Queensland Government said that the package recognises the unique circumstances of many rural and regional councils in Queensland, which face difficulty in accessing contract labour due to their distance from major centres and competition with the mining industry.
Local Government Association of Queensland President Paul Bell said Treasurer Wayne Swan’s announcement of the relief package to support the state’s reconstruction effort was just the lift Queenslanders needed as they continued the job of putting what Premier Anna Bligh has termed the “summer of sorrow” behind them.
Mr Bell said it was especially pleasing that rural and remote councils had been given help by Canberra to retain work crews needed to repair flood-damaged roads and bridges.
