Five Queensland council areas heavily affected by last year’s bushfires are to share more than $6 million to deliver locally developed projects.
They include the Livingstone Shire Council, the Mareeba Shire Council, the Noosa Shire Council, the Scenic Rim Regional Councils, and the Somerset Regional Council.
The projects are being supported through the $36.8 million Local Economic Recovery (LER) program for Queensland, which is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Funding and projects approved under the first round of the LER Program:
- $2 million design and construct a four-megalitre concrete potable water supply reservoir and associated infrastructure in Livingstone Shire Council;
- $1.69 million to open an underground water source near Chillagoe in Mareeba Shire Council;
- $1.61 million to improve and create new links within a priority section of Noosa’s hinterland trails network in Noosa Shire Council;
- $67,500 to upgrade facilities in the Boonah Cultural and Community Hub in Scenic Rim Regional Council;
- $635,000 to construct Stages 1 and 2 of the Mount Glen Rock Recreation and Nature Reserve development in Somerset Regional Council.
In related news, the first five community projects to receive funding under the LER program for Victoria have been announced.
The projects include:
- $1,080,075 to begin work upgrading East Gippsland community facilities such as public halls and recreation reserve buildings;
- $190,000 to restore and expand the Cudgewa tennis facility;
- $128,700 to re-establish a tree-lined avenue in Tintaldra commemorating the sacrifice and service of residents in World War I and the township’s resilience during the 2020 bushfires;
- $120,000 to build a pedestrian bridge joining Harrietville with the east branch of the Ovens; and
- $40,000 to create three large murals in Mount Beauty to reflect community pride and create a significant new point of interest for tourists traveling through the town.
The Commonwealth and the Victorian Governments have each provided $34.3 million to the LER program for projects and programs in East Gippsland, Wellington, Towong, Mansfield, Alpine, Wodonga, Indigo, Wangaratta.
Funding is being released in stages over the next 12 to 18 months so applicants have time to plan and prepare. Funding will be allocated across the two categories of regional economic initiatives and local community projects.