Media Release

Federal Labor has vowed to invest up to $200 million per year on disaster prevention and resilience.

RACQ CEO David Carter said the Club was pleased to see this important issue high on agenda. 

“We’ve long argued Australia, and Queensland, have fallen behind in delivering funding levels needed to protect vulnerable and high-risk communities,” Mr Carter said. 

“Many of our over 1.7 million members have witnessed firsthand the impacts of disasters. This week we’re again assisting those in parts of the State including Maryborough recover from another severe weather event. 

“Putting the right measures in place to address disaster risk will not only improve the affordability of insurance for customers and build stronger regional economies, but it will save lives and that’s why this pledge is so important.” 

Mr Carter said RACQ called for similar funding commitments from all levels of government for there to be real change. 

“A Productivity Commission back in 2015 recognised there was significant work to be done to correct the imbalance between recovery funding and mitigation funding,” he said. 

“This $200 million commitment has the potential to make a huge difference in the lives of our members who live with high disaster risk every day. However, we need a combination of initiatives to enable lasting, sustainable improvements for Queensland. 

“Alongside additional funding, collaboration and commitment from all three levels of government around planning and development will be vital. This includes supporting Queenslanders to make a successful transition to lower emissions and decarbonising transport. 

“We know Queensland is the most vulnerable State in Australia when it comes to growing climate impacts and we strongly argue for any mitigation investment fund to prioritise spending where it is needed most.”