Joint media release with the Hon Joe Szakacs MP
Almost $5 million in funding is now available for projects aimed to help South Australians better prepare for natural hazards, and reduce their risk and impact.
They include exploring options to help people on low incomes to insure their properties against natural disasters, and assessing the effectiveness of 'cool refuges' during heatwaves.
Thirteen projects have received joint Australian and South Australian government-funded Disaster Risk Reduction Grants, which, combined with co-contributions from recipients, means a total of $4.87 million will be invested in disaster risk reduction.
Successful projects include:
- Preparing primary industries for the impacts of compounding and complex disasters (Department of Primary Industries and Regions), $770,000 to take an industry-led approach to explore the risks of compounding and cascading disasters on people, production, profitability and supply chains.
- Building a flash flood forecasting and warning capability and enhancing riverine flood forecasting and warning services in South Australia (Department for Environment and Water), $245,000 to pilot flash flood forecasting systems for two catchments in Adelaide to test innovative flood warning capabilities.
- Exploring the feasibility of establishing a Not for Profit Microinsurance Provider for South Australia (Good Shepherd), $142,500 to look at the feasibility of establishing a not for profit, mutual microinsurance scheme, to cover home, contents and vehicle insurance for people on low incomes.
- Disaster resilience training for SA community museums (ArtLab Australia), a $138,157 pilot project aimed at strengthening disaster resilience in small metropolitan and regional museums that are prone to disasters by providing training and resources to staff and volunteers.
- Youth in Emergencies Development Program (Australian Red Cross), $654,630 to create a community of young, informed changemakers in the emergency preparedness landscape to provide leadership and influence future policy and practice.
- Cool Refuge (Campbelltown City Council), $50,400 to understand the extent of cool refuge needs to manage the impact of heatwaves, in particular council-owned air-conditioned public spaces such as the libraries and recreation centres.
The Disaster Risk Reduction Grants program forms part of the National Partnership Agreement on Disaster Risk Reduction - an agreement between the Commonwealth and all states and territories to reduce the risk and impact of natural disasters in line with the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework.
For a full list of South Australian Disaster Risk Reduction Grants, please visit Emergency Management.
Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Senator the Hon Murray Watt:
- All sectors of the community have a role to play in reducing disaster risk so that we can collectively strengthen resilience and minimise the toll disasters have on
- The willingness of South Australians to take collective action is clear from the calibre of the projects funded under this program - they include both ground up community initiatives and larger scale projects that address significant risks to the state.
Quotes attributable to SA Minister for Emergency Services, the Hon Joe Szakacs MP:
- It's pleasing to see funding for the first ever cultural heritage disaster mitigation project in South Australia under this Agreement.
- The critical importance of this is currently being highlighted in our state with the potential for flooding to impact on the Mannum Dock Museum in the Riverland.
