Areas of Tasmania that were decimated by flooding in June 2016 have been given an additional $2.15 million in disaster funding to help restore the area and boost mitigation.
Minister for Justice, Michael Keenan, and deputy premier, Jeremy Rockliff, announced the extra funding, which will be provided through the jointly-funded Commonwealth-State Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).
The severe storms, which impacted the Mersey-Dasher river system and caused almost $200 million worth of damage, saw some of the worst flooding in parts of the state for two decades.
Rockliff said that the additional funding was important for the region as it focused on “reducing the impact of future flood events and building the resilience of the Mersey-Dasher river system.”
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“This welcome addition to existing Tasmanian Government funded river recovery programs, such as the Agricultural Landscape Rehabilitation Scheme, will ensure river systems, including the Mersey, have the best chances of recovery and future resilience,” he said.
The funding comes as the insurance industry calls for the Government at both state and federal level to offer more mitigation funding. While much of the focus has been on Far North Queensland, other areas of the country could also benefit from additional spending on mitigation to lower insurance prices and boost resilience.
The additional $2.15 million builds on other work at both state and federal level. Grants of up to $10,000 have been awarded for primary producers in nine LGAs to assist with clean-up and restoration, while freight subsidies of up to $15,000 per annum for primary producers have also been levied.
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