Funding to help make Queensland homes more resilient, put downward pressure on insurance premiums

• Popular Household Resilience Program now open to help strengthen more homes at risk from severe weather.
• The program, which helps low-income Northern Queensland homeowners carry out work to protect their homes from cyclones, has been expanded to fund up to 80 per cent of approved resilience works.
• Maximum grant limits increased to $15,000 to reflect building industry challenges.
• The program is supported by funding from Round One of the Albanese Government’s flagship Disaster Ready Fund.
• Homeowners report the program is placing downward pressure on insurance premiums.

A popular program which helps low-income Queenslanders living in cyclone-prone coastal communities to make older homes stronger and safer has now opened for a fresh phase of funding, with increased grants to assist with cost of living pressures.

Launching today (April 15), the fourth phase of the Household Resilience Program is funded through a $20 million commitment from the Albanese Government’s flagship Disaster Ready Fund and builds on over $50 million of Queensland Government investment to date.

This latest phase follows the end of the cyclone season and is expected to enable resilience works for more homes within 50km of the coastline between Bundaberg and the Queensland/Northern Territory border.

To date, the program has provided financial assistance to more than 4400 Queensland households to help ensure houses built prior to 1984 are better able to withstand severe weather.

Homeowners who have had resilience works approved since the initiative began in 2018 and who have negotiated with their insurers have reported average premium savings of 9 per cent.

The program’s first three funding phases provided up to $11,250 to help cover 75 per cent of the costs of approved works such as roof upgrades, garage door replacements, upgrading external structures, solid core doors as well as the installation of cyclone shutters or window screens. 

The next phase increases the maximum available assistance to $15,000, with a minimum homeowner contribution of 20 per cent, to help with cost of living and reflecting building industry challenges such as rising materials costs.

Already, over 2000 households have registered their interest in applying for this next program phase, which will remain open until funding is exhausted.

Quotes attributable to Federal Special Envoy for Disaster Recovery, Senator Tony Sheldon:

“We know that members of the community have been eagerly waiting for this announcement and we’re really excited to be able to open applications this month.”

“Through Round One of our flagship Disaster Ready Fund, we’ve partnered with the Queensland Government to further extend the funding made available through previous phases so that even more Queenslanders looking to retrofit their homes can reduce their disaster risk and potentially create savings on their insurance premiums.

“This feeds into some of the work that we’re doing more broadly with some of Australia’s biggest insurers through the Hazards Insurance Partnership to put downward pressure on insurance premiums and increase availability of coverage in communities at risk of natural hazards.

“The Albanese Government is proud to support Queenslanders through this program, which has a stellar record of providing positive practical and economic outcomes for people whose homes may be vulnerable to tropical cyclones.”

Quotes attributable to Queensland Minister for Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works Meaghan Scanlon:  

“Queensland has experienced over 100 major disaster events since 2011 and the science tells us they are increasing in both frequency and severity.

“The Household Resilience Program demonstrates how the Miles Government is taking real action to help Queenslanders make their homes more resilient to those severe weather events.

“Importantly, it will also help Queensland homeowners with the cost of living by putting downwards pressure on their insurance premiums.

“And contractors who are paid the grant funding direct have applauded the benefits of boosting their cash flows as well as their capacity to invest more locally and employ more staff.

“We’re not only building more homes through our Homes for Queenslanders plan, we’re also making homes more resilient and helping Queenslanders with the cost of living.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Fire and Disaster Recovery Nikki Boyd:

“Extreme weather takes an enormous toll on Queenslanders, both financially and emotionally.

“The Household Resilience Program is another way our government is putting protections in place to reduce the costs of disaster response and recovery.

“Many of the low-income households who have received this assistance to date are aged over 55, a third are aged over 65, and up to 10 per cent are uninsured.

“The fact this program has already helped so many vulnerable households tells a fantastic story of success.”

Further information:

Household Resilience Program

The Household Resilience Program assists low-income owner-occupiers who live in homes built before 1984 and located within 50km of the coastline from Bundaberg to the Queensland/Northern Territory border, to undertake building works that make their homes more resilient to extreme weather, especially cyclones.

To date, the program has awarded grants to 671 applicants in the Bundaberg region, 343 in Rockhampton region, 456 in the Mackay region, 2095 in Townsville region and 904 in the Cairns region.

• Phase 1 was announced July 2018 with $20 million funded by the Queensland Government – 1,748 grants awarded for works totalling $29.7m. Homeowners reported an average 8.2% reduction in insurance premiums with an average grant value of $10.386.
• Phase 2 was announced May 2020 with $21.25m co-funded by Federal ($10m) and Queensland ($11,25m) governments – 1,777 grants awarded for works totalling $31.2 million. Homeowners reported an average 9% reduction in insurance premiums and average grant value of $10,513.
• Phase 3 was announced June 2022 with $20m funded by Queensland Government – 944 grants awarded for works totalling $ 20,23 m. Homeowners reported an average 13.3% reduction in insurance premiums and average grants value of $10,856.
• Phase 4 was announced on 03 June 2023 with a further $20m funded by the Federal Government. Over 2000 registrations of interest have been received for Phase 4 and applications are scheduled to open on 15 April 2024.

For more information on the Household Resilience Program, please visit: www.qld.gov.au/strongerhomes

Disaster Ready Fund (DRF)

The Albanese Government is investing up to $1 billion over five years from 2023-24 to reduce risks, lower recovery costs and build community resilience to extreme weather events. The DRF complements the vast range of recovery initiatives jointly funded by the Albanese and Miles Governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

More information on the Disaster Ready Fund can be found on NEMA’s website.

ENDS