Registrations open for the $741 million Resilient Homes Fund

Queenslanders whose homes were damaged by floods can now register to access grants to raise, repair, retrofit or have their home voluntarily bought back.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the $741 million Resilient Homes Fund will help make Queensland homes more flood resilient.

“So many Queenslanders homes were ravaged by the recent floods across parts of Queensland,” The Premier said.

“This is the largest home resilience program of its kind to ever be delivered in Australia.

“We can’t stop floods from occurring, but we can take steps to reduce their impact.

“Queenslanders whose homes were damaged by floods will be able to access grants to rebuild more resilient homes, raise homes or buy back homes at high risk.”

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said Queensland is the most disaster-impacted state in Australia, with flooding being the highest risk to our community.

“This isn’t just about building back, it’s about building back better,” Mr Miles said.

“We know from initial assessments following the South East Queensland floods that there were nearly 7,000 homes with some degree of damage and more than 3,600 of these were uninhabitable.

“That’s why we fought so hard to ensure we could provide as much support to as many flood-affected Queenslanders as possible.

“Grants will be available to assist Queensland homeowners to repair or retrofit their homes to incorporate flood resilient design and to raise homes to reduce the impacts of future flood events.”

Minister for Public Works Mick de Brenni said building back better meant incorporating resilient building design and materials to significantly reduce the effort, cost and time to help Queenslanders back into their homes now and in the future.

“The damage to homes from the rain-bomb event has been widespread and whilst homeowners have experienced different types of damage, every home can be re-built to be far less vulnerable to future flood events,” Mr de Brenni said.

“This is a nation-leading program, which is being designed to help those Queenslanders who’ve experienced the trauma of their home being flooded, the confidence they need to get their lives back to normal.

“It is a significant program and we’re working with councils, industry and insurers to ensure the right assistance is provided to maximise the benefit to every affected homeowner.

“We’re now asking flood-affected Queenslanders within the eligible local government areas who are interested in a voluntary buy-back, house raising or retrofitting for resilience following the floods, to come forward, register their details and that will trigger the start of the process.”

State Recovery Coordinator Major General Jake Ellwood said over the past few months he had travelled throughout the South East speaking to hundreds of Queenslanders who were impacted by the floods.

“A lot of the people I’ve spoken to have strong connections to their local community and just want to make their homes more resilient – either by retrofitting or raising them above the flood level, while others want to sell their homes and make a fresh start somewhere else,” Major General Ellwood said.

“It’s fantastic to see that the Resilient Homes Fund will give people options when it comes to rebuilding, raising or selling their homes, which is important because every individual has different needs and priorities.

“It will give hope to people who’ve had their lives turned upside down and will also significantly enhance the resilience of some of the state’s most vulnerable communities,” he said.

The Queensland Government has worked closely with the Commonwealth, insurers and representatives from the building industry to help inform the program and ensure its rollout as quickly as possible.

The Department of Energy and Public Works will lead the delivery of the retrofitting and house-raising component of the program, whilst the Queensland Reconstruction Authority will manage any voluntary buy-backs together with local governments.

The $741 million Resilient Homes Fund is being delivered through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Fast Facts

What funding is available?

Rebuilding more resilient homes

Grants will be available to assist eligible homeowners to repair or retrofit their homes to incorporate flood resilient design and materials. This could include replacement of floor coverings with a water-resistant finish such as tiles or polished concrete and moving power outlets to above recognised flood levels.

Raising homes

Grants will be available to eligible homeowners to raise homes to reduce the impacts of future flood events by lifting living areas and rooms above the defined flood level.

Buying back homes

In high-risk situations where repairing, retrofitting or raising are not considered suitable options, a voluntary buy-back of the residence will be considered.

Voluntary home buy-backs will be on a case-by-case basis and will consider a range of factors including the frequency of flooding, severity of flooding, structural safety of the property, future flood risk and broader social impacts.

Who can apply?

Queensland homeowners across 37 local government areas whose property was inundated as a result of any of the three major floods in 2021-22 including the South East Queensland floods (22 February 2022 onwards); the ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth floods (29 December 2021 – 10 January 2022); and the Central, Southern and Western Queensland flooding (10 November – 3 December 2021).

How do I register?

Register your interest at www.qld.gov.au/resilienthomes 

ENDS

Media contact:

Amy Hunter, 0423 651 484 (Deputy Premier’s office)