Support for communities impacted by disaster

More than 740 organisations across the state have been successful in receiving a share of almost $30 million thanks to the Gambling Community Benefit Fund (GCBF) Disaster Recovery Round.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Shannon Fentiman said this round was the biggest in the fund’s history with grants of up to $100,000 to support groups hit hard by recent natural disasters.

 “When local community groups are impacted by a natural disaster it impacts the entire community,” the Minister said.

“That’s why we announced this super-sized round to give those organisations a helping hand to get back up on their feet.

“It’s wonderful to see 276 grants have been awarded to local organisations who have been impacted by recent natural disasters such as the South-East Queensland floods earlier this year and Ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth.

“When I announced the opening of the Disaster Round at the Brothers St Brendan’s Rugby League Club in April, I saw first-hand the devastating damage to the club from the February floods.

“It’s fantastic to see they have been successful in receiving more than $86,000 to undertake field irrigation repairs and relocate electrical switchboards to the second floor of the club.”

The Minister said many of the organisations are using their grant to be better prepared for future natural disasters.

“The grants are not only helping organisations replace damaged items and undertake repairs, but also become more resilient against future weather events.

“The Bundaberg SES will be upgrading their sandbagging facility and providing extra training for volunteers, the Texas Jockey Club in Goondiwindi plan to build new toilets above the flood levels, and the Deception Bay State High School P&C will install drainage on their school oval.

Applications from community groups for other non-recovery related projects were still accepted in this round, however the funding for successful projects not linked to a natural disaster have been limited to the standard grant amount of up to $35,000.

This fund is Queensland's largest one-off community grants program and supports not-for-profit community groups to deliver better services and projects that benefit their local community.

For more information on how to apply, or to see the full list of recipients from Round 114 visit: https://www.justice.qld.gov.au/initiatives/community-grants

 Media contact: Clare Barnes 0497 829 747