Disaster Risk Reduction Package

On this page

Disaster Risk Reduction Package

Lowering disaster risk

In March 2020, federal, state and territory governments agreed to invest together. They put $261 million into a Disaster Risk Reduction Package. It started in 2019 and ended on June 30, 2024. We were responsible for managing the Disaster Risk Reduction Package.

They've since made a new Disaster Ready Fund. It will give up to $1 billion over five years from 2023-24.

The package aimed to:

  • lower current natural disaster risks
  • reduce future risks
  • give decision-makers better risk-reduction tools and information.

National Partnership Agreement

The Australian Government set up the National Partnership Agreement on Disaster Risk Reduction.

State and territory plans

Under the agreement, the government gave $104.4 million to states and territories to reduce risk:

Projects of national significance

The government also spent $26.1 million on national risk-reduction projects.

There were four funding rounds.

Project Purpose Partner Amount
Bushfire boundary mapping and tropical cyclone impact modelling Improves bushfire burnt area data Geoscience Australia $250,000
Bushfire Surveyor Application Suite Community apps to report bushfire damage and risks CSIRO $180,000
Federated climate information capability Centralised system to help experts access climate data

NEMA;
University of Tasmania

 

 $500,000
National Bushfire Intelligence Capability Standardised system for bushfire risk information CSIRO $1,500,000
Prototype smoke forecasting capability Prototype system to predict smoke buildup and send public messages CSIRO;
Bureau of Meteorology		 $1,800,000
Project Purpose Partner Amount
Australian Warning System community education and engagement program Education program to boost public awareness of warning messages

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services;

Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council

 $2,000,000
Bushfire Resilience Star Rating App to help make homes safer from bushfires

NEMA;

Bushfire Building Council of Australia

 $3,000,000
Bushfire Surveyor App Suite App for experts to assess bushfire damage and causes CSIRO $271,000
Community evacuation risk hotspot tool Online tool to plan better evacuations CSIRO $500,000
Cultural heritage vulnerability to bushfire Framework to protect Aboriginal heritage from bushfires NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment $170,000
Prototype smoke forecasting capability Engagement and outreach for the national prototype smoke forecasting capability. CSIRO $326,000
Project Purpose Partner Amount
Australian Smoke Dispersion System Create a national smoke forecasting system Australian Bureau of Meteorology $2,319,156
Building Resilience: National Construction Code Baseline Assessment Review the code to improve building resilience Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources;
Australian Building Codes Board		 $150,000
Climate Change Risk Analysis of Priority Infrastructure: Pilot Project Test how climate change affects important infrastructure South Australia Department for Environment and Water $426,000
Disability Inclusive Emergency Management Help people with disabilities prepare for emergencies NEMA; Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney $1,740,000
Disaster Risk Information Portal A portal for state and local governments to manage disaster risks better Queensland Fire and Emergency Services $790,000
Emergency Risk Assessment Methodology Make a repeatable process to review emergency risks across states Emergency Management Victoria $180,000
Enhanced National Climate Scenarios Develop storylines to help communities prepare and respond to disaster risk Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment; University of Tasmania $559,760
Expanded Strategic Partnership Model for the Bushfire Centre of Excellence Improve bushfire management with more partnerships Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services $260,000
Expanding the Australian Rainfall and Runoff Guidelines: Supplementary Guidance Update intense rainfall and flooding guidelines for the construction and engineering sectors Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment $455,000
Hosting of the Centre of Excellence for Prescribed Burning Relaunch the centre with new programs including bushfire training and information sharing. Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services $403,940
National Fire Behaviour Analyst Pre-Course Online Training Module Create foundational training for Fire Behaviour Analysts Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning $120,000
National Leadership Educational eLearning Modules for Disaster Risk Reduction Develop foundational training for disaster risk reduction leaders Emergency Management Victoria $660,000
Partnering with local communities in regional Australia to increase resilience to flood risk Develop a framework to use nature to reduce flood impacts on communities

NEMA;

Australian National University

 $1,507,039
Resilience Valuation Initiative to support investment decisions in resilience or disaster risk reduction Create tools to encourage resilience understanding and investment NEMA; Climate-KIC Australia $200,000
Updating CoastAdapt – Australia's Coastal Adaptation Knowledge Platform Update the platform with latest tools and information for coastal decision-making Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment; National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Griffith University $667,400
Project Purpose Partner Amount
Coordination of drone research and operational capability Improve use of drones to reduce bushfire risk Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts $210,000
Telecommunications resilience investment pilot Show how the telecommunications sector can collaborate to reduce disaster risk CSIRO $2,469,000
Enhancing Bureau of Meteorology warnings Develop consistent weather warnings in line with the Australian Warning System Bureau of Meteorology $1,274,100
Improve accessibility of disaster risk and preparedness information for households and communities Make disaster info easier to understand for people with diverse backgrounds Queensland Reconstruction Authority $1,500,000
Australian flood intelligence capability development Create nationwide flood intelligence predictive requirements and services Tasmania Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management $242,000

Hear from Disaster Risk Reduction Package recipients

Last updated