More than $215,000 in community grants awarded to regional and rural Queensland projects

It has been almost 10 months since Ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper crossed the Far North coast and nine months since Ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily hit the sunshine state causing widespread destruction.

To help remote, rural and regional communities recover and rebuild, Suncorp and the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) have awarded $216,269 in grants to 12 community projects.

Funded through the Rebuilding Futures program, the 12 grants will enable local not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) to invest in community infrastructure and equipment, strengthen organisational capacity and provide improved access to services and activities.

Suncorp Chief Executive Consumer Insurance Lisa Harrison said these grants would support community-led recovery projects for regional Queensland communities impacted by severe weather events.

“We are proud to be able to help these communities get back on their feet and recover from Tropical Cyclones Kirrily and Jasper,” Ms Harrison said. 

"Recovery from an extreme weather event, like a cyclone or flooding, takes time, and this round of grants from FRRR and Suncorp demonstrates that each community’s journey is different.

“Given it is less than a year since Cyclone Jasper and Cyclone Kirrily reached the Queensland coast, it is understandable that groups are focused on responding to the needs of locals, based on their community’s recovery, preparedness and prevention priorities.” 

FRRR’s Disaster Resilience & Recovery Lead Nina O’Brien said the timing of these grants was critical for communities to be proactive and prepare for the upcoming storm season. 

“While the weather cannot be prevented, the impact of disasters can be lessened through good planning," she said. 

"For some Queensland community groups, like the Cape York Folk Club, Juunjuwarra Aboriginal Corporation and Mt Garnet Golf Club, those practical activities include cyclone-proofing facilities and upgrading infrastructure to withstand the damage of potential extreme weather events. 

“For Surf Life Saving Queensland’s North Barrier and North Queensland Branches, this means building capacity with volunteer training and flood rescue equipment to support and prepare them to respond to their community in future disasters."

Ms O'Brien said in this round of applications, remote communities and groups joined forces to better support their regions’ recovery.

“These collaborative projects, such as Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC’s Kuku Bakal Kaykayanda (Giving Words to all the Children) initiative, illustrate the varying stages of recovery that communities are at, and the challenges that remote NFPs face when supporting people through the recovery journey," she said. 

“All of the funded projects are a great demonstration of the on-the-ground resilience and preparedness mindset of regional Queensland, with communities seeking to ‘build back better’ so that they can sustain their way of life and recover effectively from disaster experiences."

To date, the Rebuilding Futures program has distributed more than $1.2 million to 74 community NFPs across the country.

The full list of recipients and their projects is available on FRRR’s website.