August 24, 2018
South Burnett Regional Council will receive $208,000 from the Federal and State governments towards the cost of repairing damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Debbie in March 2017.
The announcement was made by State Development Minister Cameron Dick on Friday.
Mr Dick said the money to restore Manar and Broad Creek roads was part of the $41.85 million 2017 Betterment Fund, jointly funded under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).
“In rural areas, regional roads often provide the only link for residents and producers to transport goods and access essential services like schools, shops and emergency assistance,” Mr Dick said.
“The $208,000 in Betterment funding will allow South Burnett Regional Council to restore Manar and Broad Creek roads to a more resilient standard, improving access for local residents and reducing disruption to businesses.
“This funding will complement over $83,600 previously approved under the NDRRA Restoration of Essential Public Assets program for emergent works to ensure the roads were safe to reopen soon after Tropical Cyclone Debbie, while Betterment works will strengthen the roads to withstand future weather events.”
South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell said the funding would contribute towards two projects with a total project value of more than $344,200 to build the region’s resilience to natural disasters.
“I would like to thank the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments for supporting restoration works on Broad Creek Road and Manar Road,” he said.
“This will include replacing and extending the existing floodways, and replacing the existing pipe culverts with larger box culverts to withstand the water flow during heavy rainfall.
“Increasing the resilience of these roads will minimise the time and frequency the road is inaccessible and reduce future damage and restoration costs.”
In April last year, the Mayor estimated Cyclone Debbie caused $500,000 damage to the region’s public infrastructure.
Council submitted three projects to the 2017 Resilient Infrastructure (Betterment) Fund for funding: Manar Road, Johnstons Road and Broad Creek Road.
Under NDRRA arrangements, the Council was obliged to pay the first $160,000 of the damage bill out of its own pocket, with NDRRA making up the balance.
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