Queensland councils will share in $88 million to bolster disaster resilience for critical transport infrastructure in remote regions.
A suite of airstrip, port, and ferry landing upgrades have been greenlit under the Crucial Access Links Program.
Funded through efficiencies under the joint Commonwealth–state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), the program targets vital access points that repeatedly fail under extreme weather pressure.
Administered by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA), the program was informed by Regional Resilience Strategies and Local Resilience Action Plans submitted by councils.
Projects span from runway rehabilitation to flood immunity upgrades, designed to ensure continued access to food, fuel and emergency services during and after cyclones, floods and prolonged isolation events.
More than half the funding is directed toward airstrip upgrades across northern and western Queensland, with the Northern Peninsula Airport runway upgrade ($18.16 million), Richmond Airstrip ($13.1 million) and Quilpie Airport ($11.6 million) among the largest allocations. The Daintree Ferry landing will also receive $8.5 million to support improved all-weather access.
Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain said the program would “ensure that wherever someone lives they can rely on the crucial infrastructure assets in their area.”
“These councils have identified the lessons from challenges that isolation can pose,” she said.
“Strengthening these access points will make it easier for authorities to deliver essential supplies when they’re needed most.”
Ann Leahy, Queensland’s Minister for Disaster Recovery, said “some of our most remote communities can be isolated for weeks following an extreme weather event,” adding the investment “will help safeguard communities and keep them connected in a disaster.”
The Crucial Access Links Program includes major works in 15 council areas, including flood immunity works on key bridges and chlorine dosing and fuel storage system upgrades in Lockhart River.
QRA will now oversee delivery in collaboration with the respective councils.
