Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills and Federal Member for McPherson, the Hon Karen Andrews MP has welcomed today’s Commonwealth-State joint-funding announcement to assist the McPherson community to build resilience to natural disasters.
The project is jointly supported with Commonwealth and Queensland State Government
funding as part of the $52 million national partnership agreement on natural
disaster resilience.
“The funding from the Federal and State Governments
will go towards the renewal of a concrete lined drain between Boyd and
Kitchener Street, Tugun, which forms part of the flood mitigation system within
the Coolangatta Creek catchment,” Minister Andrews said.
“The upgrade of the drain will help prevent flooding which affects residents in the
Tugun area during extreme weather events.
“It is important that the Gold Coast has the best safe guards in place when natural
disasters occur. These safe guards provide peace of mind for the community when
extreme weather systems come through the Gold Coast.”
Minister for Justice Michael Keenan said while
the nature and size of the country’s landscape meant that natural hazards were
a fact of life in Australia, communities are stepping up efforts to manage
natural disaster risks.
“Preparing for, withstanding and recovering
from disasters is not something the Government can do alone – we need everyone
in the community to get involved,” Mr Keenan said.
“This funding encourages a partnership approach to disaster resilience, with funding
recipients helping to build a culture of shared responsibility with
governments.”
The Federal and State Governments have funded more
than $2.1 million for this project.
