Ipswich continues to lead the way in disaster preparedness and flood mitigation and increased response capacity after council’s catchment plan was recognised at the National Awards for Local Government.
The Ipswich Integrated Catchment Plan, the most detailed study ever undertaken by council to make sure the community is ready and resilient for flood, took out the award in the Disaster Preparedness category.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said council also picked up an Honourable Mention in the Women in Local Government category.
“The Ipswich Integrated Catchment Plan is the result of two-and-a-half years of investigation and is the most comprehensive flood study ever undertaken in Ipswich for prevention and mitigation of future flooding events.
“The plan makes 68 recommendations designed to help the community build flood resilience and we are already working our way through those.
“Council also received an honourable mention in the Women in Local Government category for its efforts in supporting women in leadership positions and mentoring up-and-coming female leaders.”
“Across council, besides myself, five out of nine councillor positions are held by women, 44 per cent of employees are women and 41 per cent of senior leadership roles are held by women,” Mayor Harding said.
“It takes a team effort, a great culture and a can-do attitude to achieve awards like these, so we are very proud of all council staff on our success.
“The National Awards for Local Government are an annual celebration of the best Australian local government achievements, and we are so pleased to be recognised for this very important work.”
The Queensland and Australian Governments developed the $741 million Resilient Homes Fund, which the Voluntary Home Buy Back program is a part of, to assist those who were affected by the 2021-2022 floods.
Under the Resilient Homes Fund, funding is available to assist eligible flood-affected homeowners to:
- Repair or retrofit homes
- Raise flood affected homes
- Apply to have their homes bought on a voluntary basis
To register your interest in the Resilient Homes Fund visit the QRA website.
Environment and Sustainability Chairperson Councillor Russell Milligan said the Ipswich Integrated Catchment Plan continued to be extremely important and relevant to Ipswich.
“Floods are a reality of life in Ipswich, and for this plan to be recognised at a national level is a testament to the quality of work undertaken,” Cr Milligan said.
“The plan is a detailed body of work across six diverse chapters, being land use and planning, physical mitigation, community awareness and resilience, emergency management, property specific actions and current and future flood risk.
“The plan started because of the Queensland Flood Commission of Inquiry and it was developed with state and commonwealth funding.
“However, it has gone above and beyond, offering a holistic approach that recognised the most effective way of building flood resilience is to integrate the full spectrum of flood risk and catchment planning.”
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