On 18 April 2024, the Queensland Parliament passed the Clean Economy Jobs Act 2024 (the Act). The Act legislates Queensland's emissions reduction targets, including net zero emissions by 2050.

• The Act requires the government to develop emissions reduction plans that will support achievement of the targets. These plans will detail priorities for key sectors of the Queensland economy to support the transition to net zero.

The Act requires that:

• emission reduction plans are developed in consultation with stakeholders
• the program of emission reduction plans is reviewed every five years to ensure the plans are fit for purpose and represent a robust pathway to meet the state’s emission reduction targets
• an annual progress statement be tabled in Parliament outlining how the state is tracking towards its targets.
  • As required by the Act, a Clean Economy Expert Panel has been established to provide advice to government on achieving the state’s targets.

Queensland’s coast is a significant natural resource and provides valuable ecosystem services that support the state’s economic and social development.

The Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995:

• provides for the protection, conservation, rehabilitation and management of the coastal zone, including its resources and biological diversity
• works with the Planning Act 2016 to guide land use planning and development assessment decisions on Queensland’s coast.

The Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995 provides for the declaration of:

• Erosion Prone Areas: areas subject to sea erosion or expected to be inundated by sea level rise by 2100 due to climate change
• Coastal Management Districts: areas that need protection or management, especially concerning the area’s vulnerability to erosion, to maintain or enhance coastal resources, or for planning and development management.

Coastal management initiatives that support the objectives of the Coastal Act include:

• the Coastal Management Plan
• shoreline erosion management plans
• QCoast2100, a local government funding program for coastal hazard adaptation.

More information:

• About coastal management
• About coastal hazards

The Energy (Renewable Transformation and Jobs) Act 2024 was passed by Parliament on 18 April 2024.

This legislation includes infrastructure and other frameworks and other bodies that support the energy sector.

On 10 October 2023, the Queensland Parliament passed the Gas Supply and Other Legislation (Hydrogen Industry Development) Amendment Act 2023 (GSOLA). The GSOLA commenced on 4 April 2024, providing a clear regulatory assessment pathway to authorise the construction, operation and safe management of pipelines for hydrogen and hydrogen carriers in Queensland. It also provides consistency with the National Gas Law and the National Energy Retail Law.

GSOLA ensures that renewable hydrogen, produced using power from Queensland’s sun, wind and water, can be safely transported for various uses, including chemical processes, mobility applications, and other hard-to-abate sectors, such as manufacturing green metals.

As with the 2021/22 State Disaster Risk Report, the 2023 Report provides an assessment of state-wide risk for:

• ten hazards
• two compound or cascading hazards
• a range of risk drivers.

The 2023 Report also provides information on future climate and how this may impact future disaster risk in Queensland. The report advises decision-makers at all levels to consider the changing face of climate change risk and adjust their long-term disaster risk reduction planning where appropriate.

The 2023 Report is an update to the 2021/22 Report and focuses on three key aspects:

• responding to the recommendation from the Inspector-General of Emergency Management  South East Queensland Rainfall and Flooding February to March 2022 Review to reevaluate flood risk from all types of flooding
• incorporating new bushfire systems and data not available at the time of the 2021/22 Report
• enhancing the critical infrastructure failure chapter.

The latest report:

• improves Queensland's understanding of disaster risk
• provides information for all entities with disaster management responsibilities to support decision-making.

As with previous reports, the 2023 Report uses the Queensland Emergency Risk Management Framework (QERMF) to assess risks.

More information:

• Queensland Government Disaster Management

The Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme (ACCU Scheme) (previously the Emissions Reduction Fund) is an Australian Government initiative that provides incentives for emissions reduction activities across the Australian economy to support achieving Australia’s emissions reduction targets.

The ACCU Scheme encourages people or businesses to reduce emissions or store carbon through participation in Australia’s carbon market. ACCUs can be sold to private entities to offset their emissions or to the Australian Government.

The ACCU Scheme operates alongside other Australian Government programs to reduce Australia’s emissions, such as the Renewable Energy Target and energy efficiency standards on appliances, equipment and buildings.

More information:

• Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme

Through best practice community engagement, the Queensland Government is helping Queenslanders understand and adapt to climate change. This includes regionally-specific information and tools such as the Queensland Future Climate website, the Climate Change in Queensland map application, Regional Climate Impact Summaries and climate risk toolkits.

Policies and Programs include:

• Queensland Strategy for Disaster Resilience
• Drought and Climate Adaptation Program
• State Planning Policy 2017 including guidelines to address the impacts of climate change
• Queensland Water Act 2000 including guidelines to incorporate climate change in water security risk planning.

More information:

• Queensland Future Climate
• Climate Change in Queensland map application
• Regional Climate Impact Summaries
• Queensland Strategy for Disaster Reduction
• Drought and   Climate Adaptation Plan
• State Planning Policy 2017
• Queensland Water Act 2000

Climate projections are used to identify:

• hazards, or changes in hazards, that may affect an asset or organisation
• the consequence and likelihood of that hazard or opportunity occurring.

They aid network resilience by supporting adaptive designs in project delivery.

Regional Resilience Strategies

• Regional Resilience Strategies for 14 regions are available.

Get Ready Queensland

• Tools and information are available to help people prepare for, act during, and act after disasters.

The Queensland Government has made a climate change risk management tool for small businesses.

The Business Chamber Queensland, with the support of the Queensland Government and in consultation with Queensland businesses, developed a small and medium enterprises (SME) sector adaptation plan for Queensland. The plan was created under the Queensland Climate Adaptation Strategy 2017-2030 (Q-CAS). It recommends several steps, including developing resources to support SMEs starting their adaptation journey.

In response, the Queensland Government funded the development of a Climate Change Risk Management Tool for Small Businesses in Queensland.

The Queensland Government has also funded a Climate Change Risk Management Tool for Queensland Households. The tool helps households start their adaptation journey by providing information on climate change (what, where, and how much) and checklists to assess their risks.

The Coastal Management Plan commenced in March 2014, formed under the Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995. It provides non-regulatory policy guidance to coastal land managers.

The plan deals with key management policies such as:

• maintaining coastal landforms and physical coastal processes
• conserving nature
• maintaining access to coastal resources for First Nation cultural activities
• maintaining or enhancing public access
• management planning
• knowledge sharing and community engagement.

More information:

• Coastal Management Plan

The Critical Infrastructure Disaster Risk Assessment (CInDRA) was developed as a detailed assessment of the critical infrastructure failure chapter of the State Disaster Risk Report. The CInDRA is Queensland’s first state-wide critical infrastructure disaster risk assessment, conducted in consultation with state and local governments, critical infrastructure operators and subject matter experts.

The report aims to provide advice to agencies and organisations at all levels of Queensland’s disaster management arrangements, especially when undertaking disaster risk assessments. The CInDRA focuses on general trends and risks for critical infrastructure. It is not intended to be detailed and does not provide asset-level risk information. Local and district disaster management groups may use the CInDRA to understand how the risks may manifest at the most appropriate scale.

The CInDRA assesses climate and disaster risk for four critical infrastructure sectors:

• energy
• water
• transport
• communications.

The assessment considers risks to these four sectors from all ten hazards in the State Disaster Risk Report, with the addition of cybersecurity and space weather, as these are recognised for creating significant risk within the critical infrastructure sectors.

While the risks within the CInDRA may seem readily apparent, this is Queensland’s first iteration of a state-wide critical infrastructure disaster risk assessment. The consideration of risk across the four sectors brings:

• a shared understanding within and across sectors, acknowledging the interdependencies which exacerbate risk
• highlights opportunities for research and development to advance efforts in critical infrastructure resilience
• highlights opportunities to improve community outcomes during and after an event.

More information:

• Critical Infrastructure Disaster Risk Assessment - Executive Summary
• Critical Infrastructure Disaster Risk Assessment - Report

Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) are jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments, providing financial assistance to communities affected by natural disasters. Funding applies to eligible events that occur after 1 November 2018. The DRFA replaces the previous Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).  The DRFA has more flexibility than its predecessor in the way in which the program is funded and delivered.

Under the arrangements, the relevant state or territory government determines which areas receive DRFA assistance and what assistance is available to individuals and communities based on the extent of the natural disaster. Where the DRFA is activated, the Australian Government provides up to 75% of the assistance, which is delivered through state and territory agencies. Under exceptional circumstances, Category D funding can be activated for environmental repair and recovery works. These repair works not only enhance the resilience of catchments to future extreme weather events, but also help improve water quality within freshwater and marine environments.

More information:

• Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements 2018

Disaster risk management governance at local, district, state and national levels is a foundation of the disaster management arrangements in Queensland. This governance includes the development of scientifically informed disaster risk assessments and impact tools for disaster risk management for Queensland, ensuring a shared understanding of risks and that they are managed to reduce the impact of disasters on the community.

Our understanding of disaster risk is deepening as we experience and analyse the impacts and consequences of each disaster season in Queensland. Our awareness of what constitutes risk and the information and tools needed to effectively manage these changing risks is also improving. As such, our approach to disaster risk management in Queensland must also evolve, ensuring our information, intelligence, and processes are current and support risk-based planning and decision-making by all stakeholders.

In line with the Disaster Management Act 2003 (Qld), the Queensland Government makes disaster management information available. The Disaster Management website includes state-level risk assessments, warnings, planning and education information.

State-level hazard risk assessments are available, including the 2023 State Disaster Risk Report and the Severe Wind Hazard Assessment for Queensland, published in August 2022. A collaborative follow-on project, the Severe Wind Hazard Assessment for South-East Queensland, was completed in partnership with six local governments in South East Queensland, other Queensland Government departments and the insurance and research sector.

More information:

• Queensland Government Disaster Management

Examples of the Queensland Government embedding adaptation and resilience practices into government operations and infrastructure include the Queensland Climate Resilient Councils program.

This program works with Queensland local governments to deliver services and products to strengthen their ability to plan for and respond to climate risk challenges and opportunities.

Outcomes

• The development and release of the Climate Risk Management Framework for Queensland Local Government.
• A detailed climate risk governance self-assessment tool for councils to continue assessing their governance practices and policy maturity improvements for managing climate risks.
• Establishing two Climate Resilient Regional Alliances to accelerate community-wide actions to transition communities to a low-carbon economy and build resilience to climate risk.

To 30 June 2024 the Queensland Government delivered several initiatives to support households and businesses transition to a low-carbon economy, including the following.

• The Queensland Business Energy Saving and Transformation (QBEST) Program providing rebates of up to $12,500 to eligible small and medium-sized Queensland businesses to install energy-efficient equipment.
• The Queensland Building Plan (QBP) guiding policy change and legislation, including to improve sustainability performance by updating the National Construction Code (NCC).
• The digital electricity program ensuring that all new and replacement electricity meters installed in homes are digital. They provide more accurate and up-to-date information on usage patterns for consumers.
• ecoBiz: Delivered in partnership with the Business Chamber Queensland, the ecoBiz program provides free personal coaching, site surveys, training and tools to small and medium-sized businesses to help them improve resource efficiency and environmental sustainability and reduce emissions and operating costs. During the 2023-24 Financial Year, the ecoBiz program delivered a total of 12,077 tCO₂-e avoided emissions.
• The Climate Smart Energy Savers rebate provided between $300 and $1,000 for the replacing old appliances with 4-star energy-efficiency rated (or higher) appliances and hot water systems. Eligible appliances had to be purchased and installed on or after the program commencement date and on or before the closure date to be eligible.

Targets and outcomes

• In 2023 and 2024, the QBEST program supported small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with rebates up to $12,500 for installing small-scale energy-efficient equipment and appliances or pursuing other opportunities that demonstrate savings in energy bills, consumption and emissions.
• QBP’s target was to increase residential energy efficiency standards for new houses and units under the NCC 2022 to require:
• 7-stars (out of 10) for the building shell (up from 6-stars), and
• a new whole-of-home energy budget for a dwelling’s major fixtures and any on-site renewable energy, e.g. solar photovoltaic (PV) system
• QBP’s outcomes included:
  • Queensland adopting the residential energy efficiency standards as part of the update of the NCC 2022 (part of the Modern Homes standards, along with liveable housing design)
• Liveable housing design standards were introduced with NCC 2022 to improve the access and function of new houses and units.
• Digital Electricity metering is targeting 100% penetration of smart meters by 2030.
• As of June 2024, over 680,000 meters (32.9% of total meters) were installed in South East Queensland (SEQ) and 380,000 (37.7% of total meters) in regional Queensland.
• Over 800 businesses registered in the ecoBiz program and 80% of them recorded increases in productivity and savings.
• In the 2023-24 financial year, ecoBiz participants saved on average:
  • 22% on their electricity costs
  • 9% on their water costs
  • 5% on their waste management costs.

In 2023, more than 72,700 Queensland households received cost-of-living relief through the $44M Climate Smart Energy Savers (CSES) energy-efficient appliance rebate program.

• The Get Ready Queensland (GRQ) program is a year-round, all-hazards, resilience-building initiative coordinated by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) to help communities prepare for the impacts of natural hazards.
• GRQ aims to make Queensland the nation’s most disaster-resilient state, connecting with audiences through advertising, timely and relevant social media content, online resources, community engagement, and locally led initiatives.
• GRQ Week is an annual statewide community engagement initiative that features a range of local and media events encouraging Queenslanders to prepare for the severe weather season.
• The GRQ website has information about:
  • alerts and warnings
  • understanding your risk
  • getting prepared (including packing a kit and preparing a plan)
  • during a disaster
  • after a disaster
  • news
  • campaigns
  • find your local council's disaster dashboards
• GRQ facilitates an annual funding program that provides $2 million across every local government for spending on initiatives that suit their community’s needs and highlight local risks. The program empowers and supports local activation with grants that provide a range of support tools and resources that councils can use locally.

2023–24 GRQ campaign impact:

• launched on 9 October 2023, during GRQ Week, following a social media priming campaign. Running for six weeks, it made a strong impression on Queenslanders.
• Awareness & Clarity:
  • 93% found the campaign easy to understand.
  • 89% felt it provided clear preparation guidance.
  • 87% saw it as a valuable reminder to prepare.
  • 88% believed it effectively encouraged action.
  • 86% felt more confident in their ability to prepare.
• Actions Taken or Intended as a Result:
  • 78% prepared an emergency kit.
  • 75% purchased new items for an existing kit.
  • 74% signed up for weather alerts.
  • 75% created a disaster preparedness plan.
• The following percentage of respondents said that they either had or intended to take the following actions because of their exposure to the campaign:
  • 78% – prepare a kit
  • 76% – buy new items for an existing kit
  • 68% – sign up for weather notifications
  • 72% – make a plan.
• The Campaign was highly commended at the 2024 Emergency Management Public Affairs’ Australian Excellence Award for Readiness and Resilience Communications

If It’s Flooded Forget It Campaign

• In August 2023 responsibility for the If It’s Flooded Forget It (IIFFI) campaign transitioned from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services to the Queensland Reconstruction Authority to be delivered as part of the Get Ready Queensland program.
• Research suggests that many drivers overestimate their car’s ability to drive through water, even if they’ve never tried. Additionally, some modern vehicle safety features have made cars less safe in the event of entering floodwater.
• Informed by a rigorous behaviour change strategy drawing on technical insights, longitudinal market research, fatal crash data, risk perception and road safety literature, GRQ launched the ‘Your Car Can’t Protect You From Floodwater’ campaign in November 2023.
• The campaign was in market for five months up until March 2024
• Results suggest that the campaign was also successful in influencing the attitudes and behaviours of Queensland drivers. Eight out of ten (82%) drivers agree they are less likely to drive through flooded roads after seeing the campaign while 86% are now more aware of the limitations and safety risks of their vehicle in floodwater. 78% heard it during recent severe weather events, and two thirds (66%) agree they have discussed the issue of driving at times of severe weather, with family and friends

More information:

• Get Ready Queensland

The Australian Government prepares Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts, which include a series of reports and databases that fulfil Australia’s international reporting requirements under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The National Greenhouse Accounts include the following:

• National Greenhouse Gas Inventory
• National Inventory Report
• State and Territory Greenhouse Gas Inventories.

This data shows that in 2022, Queensland achieved a 35% reduction of emissions below 2005 level. This means the state has already exceeded its 2030 target of 30% emissions reduction by 2035.

More information:

• Australia's National Greenhouse Accounts
• Queensland emissions data

Through the Low Carbon Accelerator program, the Queensland Government worked with entrepreneurs to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Outcomes

• The 2022-23 program brought industry and government together to support entrepreneurs and innovators in developing their low-carbon products and services for market readiness. The projects addressed decarbonisation challenges and supported progress towards Queensland’s emissions reduction targets.
• Over six months, the program worked with 22 companies delivering decarbonisation and low-carbon solutions for Queensland.

More information:

• QCoast2100

The Queensland Climate Adaptation Strategy (Q-CAS) was released in 2017. Its vision is an innovative and resilient Queensland that addresses the risks and harnesses the opportunities of a changing climate.

The Q-CAS is centred around a partnership approach that:

• recognises climate change as everyone’s responsibility
• requires a collaborative approach to ensure climate resilience is embedded in Queensland’s diverse economies, landscapes, and communities.

The Queensland Climate Adaptation Strategy and the Sector Adaptation Plans outline actions to support adaptation outcomes for the community, local governments, key sectors and systems and the Queensland Government.

Outcomes

Specific sector plans have been published for:

• Human Health and Wellbeing Climate Change Adaptation Plan for Queensland (H-CAP)
• Built Environment and Infrastructure Sector Adaptation Plan (BE&I SAP)
• Building a resilient tourism industry: Queensland tourism climate change response plan (Tourism SAP)
• Agriculture Sector Adaptation Plan (Ag SAP)
• Biodiversity and Ecosystems Climate Adaptation Plan (B&E CAP)
• The Small and Medium Enterprise Sector Adaptation Plan (SME SAP)
• Emergency Management Sector Adaptation Plan for climate change (EM SAP)

The Queensland Government has committed to an affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity system, consistent with supporting the State’s emissions reduction target of net zero by 2050.

Queensland’s electricity system is evolving. Queensland’s future electricity system will need:

• new large-scale renewable generation to continue to ensure supply can meet demand
• additional storage (long-duration, medium duration and short duration) to shift energy over time, to when it is needed
• additional flexible, dispatchable capacity, like gas, to ensure ongoing reliability as the system includes more variable generation and to meet peak demand periods
• household energy assets, such as rooftop solar, household batteries and electric vehicles, to be integrated and coordinated in the electricity system to support an affordable, reliable system
• new transmission infrastructure to move power around the state to where it is needed.

Outcomes

• As of 30 June 2024, Queensland boasted 55 large-scale renewable energy projects (operating, under construction or financially committed) since 2015.
• As of 30 June 2024, these renewable energy projects represented:
  • more than a $12 billion investment
  • around 9,000 construction jobs
  • over 6,000 megawatts (MW) of clean energy
  • more than 16 million tonnes of avoided emissions each year.
• Combined with rooftop solar, the state has more than 10,000MW of renewable energy capacity, putting downward pressure on electricity prices. In total, 27% of Queensland’s electricity is generated from renewable energy sources (as of 30 June 2024).

Flooding causes more damage in Queensland than any other natural hazard.

Effective and strategic flood risk management is essential for the state’s long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability.

The Queensland Flood Risk Management Framework (QFRMF):

• sets the direction for flood risk management statewide
• describes roles and responsibilities
• guides and supports decision-making by councils
• outlines building capability and capacity through leadership, governance, accountability and knowledge.

It has been informed by monitoring, review, communication and consultation processes, and provides details of the legislative and policy landscape.

Outcomes

• QRA developed five metrics in consultation with stakeholders to support measuring improvements in flood risk management and resilience for all Queensland communities:
  1. Annual investment in flood risk management
  2. Risk-based land use planning
  3. Flood study coverage
  4. Accessible flood information
  5. Flood warning infrastructure
• These metrics have been measured for all local government areas statewide to develop the baseline metrics report.
• Progress is being measured against this baseline annually to monitor changes in flood risk management practices prescribed under the QFRMF.  Progress is reported against the baseline metrics and presented to the SRRG.
• Annual and trend reports are published on QRA’s website: www.qra.qld.gov.au/flood-risk/metrics

The data sourced for the flood risk metrics involves both qualitative and quantitative analysis, and included desktop studies, analysis of existing datasets, and engagements with councils.

There is currently an important additional investment in critical studies, which will greatly improve the availability of local data available in some local government areas, in particular, for flood studies and the use of flood intelligence systems.

Further information on this can be found at –- https://www.qra.qld.gov.au/frmp-2021-22-wp3

The $34.25 million Flood studies, risk assessment and management strategies and intelligence systems (WP3) work package is part of the $49 million Flood Risk Management Program (FRMP) - a component of the jointly funded Australian and Queensland Government (50:50) 2021-22 Rainfall and Flooding - Exceptional circumstances Category C and D funding package approved under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

More information:

• Queensland Flood Risk Management Framework
• Flood Studies, Risk Assessment and Management Strategies and Intelligence Systems (WP3)

The Queensland Future Climate Science Program is delivered through a partnership between the Queensland Government and The University of Queensland. The program involves:

• downscaling global climate models to provide high-resolution climate projections for Queensland
• analysis of climate extremes
• translation into knowledge and climate services.

Outcomes

• The program has downscaled two generations of climate models (CMIP5 and 6) used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to inform climate actions globally.
• It has produced climate projections of future climate hazards and extremes for five different future emissions pathways at a regional scale to support climate adaptation and enable resilience-building for natural disasters at the local government level.
• Queensland’s high-resolution climate projections are nationally and globally recognised among subject matter experts and have been featured in several scientific papers.
• The projections feature mean climate (e.g. temperature, rainfall, wind and solar radiation) and climate extremes (e.g. heatwaves, downpours, tropical cyclones, droughts and fire risk). They were designed to support industry, government, businesses, communities, and households.
• The program’s flagship product, the Queensland Future Climate Dashboard, is among Australia’s top climate projections resources. It provides tailored data and information for over 400 Queensland regions and locations.
• The dashboard is a critical resource that provides all Queenslanders with access to high-quality, trusted climate change projection information in multiple formats to underpin physical climate risk assessments and adaptation strategies.
• The program’s data and information is already supporting assessments of climate risks by government agencies and other organisations.
• The program underpinned the State Heatwave Risk Assessment for Queensland and the Severe Wind Hazard Assessment for Queensland.
• Queensland’s high-resolution climate projections support the implementation of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements and are a key component of the National Partnership for Climate Projections.

The Queensland Recovery Plan, a sub-plan to the Queensland State Disaster Management Plan (QSDMP), outlines recovery requirements for operations, planning and arrangements at local, district and state levels. The plan drives a collaborative and coordinated approach across all recovery functions, levels of government and the community and ensures recovery operations are appropriate to the scale of the disaster event.

Outcomes

• The Queensland Recovery Plan describes the arrangements for transition from response to recovery. It highlights the roles and responsibilities of the following roles to assist disaster-impacted communities in achieving optimum recovery outcomes:
  • State Recovery Policy and Planning Coordinator
  • State Recovery Coordinator
  • five Functional Recovery and Resilience Groups.
• The Queensland Recovery Plan promotes resilience enhancement through recovery. It provides information and guidance to stakeholders on the governance, planning, and operational issues relating to disaster recovery for all hazards.

The Queensland Recovery Plan was endorsed and approved by the Queensland Government on 11 October 2021 and updated in 2023 to incorporate Machinery of Government changes.

The Queensland State Disaster Management Plan:

• establishes the overarching state framework, arrangements and practices that enable current and future disaster management in Queensland
• includes guidance for disaster management stakeholders by providing commentary and directions to supporting documents, such as plans, strategies and guidelines
• aims to mitigate the effects of, prepare for, respond to, recover from, and build resilience to disaster events in the current and future climates.

Outcomes

• Warnings information is available across:
  • storm, flood and cyclone warnings
  • weather and information warnings
  • local government disaster dashboards
  • bushfire warnings
  • extreme heatwave warnings.

Available plans include:

• Local Disaster Management Plans and Resources
• District Disaster Management Plans
• State Disaster Management Plans
• National Plans.

The Queensland Government is committed to strengthening disaster resilience so our communities are better equipped to deal with the increasing prevalence of natural disasters.

The QSDR:

• promotes a systems approach to resilience, connecting a range of agencies and sectors to deliver improved outcomes
• aims to embed resilience activities into business as usual
• mandates the need for collaboration across stakeholders, ensuring the four objectives,19 strategic commitments, and 52 actions are clearly outlined with agreed-upon responsible lead agencies for delivery.

The Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) developed the QSDR after extensive consultation with partner delivery agencies as the lead agency for disaster recovery, resilience, and mitigation policy. The Premier launched the QSDR on 20 September 2022.

Outcomes

• The QSDR builds on the excellent work completed through the Resilient Queensland initiative. Every region across Queensland is now part of a locally led and regionally coordinated blueprint to strengthen disaster resilience. The Regional Resilience Strategies were completed as a deliverable under the previous QSDR 2017.
• With the updated QSDR, Queensland can continue strengthening resilience in human and social, built, economic, environmental, and roads and transport.
• Lead agencies are responsible for delivering, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting actions with support from the partner agencies identified. Six-monthly progress reports are provided to the State Resilience and Recovery Group (SRRG) to measure progress in developing increased levels of resilience
• The second progress report was tabled at the November 2024 meeting of the interim SRRG. It indicated that two actions have been completed, and 50 are in progress.

More information:

• Queensland Strategy for Disaster Resilience

A key deliverable of the previous Queensland Strategy for Disaster Resilience 2017-2021 was 14 Regional Resilience Strategies. Every region across Queensland is now part of a locally led, regionally coordinated and state-facilitated blueprint to strengthen disaster resilience.

Every community is different, so these strategies have used a co-design process and place-based approach. The strategies:

• recognise communities are best placed to understand and identify their needs
• reflect local communities working together and sharing local knowledge to address local risks.

Outcomes

• The Regional Resilience Strategies have been delivered as a commitment under the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
• All councils that participated in the co-design process now have a Local Resilience Action Plan, which provides a clear plan for making lasting change through sustained investment in resilience and mitigation activities.
• Over 4,400 local resilience actions have been identified statewide. Local Resilience Action Plans aim to support councils in being proactive in describing their local resilience needs and building a program that can be matched to funding opportunities as they emerge.

More information:

• Regional Resilience Strategies

The Australian Government set a Renewable Energy Target (RET) to reduce electricity sector emissions and increase renewable energy use. The target is 33,000 gigawatt hours of additional renewable energy generation annually between 2020 and 2030.

RET has two schemes:

• The Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET) creates a financial incentive for establishing or expanding renewable energy power stations, such as wind and solar farms or hydroelectric power stations, by creating a market for large-scale renewable generation certificates.
• The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) creates a financial incentive for households, small businesses and community groups to install eligible small-scale renewable energy systems, such as solar water heaters, heat pumps, solar photovoltaic systems, small-scale wind systems or small-scale hydro systems.

More information:

• Renewable Energy Target

The Queensland and Australian Governments developed the Resilient Homes Fund (RHF) to help Queenslanders across 39 local government areas whose homes were impacted by the 2021-2022 floods. The Fund has aimed to help as many Queenslanders as possible with the funding available. It includes several programs.

• The Resilient Retrofit program provides funding to repair (enhance resilience) or retrofit homes.
• The Home Raising program provides funding to raise homes to reduce the impacts of future flood events.
• The Voluntary Home Buy-Back program provided funding to councils to buy-back homes which were the most severely impacted or at greatest risk of future flooding.
• The industry and community education resources are an integral component of the RHF aimed at supporting homeowners to understand their flood risk and better understand what they can do to mitigate or reduce their risk.
• In limited circumstances, homeowners may be eligible for financial assistance to demolish and rebuild their home or relocate an area of a home above the assessed flood level.

Outcomes

More than 6,500 homeowners registered for the RHF before registrations closed on 30 July 2023. A total of 685 homes were bought back under the Voluntary Home Buy-Back (VHBB) program. As at 5 March 2025, 592 homes have been demolished or relocated.

As at 30 June 2024, 637 homes had been bought back under the Voluntary Home Buy-Back (VHBB) program. Of this, 458 homes had been demolished or relocated.

Work is also continuing with many homeowners who have expressed interest in the other program options of the Resilient Homes Fund, to either raise or retrofit their homes to make them as flood resilient as possible.

The Safeguard Mechanism is an Australian Government policy to reduce emissions at heavily emitting facilities, producing more than 100,000 tonnes of CO₂-e per annum.

It sets emissions limits (baselines) on individual facilities that decline over time. Facilities that overachieve on their baselines can earn Safeguard Mechanism Credits that can be banked for the future or sold to entities that are emitting above their baselines. Facilities can also use Australian Carbon Credit Units to meet their baselines.

More information:

• Safeguard Mechanism

Scientific Information for Land Owners (SILO) is a database of Australian climate data from 1889 to yesterday. It provides daily meteorological datasets for various climate variables in ready-to-use formats to support industry, government, businesses, communities, and households.

SILO uses weather station data and mathematical interpolation techniques with an emphasis on automating processes to infill spatial and temporal gaps, such as remote locations and poor time coverage.

Outcomes

• SILO has a solid reputation for Australian climate data and is widely used across multiple sectors, with an average of 25,000 data requests and over 2,000 users a day.
• The database is paramount in several agricultural applications and services, such as FORAGE, AussieGRASS, drought monitoring and outreach.
• SILO underpins the Queensland Hydrology services, including decision support tools for urban water supply and reservoir management.
• SILO supports the management of natural disasters.
• The insurance and consultancy industries widely use SILO.
• SILO informs Queensland’s transition to renewable energy, mapping out suitable regions for solar and wind farms.
• SILO supports the State of the Environment Report.

The Severe Wind Hazard Assessment for Queensland—SWHA(Q)—was delivered as a collaborative project between the former Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), the Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI), James Cook University and Geoscience Australia (GA).

Developed in response to the 2017 Cyclone Debbie Review, the assessment project’s core aim was to provide realistic and tangible information on the potential physical impacts of tropical cyclones on Queensland communities. The suite of hazard management tools delivered through the project enables the emergency management sector, local governments and communities across Queensland to work more effectively through current and future risks posed by cyclones, including long-term strategic risk management strategies.

Tropical Cyclone Hazard Dashboard

The Queensland Government's Tropical Cyclone Hazard Dashboard enables users to interactively query the current and future risk of severe winds related to tropical cyclones across Queensland's regions and communities. The dashboard is an example of collaborative hazard assessment using Queensland's high-resolution climate simulations to build preparedness for natural disasters.

Tropical cyclones preparedness

Guidance is provided to Queenslanders on how to prepare and act when a cyclone is imminent, when it strikes and what to do afterwards.

Severe Wind Hazard Assessment for South East Queensland

The Severe Wind Hazard Assessment for South East Queensland (SWHA-SEQ) project was developed following the Severe Wind Hazard Assessment for Queensland and acknowledging the heightened risk in the SEQ region given its high exposure (large and growing population) and vulnerability associated with the region’s building design standards.

The project was a collaboration between:

• six local government areas (Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Redlands and Gold Coast)
• Queensland State Government departments (the former Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, the Department of Energy and Public Works, the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, and the Department of State Development, Local Government and Planning)
• the Queensland Reconstruction Authority
• the Insurance Council of Australia
• Insurance Australia Group Ltd
• Suncorp
• James Cook University Cyclone Testing Station
• The University of Queensland
• Geoscience Australia.

A Geoscience Australia-led research team, including the James Cook University Cyclone Testing Station and The University of Queensland, delivered the project.

More information:

• Severe Wind Assessment for Queensland
• Tropical Cyclone Hazard Dashboard
• Tropical Cyclone Preparedness Guide
• Severe Wind Hazard Assessment for South East Queensland - SWHA-SEQ Technical Report

Local governments prepare shoreline erosion management plans with technical advice from the state. These plans support localised, science-based and sustainable responses to shoreline erosion issues within areas under imminent threat.

More information:

• Preparing a shoreline erosion management plan

The 2019 State Heatwave Risk Assessment (SHRA) provides a foundational heatwave risk assessment for all tiers of government, non-government organisations, not-for-profit organisations, disaster management groups, and others with legislated roles in disaster management. It is the first jurisdictionally based risk assessment to feature long-term climate change projections using downscaled regional modelling.

The State Heatwave Risk Assessment was developed collaboratively to provide all stakeholders with clear and consistent information about the changing nature of heatwave risk in Queensland.

The assessment found that the extreme heatwaves and bushfires across Queensland in 2018–2019 indicated that the state is facing unprecedented challenges in understanding and responding to the impacts of natural hazards in a changing climate.

The assessment includes long-term climate change projections, an Australian first for hazard-specific, emergency management-related risk assessments. This robust scientific basis enhances the assessment. It also enables state agencies and disaster management groups to use it to inform their planning against current and future heatwave risks.

More information:

• State Heatwave Risk Assessment

Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) undertook the Statewide Assessment of Flood Risk Factors project to provide an overview of Queensland's strengths, needs, gaps and challenges in delivering contemporary flood risk management.

The Queensland Flood Risk Management Framework (QFRMF) is the first comprehensive statewide assessment of flood risk management processes. It is based on an analysis of key flood risk factors across every local government area in Queensland using data current as of December 2022. Final technical report was delivered in May 2023.

For this project, QRA consulted with councils, industry and other state agencies. The outcome will be stronger flood risk management capability across Queensland.

The Land Restoration Fund (LRF) is growing the carbon farming industry in Queensland by supporting premium land sector carbon farming projects that deliver Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) plus priority environmental, socio-economic, and First Nations co-benefits.

The LRF has two purposes:

• invest in carbon farming projects that deliver additional co-benefits
• broaden the scope of carbon farming in Queensland with investments in research, development and innovation.

Across the first two investment rounds, the LRF has committed $82.1 million for 20 projects that deliver strong community and environmental outcomes. The outcomes expected as verified co-benefits from LRF investment in Queensland-based carbon projects include:

• delivery of more than 1.15 million ACCUs over the next
  16 years, equivalent to more than one million tonnes of carbon dioxide sequestered or avoided
• voluntary restoration or protection of over 13,000 hectares of unregulated (Category X) vegetation as defined under the Vegetation Management Act 1999
• direct benefits for threatened species and ecosystems
• direct benefits for the health of the Great Barrier Reef and wetlands.

The LRF has diversified its portfolio by investing $45 million to establish the Queensland Natural Capital Fund (QNCF). The fund aims to facilitate private sector co-investment in land asset acquisitions that generate returns from commercial agricultural activities and environmental markets while producing positive environmental, social and economic co-benefits for Queensland.

In addition, the LRF invests in research and innovation to grow the carbon market and other environmental markets that benefit Queensland’s environment. Examples of this investment include:

• supporting the uptake of blue carbon projects
• the development of new biodiversity credit mechanisms, such as the Cassowary Credit.

More information:

• Land Restoration Fund

The Tsunami Guide for Queensland was updated in 2024 to improve the information that informs risk-based disaster management and business continuity plans at all levels of Queensland’s disaster management arrangements. It provides updated information on Queensland’s tsunami risk and analyses of events such as the 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption.

Detailed analysis of this hazard requires a high level of technical expertise. The former Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) partnered with Geoscience Australia, the Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, and the University of Newcastle to undertake the update.

Tsunamis are a rare but significant threat to Queensland’s coastal communities. All disaster management stakeholders can use the interactive state-wide mapping of tsunami evacuation areas to enhance warnings and risk-informed planning for local communities.

This mapping was a collaboration between QFES, local governments, and partners at the Queensland Police Service, the Department of Environment and Science, Geoscience Australia, and the New South Wales State Emergency Service. It identifies broad areas that should be evacuated in case of a land inundation threat from a tsunami and provides information on key exposures within these areas.

More information:

• Tsunami Guide for Queensland 2024
• Tsunami Risk for Queensland: Webinar 1 April
• Tsunami evacuation areas for Queensland