Recovery continues in regions impacted by Cyclones Jasper and Kirrily

Media Releases, 1 October 2024

More than $215,000 awarded to 12 prevention, preparedness and recovery projects

FRRR and Suncorp Group have awarded $216,269 in grants to 12 community projects that will support the ongoing resilience building and recovery efforts of remote, rural and regional Queensland communities impacted by Cyclones Jasper and Kirrily.

Group of people with shovels and wheelbarrows
The Cape York Folk Club have been awarded a grant to flood-proof the Wallaby Creek Festival by upgrading equipment and access to the local event.

It has been almost 10 months since Cyclone Jasper crossed the Far North coast (13 December 2023) causing widespread destruction and nine months since Cyclone Kirrily crossed the North Queensland coast (25 January 2024) and became a state-wide disaster event, as the rain moved south and west causing major flooding (3 February 2024).

Funded through the Rebuilding Futures program, the 12 grants will enable local not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) to invest in community infrastructure and equipment, strengthen organisational capacity and provide improved access to services and activities.

Nina O’Brien, FRRR’s Disaster Resilience & Recovery Lead, said that the timing of these grants is critical as many regional communities are wanting to be proactive and take action to prepare for the upcoming wet season and hopefully mitigate impacts.

“While the weather cannot be prevented, the impact of disasters can be lessened through good planning. For some Queensland community groups, like the Cape York Folk Club, Juunjuwarra Aboriginal Corporation and Mt Garnet Golf Club, those practical activities include cyclone-proofing facilities and upgrading infrastructure to withstand the damage of potential extreme weather events.

“In other places, there is an acceptance that cyclones and excessive rainfall are a part of life, so the focus is on using lessons learnt from the recent events.

“For Surf Life Saving Queensland’s North Barrier and North Queensland Branches, this means building capacity with volunteer training and flood rescue equipment to support and prepare them to respond to their community in future disasters. While Hinchinbrook Community Support Centre and Bloomfield River District Residents Association are finding practical ways to prepare local infrastructure to be sustainable and fit for purpose during a disaster.

“We recognise the diverse recovery and preparedness needs of communities. These needs include social connectedness and wellbeing, and access to timely information in the next disaster.

“Great examples of this include projects like Regional Development Australia Tropical North’s Creative Recovery Preparedness Training, and the Community Information Centre Townsville’s Crisis Response Directory. Both initiatives highlight the need for strong, informed and accessible resources and social networks that offer support mechanisms to help local people and places withstand the extreme challenges they are likely to face when responding to, and recovering from, the next natural disaster.

“Due to remoteness, clean-up is continuing in communities and preventing people from returning to their homes. This funding will support the work of Anglicare North Queensland and Northreach Community Care to ensure those at risk and vulnerable to homeless or food insecurity can access relief programs and other recovery services.”

“In this round of applications, we also saw remote communities and groups looking to join forces to better support their regions’ recovery. These collaborative projects, such as Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC’s Kuku Bakal Kaykayanda (Giving Words to all the Children) initiative, illustrate the varying stages of recovery that communities are at, and the challenges that remote NFPs face when supporting people through the recovery journey.

“All of the funded projects are a great demonstration of the on-the-ground resilience and preparedness mindset of regional Queensland, with communities seeking to ‘build back better’ so that they can sustain their way of life and recover effectively from disaster experiences,” Ms O’Brien explained.

Lisa Harrison, Suncorp Chief Executive Consumer Insurance, said these grants would support community-led recovery projects for regional Queensland communities impacted by severe weather events.

“We are proud to be able to help these communities get back on their feet and recover from Tropical Cyclones Kirrily and Jasper,” Ms Harrison said.

“Recovery from an extreme weather event, like a cyclone or flooding, takes time, and this round of grants from FRRR and Suncorp demonstrates that each community’s journey is different.

“Given it is less than a year since Cyclone Jasper and Cyclone Kirrily reached the Queensland coast, it is understandable that groups are focused on responding to the needs of locals, based on their community’s recovery, preparedness and prevention priorities.”

To date, the Rebuilding Futures program has distributed more than $1.2 million to 74 community NFPs across the country.

The full list of grant recipients and their projects are below.

Share
Back to News
Follow Us
Support the future of remote, rural and regional communities
Giving
Grantseeker resources: I am looking for information about…
Explore
X

Amy Crawford

Amy Crawford has an extensive career in complex public policy and its intersection across government and communities.

Amy is the Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), representing 537 councils across the nation. Amy holds over 20 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service. She has a deep understanding of federal government policies and structures, with over 10 years’ service in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and has worked for the federal Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. Amy has shaped a wide range of policies and programs including regional development, telecommunications, immigration, emergency management, social policy and pandemic preparation.

Amy is a Board Director of Austroads and represents ALGA on the Public Skills Australia Industry Advisory Group, and the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee. She is also a Board Director for the Canberra Youth Theatre which provides voice for Canberra’s youth through intelligent and challenging theatre.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Laws (honours) and Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) from the University of Queensland, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an alumnus of the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership. Amy was appointed to the FRRR Board in January 2025.

X

Kylie Hansen

Kylie brings leadership and management experience from across academic, corporate, not-for-profit, social enterprise and impact investment sectors, having deep dived into a myriad of specialisations and systems. Her six tertiary qualifications are equally as diverse and complimentary, covering commerce, politics, international development, community development, project management and law. Her breadth and depth of experience enables her to draw on a number of disciplines and innovative ways of working and thinking, and she is well recognised as consistently delivering work and services of a high quality.

Kylie uses her strong background in sustainability, governance and impact measurement to support collaborative initiatives across sectors oriented at improving social outcomes, and to support socially conscientious businesses to articulate their social impact. As founder and director at Impact Seed she has been instrumental in developing the impact measurement, evaluation, learning and ESG practice which advises numerous corporates, and is passionate about supporting First Nations empowerment particularly in the context of regional economic development.

Kylie is also a Director of the WA Social Enterprise Council, a member of the B Council (B Lab Australia and New Zealand), and a Governor of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

X

Hon. John Anderson AC

The Hon. John Anderson AC is a sixth-generation farmer and grazier from NSW, who served in the Australian Parliament from 1989 to 2008.

He was a senior Cabinet minister in the government led by John Howard (1996 to 2005), including six years as Leader of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister.

In the latter role, Mr Anderson played in important role in FRRR’s history, working closely with Baillieu Myer AC and others on a proposal to establish a philanthropic organisation to benefit rural Australia. The concept was discussed at the National Regional Summit in 1999 and FRRR was established shortly thereafter.

Mr Anderson currently hosts a regular podcast, where he is in conversation with thought-leaders from around the world, and is a regular media commentator.

X

Regina Cruickshank

Partnerships Specialist (WA)

Regina supports FRRR as the WA Partnerships Specialist. With over two decades of experience in partnerships and marketing, she has a deep understanding of Western Australia’s social impact landscape. She brings a strong passion for leveraging purpose-built networks to create positive change.

Regina previously worked with Playgroup WA and founded a Health Promotion Charity dedicated to supporting Social Emotional wellbeing for underserved communities. She’s excited about the opportunity to connect with partners and explore ways to make a meaningful difference in WA.

She lives in Perth with her family and enjoys mindful moments of connection to Country, whether on horseback, on foot or underwater.

X

Anna Palmer

People and Culture Manager

Based in Central Victoria, Anna is a senior Human Resources, Organisation Development and Industrial Relations professional, with significant private and public sector experience across every facet of people and culture leadership.

Her most recent roles have been with Don KR in Castlemaine and Mount Alexander Shire Council. She has also held senior HR roles with Victoria Legal Aid and the TAC among many others.

From Mildura originally, Anna has postgraduate qualifications in Change Management and a Masters in Organisation Dynamics.

Anna is currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts to balance her creative pursuits and work as an HR professional.

X

Philippa Twaddle

Management Accountant

Carolyn joined the FRRR team in March 2017, and is responsible for providing executive support to the CEO, effective coordination of the FRRR office and general administrative support to the management team. A key responsibility is supporting the administration of FRRR’s Donation Account Services.

She has over fifteen years’ experience working in local government in the Tourism and Arts Sector, Civic and Event Management and Community engagement.

Carolyn has a Bachelor of Arts in Librarianship, majoring in psychology, and grew up on farming communities in Cohuna and Echuca and currently lives in Bendigo.