Fund resilience, not disasters

Disasters have become more frequent – the evidence and science tell us this but so too does lived experience. While Australian’s are notoriously generous in supporting those impacted by disasters, as these events become more frequent and more severe, we’re seeing the amounts donated to support recovery decline. There are many reasons for that, including cost of living pressures, but the people and places impacted still need support to get back on their feet.

Through 25 years of funding the revitalisation of remote, rural, and regional communities, FRRR (Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal) has seen that when disaster strikes, recovery is made easier where there has been investment in preparedness and local capacity building. That’s why we advocate for, and lead practice shifts toward investing in capacity – across all facets of a community’s social, economic, built and natural environments – funding resilience, not disasters.

Earlier today, which is the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, I presented at a webinar hosted by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, alongside Paul Box, CSIRO’s Senior Principal Research Consultant and Jimmy Scott, the General Manager Resilience and Recovery at the Queensland Reconstruction Authority. I shared some examples of the difference that upfront investment in resilience makes in remote, rural and regional Australia.

Practical projects building resilience

Take for instance the Cherbourg Historical Precinct Group in Queensland. A region that faces cyclone and storm risks, as well as floods and bushfires. Cherbourg is home to a large First Nations community and to the Ration Shed Museum, which tells the story of this community and protects many nationally significant and unique cultural artefacts. Through FRRR’s Disaster Resilient: Future Ready Burnett Inland Program, delivered in partnership with the Red Earth Community Foundation, the museum is receiving support to undertake critical infrastructure improvements that address long-standing needs and protect the cultural history and artifacts of Cherbourg. This funding has enabled the installation of cyclone-rated window coverings to reduce risk of damage during storms and cyclones, temperature control rooms to safely preserve culturally significant artefacts and fireproof storage bags and mobile storage to allow safe relocation of artifacts in an emergency. The story of Cherbourg is an important one in Australia’s history and to the ongoing process of truth-telling, reconciliation and healing. The Ration Shed precinct has many roles including education for the wider population, and so the protection of artefacts during disasters is vital for the community’s story and our national story. The resilience outcomes of this work are layered and generational – strengthening identity, connection and shared knowledge.

Another example is in Korumburra in Victoria. Supported through FRRR’s Disaster Resilient: Future Ready Victoria Program, the local working group, Korumburra Staying Strong, identified their best contribution to building local resilience was through inclusive networks that could support emergency management agencies. The group, supported by Milpara Community House, facilitated a collaborative, community-led, resilience plan for emergencies for Korumburra. Disaster knowledge and awareness within the community was increased through relationships being developed between community, local emergency services and council. Trust and connections were built, which are essential ingredients for resilience. You can learn more about the work in Korumburra, as well as Myrtleford and Whittlesea Township in our Disaster Resilient: Future Ready Victoria Insights Report.

FRRR’s lens on resilience and disasters is holistic and we recognise drought as an increasing part of the cycle of climate-related disruption that remote and rural communities experience. In our work with the Future Drought Fund, we provide grants and place-based capacity building activities explicitly focussed on strengthening social resilience to better withstand dry times.  In this program, we see communities wanting to be less reactive and instead do more to strengthen resilience.

For example, the South Australia Limestone Coast Landscape Board partnered with the local First Nations Corporation to teach locals about the area’s six Indigenous seasons and how they can indicate drought and climate trends. Through the Future Drought Fund’s Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative, First Nations-led educational walks taught people about the flora and fauna that should be present in each season. Almost 600 people attended the education activities, with feedback showing that locals are now using what they learnt to observe their natural environment and look for abnormalities that would indicate drought or dry conditions. This means that early mitigation work can occur, rather than only once a crisis hits. The Limestone Coast region is home to diverse communities of First Nations peoples, generational farming, agricultural industry and new migrants. The project provided a way for these communities to be connected, to grow shared knowledge and generate shared responsibility.

It’s time for action

The reality is that disaster events disproportionately affect remote, rural and regional areas in Australia – and according to the Government’s recent Climate Risk Assessment, that is set to only increase.

The disaster funding dial must be shifted to spend more of the available funding on preparedness and with a more holistic lens on resilience. FRRR will continue to support and advocate for this change, led by what local leaders tell us works – simple, flexible, multi-year, accessible funding of different values with embedded support to build trust, support tailored approaches and sustain momentum.

By providing the right amount of funding, to the right groups, at the right time, small grants catalyse big impact in remote, rural and regional communities. Urgent place-based action is needed – and FRRR is ready to step up. Climate resilience must be built from the ground up – with rural voices leading the way.