Singleton and Muswellbrook councils to receive $2million in government funding to better prepare for future natural disasters

This funding for the region is a combined investment into disaster prevention, through the Federal, State and delivery partner co-contributions in Round One of the new Disaster Ready Fund.

The Fund was an election commitment by the Albanese Government, and will deliver national long-term mitigation funding to help protect communities from natural disasters.

State and Territory governments submitted applications for a range of projects to improve mitigation and resilience, in collaboration with local Councils and community groups.

Federal Member for Hunter, Dan Repacholi MP said local projects included $675,000 for Singleton Council for the Disaster Ready Singleton Plan and $1.18M for Muswellbrook Council for the Denman Drainage Strategy.

"The Hunter Region faces the threat of bushfires and floods every year and natural disasters are becoming more common, and more dangerous due to climate change," Mr Repacholi said.

"Through the Albanese Government's new Disaster Ready Fund, we're investing up to $1 billion in Commonwealth funding over five years to build critical projects that will reduce disaster risk, help to reduce recovery costs and strengthen community resilience across Australia, including in the Hunter Region.

"The Singleton project will help Council gain a greater understanding of the impact of natural hazards on their assets in respect to potentially hazardous goods and develop the communities understanding of floodplain risk management and enhance their ability to better prepare and develop a Disaster Risk Management Plan.

"Muswellbrook Council will use the funding to upgrade drainage in Palace Street and the Golden Highway in Denman to improve the management of existing and future stormwater.

Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt said while the Federal Government would continue to support areas impacted by disasters, it was critical we do more to build defences, to better protect communities and their regional economies.

"We know that every dollar spent on disaster resilience and mitigation delivers a return on investment to governments and households nine times over. But as a country we invest far more in recovering from disasters than we do defending against them, and that mentality has got to change," Minister Watt said.

"This is about more than just bricks and mortar. We are changing the way Australia deals with natural disasters by planning better for the future to ensure that communities all around the country are better prepared, less exposed and in the best possible position to recover when disasters strike."