Review of current disaster recovery frameworks needed for Queensland's primary producers

Disaster season is already well underway in Queensland with recent bushfires impacting the state’s southern border and northwest, and damaging hailstorms and heavy rainfall impacting the southeast.

Last year’s disaster season had a significant effect on the state’s northern sugar, nursery, and horticulture farms. In addition to the on-farm crop losses and infrastructure damage, farmers and their workforces were personally impacted with damage to their homes and communities.

These events take a heavy toll on entire towns and regions and while they can never be totally avoided, they must be planned for. While much of the recent rainfall has been welcomed by many farmers, with some producers receiving their best rainfall in years, it is also a reminder for farmers to revisit their disaster preparedness plans.

Throughout 2023-2024 QFF’s Industry Recovery and Resilience Officers (IRROs) have assisted farmers located in 23 local government areas impacted during the 2021-2022 disaster season to develop Flood Management and Farm Business Resilience Plans.

The IRROs have also delivered workshops in a number of regions including Biloela, Boonah, Dalby, Goondiwindi, Logan, Texas and Theodore. These workshops provided local farmers with valuable insights into a range of recovery topics including soil management, resources for mental health and wellbeing, and industry specific resilience information from the likes of Cotton Australia and Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG).

In addition to the good planning work QFF’s disaster recovery and resilience team have helped deliver on farm and in regional communities, we need better policy settings to ensure farm businesses return to business-as-usual activities in a timely manner after a disaster event, minimising their downtime and restoring production as soon as possible.

The recent change in Queensland Government invites an opportunity to review the current disaster recovery frameworks for farm businesses and invest in a ‘spine of resources’ to support farmers across the cycle of weather events.

It is also essential that the government ensure all protected areas of land, including national parks, proactively meet their obligations on fire preparedness as the summer draws on.

QFF and our members will continue to engage with government to advocate for equitable disaster management and recovery outcomes for all primary producers across the state.