Quilpie floods highlight risk of Federal Government’s dud deal
Published on 14 August 2026
The Mayor of flood-hit Quilpie is warning of the crippling financial costs that lie ahead for Queensland councils if the Federal Government proceeds with its unfair changes to Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Quilpie Shire Council Mayor Ben Hall says the Commonwealth funding now flowing to Quilpie following severe flooding in June would be at risk in future flood events under the Federal Government’s planned DRFA changes.
“At the same time Quilpie was being hit by severe floods, the Federal Government was hatching a plan to strip the councils of vital disaster recovery funding,” Mayor Hall said.
“This dud deal would deprive Quilpie of the essential financial support it needs right now to move forward.
“The lack of clarity around future Counter Disaster Operations funding would hamper rather than strengthen local recovery efforts, putting community safety at risk.
“And important resilience projects such as the South Comongin Crossing would be at risk under planned changes to betterment funding, leaving council to foot a hefty bill without any Commonwealth support.
“The current disaster funding arrangements are working as intended in Quilpie right now and it makes no sense to change them.”
Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) modelling shows the Quilpie Shire alone would have missed out on $21.4 million in Federal support if the regime being proposed by the Federal Government, including reducing its overall disaster recovery contribution from an average of 64 per cent to just 50 per cent, had been in place since 2018.
Statewide, Queensland communities would have missed out on at least $2.8 billion in Federal support during the same period.
LGAQ President Mayor Matt Burnett said many councils were feeling vulnerable ahead of the looming storm season.
“Queensland communities know how to respond to disasters, but to do this successfully they need proper financial support from the Federal Government,” Mayor Burnett said.
“The Federal Government collects 80 per cent of all national taxation revenue and councils collect just three per cent, which is far short of what they need to maintain everyday services and a strong disaster response capability.
“With 74 of 77 LGAs impacted by natural disaster in the 2026 summer season, now is not the time to strip councils of the funding they so desperately need.
“We’re calling for an end to this blatant cost-shifting from the Federal Government and demanding they ditch this dud deal.”
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