2023-24 State Recovery and Resilience Plan

Event summary

In 2023-24 Queensland experienced two tropical cyclones crossing the east coast, record breaking flooding in the Far North, a destructive wind event in south-east Queensland, severe storms, flooding and bushfire events. 

Throughout this volatile disaster season we were again reminded of Queensland’s reputation as Australia’s most disaster impacted state, with activations for the following 13 disaster events: 

• Western Queensland Rainfall and Flooding, 22 March - 20 April 2024
• Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, Associated Rainfall and Flooding, 25 January - 26 February 2024
• North Queensland Monsoon Trough, 12 - 22 January 2024
• South West Queensland Flooding, 6 - 23 January 2024
• South Queensland Severe Storms and Rainfall, 24 December 2023 - 3 January 2024
• Brisbane and Ipswich Severe Storms, 15 - 16 December 2023
• Tropical Cyclone Jasper, Associated Rainfall and Flooding, 13 - 28 December 2023
• Queensland Low Pressure Trough, 20 November - 1 December 2023
• The Pines and Condamine Farms Bushfire, 19 November - 1 December 2023
• Mount Isa Bushfire, 23 October - 1 November 2023
• Northern Queensland Bushfires, 18 October - 8 December 2023
• Nome and Julago Bushfire, 16 - 24 September 2023
• Southern Queensland Bushfires, 8 September - 7 November 2023

The majority of the state was impacted, and 66 local government areas were activated for financial assistance to support disaster recovery, such as Personal Hardship Assistance, essential services safety and reconnection, reconstruction of essential public assets, and counter disaster operations.

Communities in every corner of Queensland continue to recover from the 13 disaster events, with the size of the recovery program from these disasters currently estimated at more than $2.5 billion. 

State Recovery and Resilience Plan

The 2023-24 State Recovery and Resilience Plan (the Plan) covers the 13 disaster events and captures the diversity, breadth and extent of disasters for the entire season. The Plan provides a single coherent pathway to recovery from the impacts of the 2023-24 disaster events. It aims to give a clear, concise, high-level overview of what QRA, state and Australian Government departments and agencies, through councils, are doing to support the public and the environment to recover. It includes local activities, regional recovery and resilience priorities, and state and Australian Government initiatives and funding opportunities.

The Plan takes a long-term view of recovery, using local ideas to identify common themes and inform recovery priorities for communities across the entire state. This approach allows government departments and agencies to better coordinate, streamline delivery, address complementary issues and realise efficiencies.