Queensland will go ahead with the Bundaberg East Levee after the flood mitigation project secured $174.7 million in funding commitments at state and federal levels.

Suncorp and RACQ, which are based in the state, say the levee will lead to better protection for businesses and homeowners in the flood-prone city north of Brisbane and ease pressure on premiums.

Bundaberg was affected by last year’s record flood in February/March and ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald in 2013.

“We’ve been calling on governments to build the Bundaberg Flood Levee project for a long time and it’s great to see the funding for the project is now on the table and work can start to make it a reality,” Suncorp Group CEO Steve Johnston said.

He says the levee could save affected locals on average more than $1000 a year on their home insurance premium.

The project will be financed partly from the $75 million given to Queensland from the Emergency Response Fund (ERF) after the February/March flood catastrophe last year. The ERF ends this month and will be replaced by the Disaster Ready Fund.

The grant will be split across six infrastructure projects, including the Bundaberg East Levee project and upgrades to southern Queensland’s Flood Warning Infrastructure Network.

“We know that every dollar spent on disaster resilience and mitigation delivers a return on investment to governments and households nine times over, while also putting downward pressure on insurance premiums,” Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt said today.

“These significant resilience projects will help improve flood defences, while enhanced warning and evacuation routes will enable greater situational awareness in life threatening situations.”

He says the Bundaberg levee will “significantly improve flood protection for families in the city’s east, south and CBD precincts”.

“Bundaberg was hit particularly hard in the significant flood event in 2013 and parts of the city are quite vulnerable when the rains start pelting down,” Mr Watt said.

The Bundaberg project’s concept design – developed with community consultation in 2018 – involves construction of a concrete levee in two main sections as well as floodgates, flood doors and pump stations across Saltwater Creek and an unnamed creek known locally as ‘Distillery Creek’.

It is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments through the Queensland Flood Recovery and Resilience Package – part of the $75 million ERF 2021/22 – as well as efficiencies Queensland has achieved through the delivery of programs under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

RACQ GM Advocacy Josh Cooney says the levee funding is a win for the Bundaberg community and economy.

“This will be a vital infrastructure project which will significantly improve flood protection for families in Bundaberg’s east, south and CBD precincts, as well as create local jobs and boost their economy,” he said.

“Investment in projects like this one is a positive step forward in building stronger, more resilient communities which are better prepared for when the next natural disaster hits.”