Congratulations to 14 WA Local Governments on successfully securing DRF funding

A total of 14 Western Australian Local Governments were successful in securing $22,300,383 in Commonwealth funding in the second round of the Disaster Ready Fund (DRF). This represents nearly 62% of $36,186,042 approved by the Commonwealth for 26 projects in WA.

Projects range from community safety Australian Fire Danger Rating signs to supporting community connectivity in times of disaster to evacuation centre upgrades and redevelopments.

WALGA continues to advocate that Local Government should be empowered to discharge their emergency management responsibilities through sustainable grant funding models that support a shared responsibility and all hazards approach to prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery from natural disasters.

WALGA's 2025 State Election Priorities include a request for an enhanced funding program to better support Local Government emergency management efforts. 

Successful Local Governments

Local Government	Project Title	Project Description
Town of Port Hedland	Gilbert Street Flood Pumps Upgrade	The Gilbert Street Flood Pumps Upgrade project will reduce storm water flood hazard risk by replacing three flood pumps within the Port Hedland commercial and industrial area. The project will strengthen the Town’s capacity to manage storm water hazard impacts in West End Area of Port Hedland.
City of Kalamunda	Community Safety AFDR Signs	Community Safety AFDR signs project will address the need to upgrade signs to electronic digital messaging boards to modernise and increase community resilience and preparedness by having access to all emergency information immediately without delays. Residents of Kalamunda need access to this information as soon as practical as more than 90% of Kalamunda has been identified by the DFES as a bushfire-prone area.
Shire of Waroona	Shire of Waroona Evacuation Centre Back Up Power Supply	Shire of Waroona Evacuation Centre Back Up Power Supply project entails upgrading the switchboard at the Waroona Recreation and Aquatic Centre (WRAC) to enable a generator to power the facility when the electricity network has been impacted by a disaster. The WRAC is the Shire's primary evacuation centre. Enabling a backup power supply will enhance preparedness and resilience by preventing disruption for evacuees and management in times of crisis.
Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley	Kununurra Regional Multi-Purpose Emergency Evacuation Centre (Stage 1)	The Kununurra Regional Multi-Purpose Emergency Evacuation Centre, Stage 1, encompasses a cyclone-rated upgrade to the existing Leisure Centre and construction of additional facilities (commercial kitchen, ablution areas, court, multifunctional rooms). The centre will meet cultural requirements for the many First Nations Communities in the Region, building community resilience during normal times through training and educational programs and transforming to an evacuation centre and emergency response hub during natural disasters.
Shire of Westonia	Supporting Community Connectivity in Times of Disaster	Supporting community connectivity in times of disaster project will protect and support the community during natural disaster events by installing a backup generator power supply, and NBN satellite-connection devices to the Shire's evacuation centre. During an emergency, the ability to communicate can be key to survival, these devices will provide power, internet and phone access even if the Telstra or Optus services have failed.
Shire of Dumbleyung	Stubbs Park Evacuation Centre Redevelopment	The Stubbs Park Evacuation Centre Redevelopment is a construction project that will redevelop an existing community facility to deliver a modern, fully functional, accessible and fit-for-purpose evacuation centre. The redeveloped facility will be capable of safely accommodating displaced residents from across the Shire of Dumbleyung who are impacted by emergency events. The project will strengthen the Shire’s capability to prepare for and provide emergency relief and support during an incident.
City of Busselton	Bushfire Warning Systems – Electronic Fire Danger Rating Signage	Bushfire Warning Systems – Electronic Fire Danger Rating Signage will implement 5 signs in strategic locations to increase awareness and improve communication of fire risks in the community. A communication tool that assists in educating and building community preparedness and understanding of bushfire risk that exists within the region on any given day. Fire danger ratings provide information on actions to protect yourself and others from dangerous impacts of bushfire.
City of Canning	The Adaptation Game Canning	The Adaptation Game (TAG) Canning Projects is a community engagement, education and capacity building tool to assist the community to prepare for and respond to potential climate disaster events. TAG Canning is a facilitated table-top game simulating the impacts of climate change events in the local Canning area, used to raise awareness about what climate change looks like to help people identify actions to adapt and become more climate resilient.
Shire of Derby-West Kimberley	Eastern Community Resilience Centre	The Eastern Community Resilience Centre will provide a critical central location for the provision of services for up the more than 24 Indigenous communities that get isolated when the road between Derby and Fitzroy Crossing is closed. The Hub will consist of accommodation, storage, caretaker facilities, power and water supply, helipad and will be located within the Bayulu Community on land subleased to the Gamdoowa Gooniyandi Aboriginal Corporation.
Shire of Mundaring	Evacuation Centre Emergency Power Redundancy Project	The Evacuation Centre Emergency Power Redundancy Project will install a generator at Mundaring Arena, the area’s primary evacuation centre. Recent bushfire and storm emergencies highlighted vulnerabilities in the Arena’s external power grid reliance. The project will mitigate the risks that power loss poses to community well-being during a natural disaster. The supply of uninterrupted power will enhance the evacuation centre's resilience, safeguarding evacuees effectively during emergencies.
City of Fremantle	Coastal Resilience Enhancement Project	The Coastal Enhancement Resilience project aims to improve drainage at Fremantle Sailing Club and Johannah Street by installing tidal valves, pumps, and water treatment systems. This will help prevent flooding during storms, enhance water quality, and boost community safety and infrastructure resilience against climate change effects.
Shire of Broome	Broome Recreation Aquatic Centre (BRAC) Importance Level 4 (IL4) Upgrades	Broome Recreation Aquatic Centre (BRAC) Importance Level 4 (IL4) Upgrades project is to undertake structural improvements to the BRAC to ensure that the building meets current day requirements for a building that is specified as importance level 4 (IL4) and utilised as the Shire of Broome's Emergency Evacuation Centre.
Shire of Harvey	Fire Danger Rating Signs - Digital	Fire Danger Rating Signs - Digital project will increase awareness and educate communities about potential fire danger by installing 5 digital fire danger rating signs throughout the Shire of Harvey. It is proposed that these signs will be in key locations along main roads and entering high bushfire risk areas. These digital signs will provide Real-time Updates, Visibility and Attention, Customisation, Remote Management, and Integration with Other Systems (Emergency WA).
Shire of Pingelly	Pingelly Evacuation Centre Redundancy Power Project	Pingelly Evacuation Centre Redundancy Power Project includes the purchase and installation of a 100kVA generator and associated switchboard connections to the Pingelly Recreation and Cultural Centre (PRACC), which has been identified as the region’s evacuation centre for Pingelly, and the wider region of Wandering, Wickepin, Corrigin, Brookton, Cuballing, Popanyinning, Narrogin, and other locations as required.

DRF Round Three will provide up to $200 million in 2025-26. NEMA expects to release Guidelines for DRF Round Three by the end of December 2024. Future updates can be found here.