Disaster Ready Fund – Round 4

Tanya Latanville

Good morning everyone and welcome to the briefing this morning about Round 4 of the Disaster Ready Fund. I'm Tanya Tanville. I am the Director of Grants, Programme Design and Evaluation for the New South Wales Reconstruction Authority. My team and I are here today following the Commonwealth opening the DRF Round 4 last Friday.
And just a reminder that in New South Wales, the Reconstruction Authority coordinates the New South Wales submission to the Commonwealth. And so the purpose of the session today is for us to take you through information on the Commonwealth application requirements and the New South Wales priorities that we'll use to support us in determining what projects form the New South Wales submission to the program.
Before we get into it today, I'd just like to start by acknowledging country.
So I'm joining you today from the Gumbayngor lands on the Mid-North Coast. And I'd like to pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and recognise and celebrate the diversity of Aboriginal peoples and their ongoing cultures and connexions to land and waters of New South Wales. I'd like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which I'm joining you from today and all of the different lands on which you are joining in from as well.
Before we get into the detail of the DRF, just a little bit about the RA and why we're here and why this programme is important to us. So the New South Wales Reconstruction Authority is the lead agency in New South Wales for disaster resilience and recovery, and we play a central role in helping communities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.
Whether this is floods, bushfires or other emergencies, our focus is on supporting people in places. Ensuring that communities in New South Wales are stronger, safer and more resilient to disasters is our overarching vision. So it's especially important as we face increasing challenges in an ever-changing world. Supporting this important vision is our purpose, which is twofold. We drive and support community-centred recovery,
essentially putting people at the heart of rebuilding efforts, and we leave the change needed to reduce the impact of disasters. So our work is about more than just recovery. It's about building long-term resilience. And that means we need to work together with communities, councils and agencies to make sure New South Wales is ready for whatever comes next.
So an overview of the briefing today. I'll shortly hand over to Amanda Cameron, who's the manager of the programme in New South Wales, but just a couple of housekeeping things before then. We won't be doing a live Q&A session, but we will be recording any questions that you pop into the chat, as well as the ones that were sent through in advance. The team will use these to inform the development of a comprehensive
a comprehensive set of frequently asked questions that we'll publish after the webinar along with the webinar. This is because we need to ensure that all potential applicants have access to the same information, but also because as NEMA on the program, there might be questions that we need to confirm with them before we can answer properly. So just a reminder that the webinar is being recorded. We will share it with you or anyone else who couldn't make it next week.
You'll notice as well that your cameras and microphones are switched off. That will remain the case throughout the presentation. So with that done, I will hand over to Amanda to take you through the details of the programme and the New South Wales priorities. Thank you, Amanda.

Amanda Cameron   3:15
Thanks, Tanya, and thank you all for joining us here today. So as touched on, the purpose of today's briefing is to provide a high level overview of round four of the DRF, and we'll step you through the purpose of the program, the funding available, its key requirements and timelines, and highlight the key changes introduced for this round.
I'll also touch on the New South Wales specific requirements and address some of the common questions we've received in the lead up to today's session. It's important to reiterate that the DRF is an Australian government programme with the guidelines and all supporting resources developed by them, including this presentation deck, noting we've included additional detail which we
consider to be important. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Round 4 guidelines in full, as they'll include important detail that will not be covered here today. There is also a suite of supporting resources available on the New South Wales Reconstruction Authority DRF webpage, as well as within the application form on Smarty Grants.
As mentioned, today's webinar will be recorded and made available online.
Right, to kick things off, let's start with what is the DRF to those new to the program. The DRF is the Australian government's main programme for supporting projects that help communities reduce risk from natural hazards and build resilience before disaster strike. The programme provides up to 1 billion / 5 years, which started in 2023,
with $600 million already invested across the first three rounds nationally. It's focused on prevention, mitigation and preparedness, not emergency response. In practice, this means funding projects that can lead to outcomes such as fewer homes being impacted by flooding, safer evacuation routes, stronger community preparedness and more informed planning for future infrastructure.
How it works. In terms of how the programme works, funding is delivered through the National Emergency Management Agency, which you'll often hear me refer to as NEMA throughout this presentation, in partnership with states and territories. Applications are coordinated by lead agencies, which act as the first point of contact.
And in New South Wales, that is us here today at the Reconstruction Authority. Applicants do not apply directly to NEMA. Instead, that process is managed by us. Importantly, the DRF is a competitive programme with grants awarded through an annual competitive process. Applications need to meet the eligibility requirement and assessment criteria.
as outlined in the guidelines, and are considered alongside other submissions. So good preparation and the quality of an application is critical. Not all proposals can be funded, as each jurisdiction is capped in the number of applications it can submit to NEMA, and available national funding is limited.
So just to give you a bit of context in how competitive this is, under the previous round in New South Wales, we received 212 application from which we submitted 65 to the Commonwealth. And of these, 18 were funded, which was equivalent to 68 million from the available $200 million.
Fund pool.
So, funding available for this round. Under this round, there is less funding available nationally compared to previous rounds, with the total amount decreasing from up to 200 million to 142 million. Of this, this includes $3 million allocated to us as lead agencies to support the implementation, delivery and reporting of projects.
The reduction in the funding of around 57 million is being reserved by NEMA for critical national capability programmes that align with the DRF core objectives. Round 4 will continue to have a strong focus on infrastructure with around $105 million of this envelope allocated to projects that deliver
long-term disaster reduction and resilience benefits. Recognising the importance of broader initiatives, the remaining $35 million is notionally allocated to other eligible project types. As with round three, projects that fall under the infrastructure stream must have a total project value of $500,000.
There is no minimum funding threshold for other project types. However, funding requests must not exceed the available amounts in each stream.
Who can apply? So eligible applicants may include local councils, state or territory government bodies, First Nation or non-for-profit organisations. The full eligibility requirements are outlined in the guidelines and should be reviewed carefully to determine your organisation's eligibility for the program. As mentioned, applications are not submitted directly to NEMA.
Instead, they must be submitted through your state or territory's lead agency, and applications submitted to us are then screened with a short list of proposals recommended and approved for submission to NEMA. These approved proposals are then combined into a single overarching application to NEMA.
as this process helps ensure proposals are aligned with state priorities. Further details on the assessment process will be covered in an upcoming slide. It's also important to note that for projects that span multiple jurisdictions or nationally, a single lead agency must still be used to coordinate the application.
So, what does the DRF fund? The important question. Under the program, there are two main activity types or streams. These are infrastructure projects and other eligible non-infrastructure projects. Infrastructure projects involve physical assets that reduce hazard impacts and improve safety.
Examples of these could include levees, flood structures, cyclone shelters, sea walls and evacuation facilities. Other eligible or non-infrastructure projects include activities like feasibility studies, business cases, risk assessment, mitigation planning and capability building.
Applicants should select the activity type that best fits their proposal, having regard to the guideline definitions and noting that the requirements can differ. For example, proposals in the infrastructure stream, as touched on, must have a minimum total project of $500,000 and must be supported by a cost-benefit analysis and be able to commence construction during the funding period.
All projects must show lasting benefit and have the primary purpose of reducing disaster risk or building resilience to future hazards.
So which natural hazards are eligible? DRF projects must reduce risk from or build resilience to one or more of the eligible natural hazards. These include flood, bushfire, cyclone, storms, extreme heat, and the others listed on the slide there.
It's important to call out on this slide that NEMA has excluded some hazards that were eligible under the previous round. These include space weather events and volcanic eruptions, but please defer to the guidelines for further information on these.
So what makes a strong project? The Australian Government has identified the following characteristics for what would achieve this. Strong applications address a clear disaster risk backed by credible evidence. This includes using local and state risk assessments, historical data and modelling to explain the hazard.
is at risk and how the project reduces that risk. They demonstrate alignment with the existing plans and national priorities, including local, state and national plans and strategies, and support one or more actions under the Second National Action Plan. For those not familiar with the Second National Action Plan, this sets out the Australian national, Australia's national priorities and coordinated action to
strengthen disaster resilience and reduce risk. Strong projects deliver long-term benefits demonstrating lasting risk reduction and resilience rather than just short-term outcomes. They are also realistic and achievable with a clear scope, a well-defined budget and a feasible delivery plan supported by effective
communities. I'll cover off on the assessment criteria shortly.
So priority areas for round four, this is a key important slide here. So the Australian Government has identified a number of priority areas, which includes, again, touching on a focus on large scale infrastructure with 75% of project funding or about 105 million set aside for large infrastructure projects such as cyclone shelters, levees, seawalls and early warning systems.
These projects are intended to deliver long-term disaster resilience for communities. Construction ready infrastructure. All infrastructure projects must be able to start construction within the funding period. Those able to begin construction once implementation plans are approved, which is expected in mid-2027,
will be preferenced by the Australian Government where applications are similarly rated. Finally, another, the final key priority area is risk reduction projects that demonstrate insurance benefit, insurance related benefits. Applicants are encouraged to partner with experts and provide supporting evidence as outlined in the guidelines to back up any insurance related claims.
The Australian Government will then assess these claims with relevant experts as part of their assessment process.
Time frames, another key slide here. So under round four, projects can run for a maximum of three years. Important to note that in round three, they introduced A five-year window for infrastructure projects, however, have reverted all project types back to the maximum three-year limit. So milestones and completion dates should be planned accordingly to align within this time frame.
For infrastructure, as just touched on, applicants must be able to commence construction within the project timeframe. This means all planning, approvals and procurement should be completed prior to or at the outset of the project. It's important to note that the Australian Government will not fund projects with potential impacts on matters of national environment significance.
Projects should be realistic with a well-phased project schedule. It's important to not over-promise. Proposals should focus on what can be confidently delivered within the three-year time frame, supported by clear evidence of readiness. If successful, projects can formally commence once schedules have been signed.
Implementation plans have been endorsed by NEMA and individual funding agreements are in place. In line with the Commonwealth guidance, project commencement is currently expected from mid 2027. An applicant should factor this timing into their planning and delivery schedules accordingly.
Business as usual. So the DRF funding cannot be used for business as usual activities that are part of an organisation's standard operations, maintenance or service. This rule exists to make sure that the DRF funding adds value and doesn't replace or shift existing funding obligations. BAU is case and context dependent.
For example, whether proposed works or services are standard activities that an applicant would ordinarily be expected to fund depends on the nature of the works or services and what expectations exist of that particular organisation, which can vary between projects and applicants. Guidance on business as usual has been updated for this round with examples outlined in Appendix C of the guidelines
to assist you with making informed decisions about whether to apply and how to frame your justification to the section in the application form. Again, within the application form, you must clearly explain why your project is not business as usual, i.e. how the DRF funded project
differs from standard works and services. Examples of business as usual could be routine rd maintenance, existing asset repairs and replacement or staffing for standard service delivery. Examples of non-business as usual work would include building a new flood levy
or upgrading an evacuation centre specifically to reduce disaster impacts.
Co-contributions. So all projects under the DRF require a project co-contribution. Both the applicant and or delivery partner must provide a co-contribution towards the project in addition to the Commonwealth funding being requested. This approach promotes shared investment, strengthens project ownerships and helps
maximise the overall project impact. Consistent with the previous round, NEMA is applying a tiered co-contribution approach, as this recognises that some applicants have previously faced challenges in raising co-contributions. So under this approach, in practice, this means that First Nation organisations and councils in very remote LGAs
are required to contribute 10%, with low rate-based councils and non-for-profit organisations required to contribute 20%, and all other applicants, excluding certain state and territory bodies, are required to contribute a minimum of 50%. Please refer to Section 3.
and appendices A&B of the guidelines for further details around this. So co-contributions importantly must be directly linked to the delivery of the DRF project and can include a financial cash co-contribution at the time of project commencement, an in-kind co-contribution, such as wages directly attributed to the delivery of the project,
or supplies, materials, or equipment required to execute the project. Importantly, in-kind co-contributions can be based on existing resources, but cannot include historic work undertaken or staff time spent on the project commencement or land valuations. In-kind co-contributions must be clearly identified
In the project budget.
The programme also, you can also have the historical investment, which are funds invested in a programme or the project on or any time after the 1 July 2024 by either yourself as the applicant or one of your delivery partners, but only where the Australian Government's co-contribution from the DRF
is expected to extend or enhance that programme or project subject to the alignment to the DRF objectives. Again, it is important to note that from an eligibility perspective that no more than 50% of the required co-contribution amount can be derived from historical investments.
Where they do form part of a co-contribution, again, clearly identify this in the project budget, and you must include an explanation of how the DRF project will extend or enhance this prior investment. And we do ask that evidence is provided as part of the application process.
So both the Australian and New South Wales Government will not fund project cost overruns. So it's important that you plan your budget carefully. As part of the application, you'll be asked to complete NEMA's indicative budget template. It's important that the amounts are consistent across this template, the application form and any supporting documents.
Please also make sure you allow for contingencies in your budget to cover things like inflation, the timing of when the announcements will be made to when projects will commence, changes in labour, supply costs or delays or any other unseen issues. The contingency should be commensurate with the size and complexity of a project.
NEMA guidance suggests that a minimum contingency of 10% with consideration of a higher contingency of up to 30% for projects in complex or remote delivery environments. And it's worth noting here that where a contingency amount is not identified or separated as an individual line item in the template,
We'll assume that this has been factored into the other costings.
So the process itself involves 5 key steps. So as touched on in New South Wales, all proposals must be submitted to the RA and this is done via the Smarter Grants portal and must be submitted by 5pm Australian Eastern Standard Time on a Wednesday, so Wednesday the 1st of July 2026. A link to the access
This form is available on our website. To avoid any last minute technical issues, please allow enough time to submit before this closing time. Under step 2, proposals are then reviewed by us as the lead agency for eligibility, merit and alignment with our state priorities, noting that due to the highly competitive nature of the programme and NEMA's reduced
jurisdictional cap for New South Wales of 30 applications. Not all applications will proceed to step 3. So under step 3, the RA will then submit, as mentioned before, that overarching application of the most competitive proposals to NEMA for their assessment.
Under step 4, NEMA will then cheque the eligibility and an assessment panel will review the applications against the published criteria and they may involve specialist input. And that really comes back to the insurance co-benefits related part that I mentioned earlier.
And step 5 is the recommendations are provided to the Federal Minister for Emergency Management for final decision. And then following this, the outcomes are then announced by the Australian Government.
So it's a good segue into the next slide where we'll talk about the timeline. So the key dates for this round, so applications opened last Friday, the 29th of May, with proposals due to us, as mentioned, on Wednesday, the 1st of July, 2026. So please note that this is a five-week application.
application period, which is equivalent to 24 days. And not to, you know, just to call out, I guess, including today, this leaves 18 business days to submit your application. So we here at the RA acknowledge that this is a shorter time frame than previously provided by NEMA in earlier rounds.
So please leverage the supporting materials available and start your application as soon as possible. Then from the 2nd of July through the 25th of August, we then screen and determine up to 30 project proposals to be submitted. And please note at this point, any recommended multi-jurisdictional or national projects will be in addition to this 30.
project proposal cap. By the 25th of August, all projects are then submitted to NEMA. NEMA commence their assessment from late August through to October with outcomes announced from October 2026.
As mentioned, the schedules won't be signed by us lead agencies until early 2027 and then following this, Implementation plans are expected to be endorsed with payments to applicants commencing from mid 2027. As a reminder, please factor this timeline into your proposal.
including any impacts on delivery and budgeting, given the significant gap between the application submission and the likely project commencement.
So importantly, the assessment criteria. So your project proposal will need to address each of the Australian Government's assessment criteria with evidence to support. So criteria one, contribution to disaster risk reduction, resilience and knowledge. This is worth 40% and under this criteria you'll need to demonstrate elements such as the natural hazard your project is addressing,
current and future risks to the target community, the disaster risk, resilience or knowledge benefits the project will deliver for the community during and beyond the term of funding, how the project will avoid the potential for maladaptation and how infrastructure projects can impact climate change through the investment and any
insurance related co-benefits. So example of supporting evidence under this criteria may include references to relevant hazard risk assessments, peer reviewed research data and government risk assessments such as the National Climate Risk Assessment. Criteria 2, this involves alignment with a national, state, territory, local disaster resilience and risk reduction plan, strategies and
frameworks. It's worth 30%. So under this criteria, you'll need to demonstrate how the project aligns with one or more of the priorities, outcomes and national actions identified in the second National Action Plan. And you'll also need to demonstrate how your project aligns with state, territory and local disaster resilience and risk reduction plans, strategies and frameworks.
Supporting evidence under this one could include relevant state, territory or local plans, policies or frameworks. Criteria 3, capacity, capability and resources to deliver the project, with this making up the final 30%. Under this criteria, you'll need to demonstrate your track record managing similar projects,
sound project planning to manage and deliver the project, strong consultation with local governments and affected communities, compliance with relevant legislative requirements, government policies and industry standards, and your readiness to commence the project once implementation plans are endorsed in mid-2027.
At a minimum for this criteria, evidence should include a business case, including a project plan, a budget using the template provided by NEMA, and a risk management plan, commensurate with the size and scale of the project. Evidence of consultation and cost estimates prepared by a quantity surveyor or other relevant professional
should also be included for projects over 1 million. For those under 1 million, quotes or cost estimates prepared by yourself should be included.
In addition, for infrastructure projects, a cost benefit analysis must also be provided, noting that for this round, NEMA has developed a template which can be found either on our website or in the application form itself. Then we have criteria 4, which they've changed for this, for round four, which covers the overall value of the project. Now, this is a non-weighted criteria.
and has been introduced to more explicitly address value for money.
This will consider your project's alignment with the DRF investment principles, the appropriateness of the budget, risks to delivery and other available funding sources, and whether the proposed activities are considered business as usual. Information used to assess this criteria will be drawn from other parts of the application,
including your responses to the above criteria and any supporting evidence. So as such, you don't need to provide a separate response or any additional information as part of the application form. Importantly, for full details on the assessment criteria, please refer to section 6 of the guidelines and also refer to appendices E and F.
which will give you a helpful overview of the DRF scoring and rating matrices for each of these criteria and what details should be included for an excellent response.
So in addition to the Australian Government criteria, proponents are also required to address the following New South Wales priorities and provide supporting evidence. These will be considered as part of the New South Wales screening process to determine the shortlisted projects. So priority one, this is the alignment to key New South Wales disaster and resistance.
resilience plans. This priority focuses on how well your project aligns with relevant New South Wales disaster and resilient frameworks and plans such as the State Disaster Mitigation Plan, Disaster Adaptation Plan guidelines, local natural disaster risk management plans and recommendations from the New South Wales Flood and or bushfire inquiries.
Priority 2, this involves leveraging collaborations and partnerships. This will look at how well your project demonstrates strong partnerships between relevant agencies, local leadership, community organisations and community members, along with effective stakeholder consultation and engagement. Priority 3, addressing local and regional priorities.
This will consider how well your project responds to local and regional needs, particularly in supporting high risk and vulnerable communities. Projects should demonstrate a strong understanding of place-based risks, drawing on local knowledge and contribute to strengthening community readiness, and also show how they build on existing community assets and services
and where relevant support the scaling or expansion of approaches that have already been proven effective in those communities. And lastly, priority 4, demonstrating project readiness. So touching on criteria three of the Commonwealth, this focuses essentially on your readiness to commence the project, including both the level of co-funding secured and the progress
planning and preparatory work.
So key changes. If I haven't touched on it already, there are a few important changes specific to New South Wales for this round to be aware of. So the first one being with the Australian Government continuing to apply a tiered co-contribution approach for this round, New South Wales will not
Be providing a state co-contribution for Round Four.
With the application cap for New South Wales reduced from 60 to 30 in round four, alongside the reduced funding and tighter timeframes, lead organisations can submit up to two proposals. Where more than one proposal is submitted, this must be ranked within the application form in order of priority for panel consideration.
And please note that this does not preclude you from participating as a delivery partner on other projects. For national or multi-jurisdictional projects, a letter of in-principle approval from lead agencies in each relevant state or territory is required. If you require a lead agency letter of support from the RA for this project,
to conduct work in New South Wales. We ask that requests are submitted to us at least 10 business days before the application closes. So that's around the 18th of June 2026, just so we can manage it at our end. So requests submitted this after this date may not be accommodated the closer they get to that closing date.
Again, if you are submitting A multi-jurisdictional or national project through New South Wales, a lead agency letter from us is not required as this will be covered through the screening process.
So a few FAQs. So I'll just run through a few of the common questions that we've received since the round has opened. As mentioned, like the slide deck and recording will be published on the RA webpage next week, noting that Monday is the public holiday. As Tanya touched on, we'll also publish responses to any unanswered questions as FAQs to ensure all applicants have access to the same information.
Please note that if your question isn't included on this, it's because the information is already covered in the guidelines or supporting materials. So again, we encourage you to review those in full. As the DRF is a competitive grant program, we are unable to provide advice on the eligibility of individual projects.
You are encouraged to refer to the guidelines and make your own assessment against the eligibility criteria, with eligibility formally assessed after applications close based on the information provided. To ensure fairness and integrity of the process, we are unable to meet with applicants or provide project specific advice.
The level of evidence and supporting documentation that you provide within your application should reflect the size and complexity of the project. We encourage applicants to refer to Section 7.6 of the guidelines for the full list of required attachments and ensure all relevant information is included in the submission.
as no additional information can be provided during the assessment. It's also worth noting that the Commonwealth have developed two different checklists, so one for the infrastructure projects and non-infrastructure projects. So it's definitely worth going through that checklist as you're working through your application.
And finally, in general, clarifications will not be sought after submission. However, we do recognise that in extenuating circumstances, we may need to request these where a decision cannot be made based on the information provided. So really, it's important to ensure that your application is complete and consistent throughout.
In wrapping things up, I'd just like to remind you of the extensive resources and support available to you. The DRF team is here to support you and is your first point of contact for any questions or guidance. Our e-mail is listed on the slide there, and as Tanya touched on, we, where appropriate or where needed, will escalate matters to NEMA as the programme owners.
All Round 4 applicant resources are available on the RA webpage, which you can also scan using the QR code here. And there are also key materials linked within the application form on Smarter Grants, including the guidelines and resources developed by NEMA. As mentioned, given the short and five week application period and that we're already a week in,
We strongly encourage you to access the application form in Smarty Grants and review the guidelines in full as soon as possible to understand the level of detail required, including all mandatory supporting documentation. And to minimise any last minute issues, we ask that you please try and submit your application as soon as it's complete.
Complete. So thank you again for your time here today. We hope you have found this information session helpful and we wish you the best of luck with your application. Have a lovely long weekend.