Natural Disaster Program

Key features

• Restoring access for communities and businesses. 
• Restoring damaged roads and road surfaces.
• Repairing damaged structures, including bridges and culverts.
• Repairing damaged slopes and batters along roads.
• Clearing silt and debris.

About the program

• The Natural Disaster Program reconnects Queenslanders by repairing parts of the state-controlled road network damaged by natural disasters.
• The department restores damaged sites to their pre-disaster level of service.
• In the first 3 months after disaster events, the department undertakes emergency works such as clearing debris and filling potholes. This enables roads to be used safely while the department completes geotechnical and environmental investigations, surveys and detailed design for reconstruction works, where required.
• Reconstruction works are completed within 2 financial years after the financial year in which the disaster event occurred.
• Where possible, the program also supports the resilience of state roads to future disasters.

Current status

• Damage assessments and repairs are underway after heavy rainfall from Tropical Cyclone Alfred caused numerous landslips on Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast hinterland roads in March 2025.
• Damage assessments and repairs are underway after significant flooding in north Queensland in early 2025. A substantial reconstruction program will include repairs to the Ed Kratzmann Bridge at Ollera Creek on the Bruce Highway between Townsville and Ingham, and more than 60 landslips on Mount Spec Road west of Townsville.
• Major road repairs are underway across Queensland after significant disaster events in 2023–24. Tropical Cyclone Jasper caused multiple landslips on range roads around Cairns, a major debris clean-up has been undertaken following severe storms across southern Queensland and flooding associated with Tropical Cyclone Kirrily damaged roads in western Queensland.
• Repairs are nearing completion after flooding across northern and central Queensland in early 2023.
• A substantial recovery program is nearing completion across southern Queensland, after major disaster events caused extensive damage in 2021–22. The program is repairing significant state road damage across 41 local government areas, including numerous major landslips, widespread pavement damage and shoulder scouring and widespread scouring around culverts and bridges.
• Reconstruction works are underway on the Cunningham Highway where bushfires caused significant slope damage at Cunninghams Gap in late 2019. Due to the severe damage and complex site, repairs are being undertaken over an extended period.

The recovery works are jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

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