Disaster Ready Fund frequently asked questions

No. There is no set allocation of funding for specific eligible activities or natural hazards. 

No, pandemics and biohazards are not eligible hazard types under the Australian Government guidelines. 

Road and telecommunication infrastructure projects will only be supported if they meet the DRF objectives with their primary purpose, (e.g. upgrading infrastructure to make it more resilient, such as culverts). Examples such as building a road which could assist with evacuation would not meet the DRF objectives, as evacuation would not be the primary purpose of the infrastructure.  

Research institutions such as universities are eligible to submit project proposals for the Victorian Application provided proposals are submitted to EMV by 16 February 2023. 

Biosecurity threats are typically outside the remit of the Disaster Ready Fund Act 2019, and therefore would not normally be funded under the Disaster Ready Fund.

Cyber threats are outside the remit of the Disaster Ready Fund Act 2019, and therefore normally are unable to be funded under the Disaster Ready Fund.

Applicants can only spend DRF funding on eligible expenditure incurred on eligible project activities, for eligible hazard types, as defined in the Guidelines.
In relation to roads, section 5.2 of the Guidelines relevantly states that applicants cannot spend the Commonwealth’s funding on ineligible expenditure incurred, including:

• road infrastructure works that do not have the primary purpose of reducing community exposure to risk, harm and/or severity of a natural hazard’s impacts
• road maintenance.

It will ultimately depend on the application itself and be up to the Program Delegate to decide whether eligibility requirements been met for each project.

While the Guidelines do not specifically rule out land buyback projects, to be considered for DRF funding, applicants would need to demonstrate that their project meets all eligibility criteria outlined in section 4 of the Guidelines, including that it is an eligible activity type (i.e. an infrastructure project or systemic risk reduction project that falls into one or more the project categories outlined in section 4.3 of the Guidelines).
Systemic risk reduction categories include, but are not limited to, adaptation projects that improve land use planning and development practice projects, including the preparation of regional or local plans and updating land use planning instruments and building codes.
It will ultimately depend on the application itself and be up to the Program Delegate to decide whether eligibility requirements have been met for each project.

Project owners must contribute at least 50 per cent of eligible project expenditure towards each project. Co-contribution costs can include, but are not limited to: 

• a direct (cash) funding contribution provided at the time of project commencement;  

• funds the Applicant has already invested in a program or project on or any time after 1 July 2019, and only where the Australian Government contribution from the DRF is expected to extend or enhance that program or project subject to alignment with the DRF Objectives of the Australian Government guidelines. The Australian Government will not fund project cost overruns;  

• any costs associated with the Applicant’s delivery of the project, for example construction or project delivery; and  

• other in-kind costs, such as wages directly attributable to the delivery of the project, and/or supplies, materials, and specific equipment required to execute the project.  

Australian Government funding from any source (including historical) cannot be used by an Applicant to cover their co-contribution, either fully or in-part.  

Due to the short timeline of the Disaster Ready Fund: Round One, 2023-2024 it is recommended that applicants submit programs or projects which have already received investment and propose extending or enhancing that program with the Australian Government’s contribution. This approach will be reviewed for subsequent years of the DRF. No additional funding will be supplied by the Victorian Government. Requests for waivers or co-contribution reductions will only be considered in rare and exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Australian Government. Recent natural disasters or high recent disaster expenditure will not qualify as exceptional circumstances. 

Projects that develop products or services for commercial application and gain, including those by the not-for-profit sector, will not be considered for funding.  

Any products or services created using public funding that project owners would then profit from, will not be eligible. 

NEMA, as an Australian Government entity, will execute a Funding Agreement with EMV via a Federation Funding Agreement (FFA – Environment). EMV will then be responsible for disbursing funds for approved projects and liaising with any project partners. The Australian Government will not directly fund or enter into any agreement/s with third parties (e.g. other organisations that EMV partners with on a project). 

Project owners cannot seek funding for projects that have already received full funding or a commitment of full funding, including projects that have received funding from another source (e.g. from another Australian Government, state or territory program) for the same purpose, as articulated in the application (i.e. ‘double-dipping’). If the proposed project activities are not being funded through other sources, you may be eligible to receive funding for those activities. As noted in the DRF Guidelines, Australian Government funding from any source (including historical) cannot be used by an Applicant to cover their co-contribution, either fully or in-part. 

No. Projects owners in Victoria must apply through EMV.  Applications cannot be submitted directly to the Australian Government. 

SmartyGrants (External link) is a web-based grants management system. EMV will administer the Victorian application process using this system. EMV will continue to administer Risk and Resilience through SmartyGrants.  

Yes, you will need to submit a separate proposal for Risk and Resilience. While both programs support the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework, they are two distinct programs addressing separate priorities. DRF proposals will respond to selection criteria set by the Australian Government, while Risk and Resilience proposals will respond to selection criteria set at a state level. This means that the questions for the two programs will be different. Applicants will be able to download their DRF proposals from SmartyGrants to assist with tailoring their proposals for Risk and Resilience.  

The dates for future rounds of the DRF have not been announced by the Australian Government. EMV will provide an update to eligible applicants once advice is received on when future rounds may open. 

Projects must be delivered within Victoria. Applicants may deliver projects across multiple jurisdictions, however they must have a significant Victorian-based component. If your project is multi-jurisdictional please contact drf@emv.vic.gov.au (External link) to discuss funding eligibility.  

No, there is no limit on the number of proposals. EMV welcomes and encourages the consolidation of Projects where feasible under one program of work with a single management structure. 

Potentially. Applicants would need to demonstrate that all eligibility and other requirements outlined in the Guidelines have been met. In particular, sections 6 and 5.2 of the Guidelines relevantly state:

• co-contribution costs can include 'funds the Applicant has already invested in a program or project on or any time after 1 July 2019, and only where the Commonwealth’s contribution from the DRF is expected to extend or enhance that program or project subject to alignment with the DRF Objectives’
• Commonwealth funding from any source (including historical) cannot be used by an Applicant to cover their co-contribution, either fully or in-part.
•  Applicants cannot seek funding for projects that have already received full funding or a commitment of full funding, including projects that have received funding from another source (e.g. from another Commonwealth, state or territory program) for the same purpose, as articulated in the application (i.e. ‘double-dipping’).

It will ultimately depend on the application itself and be up to the Program Delegate to decide whether these requirements been met for each project.

The online application cover sheet and project application forms support text-only fields, number-only fields, tick boxes and drop-down lists. If wanting to submit other content types (e.g. formatted text, tables, charts, images, etc), these can be included in the mandatory and optional attachments as appropriate.

If you have any queries regarding the Disaster Ready Fund we encourage you to contact our team at drf@emv.vic.gov.au (External link)