Sunshine Coast Council will receive an extra $561,000 in bushfire recovery funding from the Federal Government on top of the $2.8 million delivered for projects on the Sunshine Coast.

The funding boost will support the delivery of an emergency management and evacuation call system at the Nambour Showgrounds which is used as a major evacuation centre during emergencies.

Federal Member for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien said the funding would ensure the region was ‘disaster ready’.

“Only two years ago, wildfires engulfed a number of local communities and people were evacuated from their homes to take shelter at locations across the Sunshine Coast, including the Nambour showgrounds,” Mr O’Brien said.

“This significant investment will guarantee the effective and direct communication to several hundred evacuees, as well as agency staff managing this major evacuation centre which is spread across a 14.52-hectare site.”

Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson welcomed the federal funding on top of the $50,000 council contribution from the Nambour Showgrounds Development Levy fund.

“Nambour Showgrounds is a critical evacuation and support hub for many people during times of crisis,” Mayor Jamieson said. 

“This public announcement system upgrade will also be particularly useful for many events held at the Nambour Showgrounds each year including the Queensland Garden Expo, the annual Sunshine Coast Agricultural show, caravan and camping expos and a host of community and sporting events.”

This will enable key personnel such as council and emergency services to provide critical information to people under community evacuation orders and allow for the safe coordination of evacuation centre operations.

The project will enable vital communications of essential activities for management of large numbers of people across several buildings and facilities.