IPSWICH City Council will begin buying flood-affected properties on behalf of the State and
Federal governments with 32 properties identified for the first round.
The Queensland Reconstruction Authority has started contacting registered owners to confirm their interest in the program, proceeding with independent property valuation reports and making written offers to purchase.
The $741 million Resilient Homes Fund Voluntary Home Buy Back Program is the largest of its kind to be delivered in Australia.
A total of 40 buy back offers have now been presented to eligible Ipswich and Brisbane residents, with 213 properties throughout eight local government areas currently identified for buy back.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the QRA provided council with initial funding of $22 million under the scheme so it could begin to purchase homes where owners accepted an offer.
“The Queensland Government has set the eligibility criteria and rules around how the funding is allocated, and now council has been tasked with conveyancing and finalising the purchase with the
homeowners that the state has made offers to,” Cr Harding said.
“We have been advised that 15 homeowners have currently accepted offers from the QRA and council will now start the process of conveyancing and preparing for settlement.
“Some properties will be settled before Christmas. These houses will then be demolished in due course, with the land being re-zoned for non-habitable uses in accordance with Council’s obligations under the Resilient Homes Fund criteria.
“This process will continue to roll out over coming months as the State Government continues to work through the assessment and valuation process for properties that have registered for the Voluntary Home Buy-Back program.
The Queensland and Australian Governments developed the $741 million Resilient Homes Fund, which the Voluntary Home Buy-Back program is a part of, to assist those who were affected by the 2021-22 floods.
Under the Resilient Homes Fund, funding is available to assist eligible flood-affected homeowners to repair or retrofit homes; raise flood affected homes and apply to have their homes bought on a voluntary basis.
Cr Harding urged residents who had not yet registered for the fund to do so.
“So far, 476 Ipswich homeowners have registered with the Resilient Homes Fund, with 186 of those
registering for the voluntary buy-back,” Cr Harding said.
There have been 106 Ipswich homeowners register for the resilient retrofit and 93 homes registered to have their homes raised.
Energy and Public Works is the state government department assessing those applications and they are working through those now.
Minister for Emergency Management Senator Murray Watt said the investment would be life-changing and marked the beginning of a brighter future out of the flood zone.
“The flooding we saw last storm season was catastrophic, and its unprecedented nature required an extraordinary response from all levels of government,” Mr Watt said.
“There are now 213 properties identified for buy back in Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Lockyer Valley, Moreton Bay, Gympie, Fraser Coast and Sunshine Coast, with offers starting to be accepted.
“There is $350 million available for the voluntary purchase of flood-impacted homes as part of the $741 million Resilient Homes Fund, and we expect this to secure the purchase of around 500 homes.
The $741 million Resilient Homes Fund is open to Queensland homeowners affected by the 2022 floods, with three options available: retrofitting, house raising or voluntary home buy back.
