Insights from the Industry Recovery and Resilience Officer (IRRO) Program
The Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG) recently celebrated the successful completion of the Industry Recovery and Resilience Officer (IRRO) program, which provided crucial support to flood-impacted producers across the Burnett Mary Region. This initiative allowed producers to share their stories about the devastating effects of the 2021-2022 flooding and high rainfall events on their livelihoods and business operations.
Through the IRRO program, BMRG and the Queensland Farmers' Federation (QFF) engaged with landholders, capturing vital feedback on the challenges, destruction, and devastation they faced on-farm and within their communities. This feedback was instrumental in compiling a comprehensive report, case studies, and recommendations for all levels of government. The focus was on preparedness, recovery, and rebuilding from natural disasters, with insights provided by producers for producers and their communities.
Rachel Cavallo (BMRG)
Eloise Cosgrove (QFF)
Leesa Kelly (BMRG)
Julia Jurgs (QFF)
Virginia Kelleher (BMRG)
Behind the scenes
The IRRO program was delivered to primary producers across 23 Local Government Areas in Queensland, impacted by the 2021-2022 flooding events in southern, central, southeast, and western Queensland. A total of 199 primary producers were supported by BMRG and QFF to develop Flood Management Plans, enhancing their flood recovery capacity, resilience, and identifying strategies to mitigate farm business risk.
In the accompanying video, BMRG and QFF's Industry Recovery and Resilience Officers discuss their experiences and learnings from the program. The video also features conversations with primary producers who share the firsthand impacts of flooding on their operations and reflect on the importance of building resilience to future events.
The Industry Recovery and Resilience Officer Program was jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Eloise Cosgrove, Julia Jurgs, Kerry Battersby (QFF’s Project Manager)
Virginia Kelleher, Andrew Treloar (BMRG’s Director of Project Delivery), Leesa Kelly.
