Nearly $7 million worth of resilience projects have begun to protect farmland and water quality and improve the sustainability of southeast Queensland’s Scenic Rim.

The investment under the joint Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements will support priority flood resilience work along Warrill Creek – a major tributary of the Bremer River winding through Ipswich before moving through the Brisbane River to Moreton Bay.

Major floods in 2017, 2022 and 2024 across the Scenic Rim led to loss of farmland and crops, severe erosion and significant impacts on waterways.

Work has begun to reshape eroded banks, aid revegetation and control weeds to favour native plants.

More than 20,000 new native plants will reduce erosion, slow floodwater and protect agricultural land.

Resilient Rivers SEQ – a partnership across three tiers of government, water and catchment utilities, and the community – is removing weeds across more than 50 hectares of waterway corridors.

Federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain says the project is a good example of all levels of government working together to deliver for communities.

“These works will not only strengthen flood resilience locally but also improve waterway health and reduce flood and sediment impacts for downstream communities,” she said.

Queensland Environment Minister Andrew Powell says it is the region’s most ambitious river restoration effort.

“Healthy waterways strengthen regional economies, and this project shows how co-ordinated action can deliver lasting benefits for nature, industry and the people who live here,” he said.