$1 billion allocated for Disaster Ready Fund

Last year Australia experienced 46 declared disasters including bushfires, floods and cyclones across more than 300 local government areas.

"For every dollar spent on disaster risk reduction, there is an estimated $9.60 return on investment," the National Emergency Management Agency said.

Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) president councillor Linda Scott said investing in mitigation made economic sense and significantly reduced recovery costs.

The first round of funding allocates $400 million to 187 projects around the country.

Round one projects are planned throughout regional and rural Australia and a full list is available on Disaster Ready Fund site.

In Victoria that includes $3 million for integrated strategic bushfire management and almost $5 million to modernise the pollen forecasting network and reduce future disaster risk.

NSW's Lismore region will receive more than $5.5 million for a nature-based solution to building flood resilience.

Gladstone in Queensland will get $8.6 million to design and construct Round Hill Reservoir to "gain resilience in the water network".

The ACT will get almost $2.5 million for flood monitoring systems and disaster recovery mental health and wellbeing resilience programs.

The Greater Geraldton area in Western Australia will get $4.2 million for an airport microgrid to secure uninterrupted power supply.

South Australia's Murray and Gawler River catchment will receive $6 million to improve levee bank management.

The Northern Territory will get $2 million to assess the flood resilience of their highway network and $2.3 million to secure sustainable food solutions during disasters.

The city of Hobart will get $1.1 million to remove willow trees and Tasmania will get almost $2 million for predictive flood modelling.

Insurance Council of Australia CEO Andrew Hall said he would like to see the "same level of funding for at least the next 10 years to ensure that Australians receive the full benefits of resilience and mitigation investment".

This includes stabilising insurance premiums in areas at high risk of extreme weather, he said.

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Councillor Scott said "unfortunately, less than five percent of disaster mitigation funding in Australia is spent on mitigation and community resilience".

"This needs to change if we are to better protect our communities from increasingly frequent floods, fires and cyclones," she said.

"Local governments across the country have disaster mitigation projects ready to go, and this funding will help them deliver these projects and better safeguard their communities," she said.