How Good360 Australia is closing the “Recovery Gap”
Fourteen natural disasters were declared in the first three months of 2026 alone. Meanwhile, one in four Australians was affected by extreme weather in 2025. Behind every statistic is a family trying to rebuild, often without a working fridge, a bed to sleep in, or a pot to cook with.
Good360 Australia’s Bridging the Recovery Gap report reveals a confronting truth: nearly two-thirds of charities (62%) say most families take more than two years to recover from a disaster, or never fully recover at all. The biggest gap in support isn’t in the immediate emergency response; it’s in the long term, when public attention has moved on, but the need hasn’t – and 87% of charities believe retailers and businesses could be doing more to help close it.
As extreme weather events become more frequent, retailers are increasingly being looked to not just as suppliers of goods, but as essential contributors to community resilience. That shift in expectation presents both a responsibility and a genuine opportunity for the industry to lead.
What communities actually need
Charities are clear about which donated goods matter most in the first two years of recovery: whitegoods (86%), beds and bedding (84%), kitchen appliances (78%), furniture (59%), and electrical appliances (56%). Yet nearly 4 in 5 charities (78%) don’t have enough brand-new donated goods to meet demand, a figure that has risen sharply from 65% in 2024. When those basics are missing, everything else becomes harder for impacted communities.
Recovery in action: Mogo, five years on
When the Black Summer bushfires tore through Mogo, NSW in January 2020, the destruction was immediate and visible. Five years later, Good360 member Boomerang Meeting Place is still on the ground and continues to rely on donated goods to help families get into homes.
Working with Good360, they have delivered washing machines, dryers, furniture and homewares, including appliances donated by Harvey Norman, directly into Mogo to help fit out homes for residents who lost everything. Among the people they support are First Nations Elders, including one gentleman who has lived in a caravan since the fires. The goal isn’t simply to put a roof over people’s heads, but to give them the dignity of a home that is truly their own, fitted out with brand-new goods and furnishings.
“There is absolutely no way we would be able to continue what we’re doing in the disaster recovery space without Good360 and the partnerships of their corporate donors,” they say.
Harvey Norman’s Samantha Waters, GM Sponsorships, reflected on why this partnership matters saying, “Our partnership with Good360 allows us to reach Australians in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and throughout their longer-term recovery journey, not only in donating practical support but also offering a return to independence and hope. Every home should be a place of safety that creates a sense of belonging.”
Additionally, when floods hit Queensland’s Western Downs earlier this year, a similar model delivered pallets of essentials to Chinchilla families within 24 hours, a reminder of what becomes possible when product donors and community networks move together with a shared purpose.
Bridging the gap, together
Good360 works with over 600 business donors and 4,700 charities to ensure surplus and end-of-line goods reach the people who need them most.
Retailers and businesses looking to play a more active role in disaster recovery can start by reviewing internal product donation pathways, considering disaster-response inventory strategies, and exploring partnership opportunities with Good360 for direct community impact. Get in touch at corporatepartnerships@good360.org.au or learn more at good360.org.au/give-the-goods.
Read the full Bridging the Recovery Gap report here.
