More assistance is being rolled out to Queensland communities severely affected by the ongoing monsoon floods.
- Personal Hardship Assistance measures have now been extended to Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council and the entire Boulia region. These measures were previously made available to Burke Shire, Mount Isa Shire (Camooweal) and Urandangi.
- Impacted residents can apply for Structural Assistance Grants; Essential Services Safety and Reconnection Scheme; Personal Hardship Assistance; and; Essential Household Contents Grant
- Assistance is being jointly funded by the Albanese and Palaszczuk Governments' Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Support for Councils has also been extended to Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council and Isaac Regional Council, to help with the costs of sandbagging and debris clean-up, and assistance to repair roads and bridges damaged by the floods.
This assistance has already been provided to Aurukun Shire Council, Barcaldine Regional Council, Blackall-Tambo Regional Council, Boulia Shire Council, Burdekin Shire Council, Burke Shire Council, Cairns Regional Council, Carpentaria Shire Council, Cassowary Coast Regional Council, Cook Shire Council, Croydon Shire Council, Diamantina Shire Council, Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council, Douglas Shire Council, Etheridge Shire Council, Flinders Shire Council, Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council, Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council, Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council, Longreach Regional Council, Mackay Regional Council, Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council, Mareeba Shire Council, Mornington Shire Council, Mount Isa City Council, Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council, Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council, Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Shire Council, Tablelands Regional Council, Torres Shire Council, Townsville City Council, Whitsunday Regional Council and Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council.
Support for roads repair is also available to Barcoo Regional Council, Central Highlands Regional Council, Cloncurry Shire Council, Livingstone Regional Council, McKinlay Shire Council, Napranum Aboriginal Shire Council, Richmond Shire Council and Winton Shire Council.
Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt
"Flood recovery is complex and challenging in remote areas, particularly when roads and infrastructure are impacted and damaged," Minister Watt said. "Last week I travelled to Burketown and Normanton where I met with Mayors Ernie Camp and Jack Bawden, and saw first-hand the enormity of the task that lay ahead for these communities. "All levels of Government continue to work extremely cooperatively to roll out a range of assistance as quickly and efficiently as possible. "These joint measures are on top of the federal assistance being provided through the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payments (AGDRP) for residents Boulia, Burke and Mount Isa, and the income support for employees and sole traders in Boulia, Burke, Carpentaria, Cloncurry, Doomadgee, Mornington and Mount Isa. Applications for both can be made through Services Australia."
Quotes attributable to Queensland Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Mark Ryan
"As the impacts from this most recent flooding event are realised, we've acted swiftly to extend immediate financial support to more flood affected communities," Minister Ryan said.
"We want to give affected local governments, households and families the support they need when the flood waters have receded, and the clean-up begins.
Further Information
Under the measures, impacted residents can apply for:
- Structural Assistance Grants - up to $50,000 for uninsured, low income, owner-occupiers to help repair the home to make it safe, secure and habitable.
- Essential Services Safety and Reconnection Scheme - means-tested relief grants to help uninsured residents to reconnect essential services that have been damaged such as electricity, gas and water.
- Personal Hardship Assistance - $180 per individual or up to $900 for a family of five to cover immediate emergency costs such as food, clothing and medicine.
- Essential Household Contents Grant - up to $1,765 for individuals and up to $5,300 for couples or families to replace essential lost household contents, such as bed linen and white goods.
All flood-affected residents are encouraged to call the Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349 or visit www.qld.gov.au/disasterhelp to check their eligibility and other avenues of support.
Information on disaster assistance can be found on the Australian Government's Disaster Assist website at www.disasterassist.gov.au and the Queensland Reconstruction Authority's website at www.qra.qld.gov.au
