Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Premier Anna Bligh today announced additional Commonwealth-State disaster assistance to help small businesses and primary producers impacted by Queensland's flood crisis.
The Prime Minister said today's announcement would see small businesses and primary producers in 13 Local Government Areas eligible to receive grants of up to $25,000 for clean up and recovery.
We know there are far too many families who have had to leave not only their homes, but also their businesses.
This targeted financial assistance will help them minimise their economic losses as they embark on the very difficult recovery period that lies ahead and help businesses start trading as soon as possible.
The grants will be made available immediately to the 13 Local Government areas of Banana, Barcaldine, Bundaberg, Central Highlands, Cherbourg, Lockyer Valley, North Burnett, Scenic Rim, Somerset, South Burnett, Southern Downs, Western Downs, and Woorabinda.
Category C assistance will help primary producers with cleanup, removal of debris, disposal of dead livestock and further restoration without which production and viability could be disrupted beyond the next season.
This will include costs incurred by primary producers for urgent fodder drops for stranded livestock.
For small business Category C grants will help operators resume trading as soon as possible, including establishment costs in temporary premises.
This assistance may also be extended to other areas once the impact of the floods in each area can be properly assessed.
Category C assistance does not compensate for income losses and is not intended to replace insurance. The grant scheme will run until 30 September 2011.
Concessional interest rate loans of up to $250,000 for small business operators and primary producers, as well as freight subsidies of up to $5,000, are available across 23 Local Government Areas.
The Prime Minister said the Gillard Labor Government would continue to work with the Bligh Government to ensure this recovery happens as quickly as possible.
This is a major natural disaster and recovery will take a significant amount of time.
The extent of flooding being experienced by Queensland is unprecedented and requires a national and united response to provide as much support to communities as we can.
Some places, such as Rockhampton, are still battling floodwaters, so our focus there is on emergency disaster relief, but they too will have this assistance ready and available to them once the flood waters subside.
Premier Bligh said it had been a dreadful start to the new decade for tens of thousands of Queenslanders, particularly those on the land.
While the long term impact of the floods crisis will take some time to determine, thousands of Queensland families and businesses are suffering right now.
These grants will go some way to help primary producers with the heartbreaking clean up, as well as the more urgent task of feeding stranded livestock.
The additional grants announced today come on top of the range of assistance already being provided by both the Queensland Government and the Australian Government.
The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGRDP) is available for people who have been significantly impacted by the floods.
The AGDRP is a payment of $1000 for each eligible adult and $400 for each eligible child, including people who have lost their homes or whose homes have sustained major damage.
Joint State and Commonwealth Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) have been activated for 41 local government areas.
Under the NDRRA, councils will be able to access funding from the Australian and Queensland Governments to assist with the cost of restoring essential public infrastructure as well as the cost of counter disaster operations.
Disaster relief funding arrangements have also been activated for people experiencing personal hardship in a number of local government areas.
These funding arrangements consist of:
- Emergent Assistance Payment - up to $170 per person and $780 per family.
- Means tested - Essential Household Contents Grant - up to $1,660 for individuals and $4,980 for couples or families.
- Means tested - Repairs to Dwellings / Structural Assistance Grant - up to $10,250 for individuals and $13,800 for couples or families.
For more information on assistance that's available, contact the Australian Government's Emergency Assistance Hotline on 180 2266 or the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority 1800 623 946 or www.qraa.qld.gov.au