Canberra
Clean-up and recovery grants of up to $25,000 are now available for small businesses, primary producers and not-for-profit organisations in areas severely affected by flooding in Queensland.
This assistance, available under Category C of the jointly funded Federal/State Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA), will initially apply to organisations and primary producers in Bundaberg, North Burnett, Fraser Coast, Gympie and Lockyer Valley. The Commonwealth and Queensland Governments will continue to assess the impact of the floods on other areas to see if this assistance should be activated elsewhere.
The assistance is designed to help with the economic impacts that these devastating floods have had on local businesses and the wider community.
The Commonwealth Government is also ready to work with the Queensland Government to establish a community recovery fund to restore community networks, functions and facilities.
The activation of Category C assistance is in addition to the range of support already available, including concessional loans up to $250,000 for primary producers and small businesses.
These loans will help primary producers cover costs such as repairing or replacing damaged plant and equipment, repairing or replacing buildings, purchasing livestock to replace those lost in the disaster event and re-planting, restoring or re-establishing areas affected by the disaster event.
For small business, these loans can be used for purposes such as repairing or replacing damaged plant and equipment, repairing or replacing buildings, supplying stock for up to one month and maintain liquidity of the business.
Primary producers in these areas can also apply for freight subsidies.
There are now 53 local government areas eligible for various types of assistance across Queensland.
* Clean-up and recovery grants of $25,000 for eligible primary producers, small businesses, and not-for-profit organisations in the local government areas of Bundaberg, North Burnett, Fraser Coast, Gympie and Lockyer Valley.
* Personal Hardship and Distress assistance is available in the 23 LGAs of Banana, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cherbourg, Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Gold Coast, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Moreton Bay, North Burnett, Redland, Rockhampton, Scenic Rim, Somerset, South Burnett, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Western Downs.
* Concessional Interest Rate Loans and Freight Subsidies for Primary Producers are available in are available in the 22 LGAs of Banana, Bundaberg, Central Highlands, Fraser, Gladstone, Gold Coast, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Moreton Bay, North Burnett, Redland, Rockhampton, Scenic Rim, Somerset, South Burnett, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Western Downs..
* Concessional Interest Rate Loans for Small Business are available in the 23 LGAs of Banana, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Central Highlands, Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Gold Coast, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Moreton Bay, North Burnett, Redland, Rockhampton, Scenic Rim, Somerset, South Burnett, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Western Downs..
* Counter Disaster Operations assistance to councils and State government agencies is available in the 45 LGAs of Aurukun, Banana, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Burdekin, Burke, Cairns, Carpentaria, Cassowary Coast, Central Highlands, Cherbourg, Cook, Etheridge, Fraser, Gladstone, Gold Coast, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Hinchinbrook, Ipswich, Isaac, Kowanyama, Lockhart River, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Mackay, Mapoon, Moreton Bay, Napranum, North Burnett, Palm Island, Pormpuraaw, Redland, Rockhampton, Scenic Rim, Somerset, Southern Downs, South Burnett, Sunshine Coast, Tablelands, Toowoomba, Torres, Torres Strait Island, Western Downs and Whitsunday.
* Restoration of Essential Public Assets assistance to councils and State government agencies is available in the 41 LGAs of: Aurukun, Banana, Bundaberg, Burdekin, Burke, Carpentaria, Cassowary Coast, Central Highlands, Cherbourg, Cloncurry, Cook, Doomadgee, Etheridge, Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Gold Coast, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Hinchinbrook, Hope Vale, Ipswich, Kowanyama, Lockhart River, Lockyer Valley, Mapoon, McKinlay, Mornington, Napranum, North Burnett, North Peninsula, Palm Island, Rockhampton, Scenic Rim, Somerset, Southern Downs, South Burnett, Toowoomba, Torres Strait Island, Western Downs, Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah.
NDRRA assistance will be extended to other communities if they are affected.
The Commonwealth Government today also announced income support for communities severely impacted by the destructive floods in Queensland.
The Disaster Income Recovery Subsidy is being made available to individuals in the hardest hit areas of Bundaberg, Gympie, Fraser Coast, North Burnett and Lockyer Valley.
There are far too many families in these areas that have lost their income as a result of this disaster, adding further hardship to an already difficult recovery process.
This additional assistance provides payments to individuals that have lost their income. The Federal assistance will ensure that employees are able to stay in these disaster affected areas and will support the longer-term recovery of the devastated local and regional economies.
More information about the assistance that is available in each affected local government area can be found at www.disasterassist.gov.au.
More information about how to apply for concessional loans and freight subsidies is available at www.qraa.qld.gov.auand www.daff.qld.gov.au.
More information about how to apply for hardship and distress payments is available at www.qld.gov.au/community/disasters-emergencies/recovery-after-disaster/.