Canberra
The first Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payments (AGDRP) have today been made available to eligible people in the severely affected local government areas of Gladstone, Gympie and Fraser Coast.
Individuals who have been impacted by the severe weather and associated flooding in Queensland can claim payments of $1,000 for each eligible adult and $400 for each eligible child from the Australian Government.
The flooding has had a particularly severe impact on these communities. These recovery payments are being made available now to the communities of Gladstone, Gympie and Fraser Coast as they move into a clean-up and recovery phase.
The Government will make a further announcement about support for the community of Bundaberg after the immediate emergency threat has passed and the community enters the recovery phase. Jointly funded emergency personal hardship and distress assistance payments are currently available for Bundaberg residents through the Queensland Department of Communities.
The Commonwealth will consider if additional assistance is required for any other severely impacted communities after the immediate threat has passed and where the evidence demonstrates the community has met the threshold for activation of this recovery payment.
This is a very difficult time for these people and their families, many of whom are still recovering from the floods of two years ago.
People directly affected by the floods are urged to take advantage of this assistance. However, we urge people to stay safe until the immediate threat has passed. That means, if it is not safe to leave your home or evacuation centre to make the claim, please wait until it is safe to do so.
The easiest way to lodge a claim is by calling the Australian Government Emergency Information Line on 180 22 66 from 8am to 8pm local time, seven days a week. You can also lodge a claim online at humanservices.gov.au/disaster.
This assistance is over and above the support already being provided by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments under the jointly funded Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).
Affected residents may also be eligible for personal hardship and distress assistance administered by the Queensland Government under the NDRRA, which are designed to act as emergency payments.
The Commonwealth Government is making available Australian Defence Force resources to assist with the unfolding crisis in Queensland.
The ADF has formed a Joint Taskforce which will have operational responsibility for all personnel and air support requests. There are 100 ADF field personnel, four Black Hawk helicopters and two RAAF C-130 Hercules aircraft involved in responding to this emergency. A further C-17 is due with the transportation of equipment from Brisbane to Bundaberg for the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service and the Queensland Ambulance Service. This will be dependent on the airfield inspection.
Further information on Australian Government assistance is available online at www.disasterassist.gov.au.
Further information about Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements for individuals is available from http://www.qld.gov.au/community/disasters-emergencies/recovery-after-di…