Disaster Assist
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The following factsheet provides a summary of Australian Government assistance available to support those adversely affected by Tropical Cyclone Larry.
For more information on these services and payments please read below:
Assistance via ex-gratia payments has now closed.
Ex-gratia payments of $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child are available to people whose principal place of residence was destroyed by the cyclone or was or is likely to be rendered uninhabitable for two weeks or more due to structural damage, because power and/or water supply has ceased or because the residence is inaccessible.
Further information about this assistance was available via the Tropical Cyclone Larry Relief Hotline 1802 002.
Far North Queensland residents affected by Tropical Cyclone Larry may be eligible for financial assistance and other support.
Disaster Relief Funding is available to persons whose financial position is such that they are unable to provide for their own recovery.
Disaster relief assistance is based on demonstrable hardship. Maximum limits apply and eligibility to some assistance is income or asset tested.
First round grants of up to $2,000 from the Prime Minister’s and Premier’s Cyclone Larry Relief Appeal are now available. They will go to eligible applicants whose homes are uninhabitable because of the cyclone, and further assistance will be available soon for others who have suffered loss and damage. Application forms are available for download [PDF - 146kb], or at local council chambers in the affected areas.
For further information on the type of assistance available and helpline numbers please visit the Queensland State Government website.
The Australian and Queensland Governments have agreed to jointly fund daily bus services from Cairns to Innisfail and the surrounding region for three months.
These free services have been established to assist tradespeople, relief staff and displaced persons travel from their temporary accommodation in Cairns to their homes and communities.
For information on how to claim this assistance, contact the Queensland Department of Transport on 1800 440 074.
The Australian Taxation Office is providing relief to taxpayers in the cyclone affected area who have suffered damage to their homes and businesses and as a result are experiencing difficulties meeting their tax obligations.
The Tax Office is offering a range of assistance such as fast tracking of refunds, extending debt payment and lodgement obligation time frames, and help in reconstruction of lost/destroyed tax records. For information and assistance contact the Tax Office on 13 11 42 (select option 4) between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday.
For affected farmers and small businesses, the Australian Government is providing a one-off income support programme equivalent to the Newstart Allowance.
There will be no asset test in relation to the capital value of their farm or business assets. This will mean that farmers and business people deprived of income will be able to focus on the immediate task of rebuilding their farm or business without the worry of how to pay their day-to-day bills.
The one-off income support programme payment is available for up to six months, from 22 March 2006 to close of business on 21 September 2006.
For claims lodged on or before 30 June 2006 backdating was available. Backdating has now closed for the Cyclone Larry one-off income support programme. For claims lodged after 1 July 2006 eligible applicants maybe paid the one-off income support payment from the date of their claim until the programme ceases on 21 September 2006.
To claim this assistance you will need to complete the Cyclone Larry - Claim for Farmers and Small Business Income Support Payment form
Businesses, including farmers and tourism operators, adversely affected by Tropical Cyclone Larry may be eligible for one-off, tax-free, grants of $10,000. Businesses that can demonstrate significant losses may be eligible for an additional grant amount of $15,000 (a total of $25,000).
This will help businesses with immediate restocking, replanting and cleanup activities. To be eligible for this assistance, businesses must be located in the area declared by the Queensland Government as a natural disaster area, be adversely affected by Tropical Cyclone Larry, and have an Australian Business Number.
The closing date to lodge claims for this assistance has now passed but under special circumstances, claims may still be considered if there are extenuating circumstances. Please contact the Tropical Cyclone Larry Relief Hotline 1802 002 for further information.
To claim this assistance you will need to complete the Cyclone Larry - Business Assistance Fund Claim Form.
The Australian Government is providing a wage subsidy for employers (businesses, farmers and non-profit organisations) who demonstrate reasonable loss or hardship as a result of Tropical Cyclone Larry.
The wage assistance will help employers retain their pre-cyclone labour levels and get back into production and business as quickly as possible. It will enable employers to hold on to their employees in the clean-up and re-establishment phase and help prevent an exodus of workers who might otherwise become unemployed.
To assist eligible businesses recover from Cyclone Larry as quickly as possible, the Australian Government announced on 3 August that it was extending the period of the wage subsidy measure from 13 to 26 weeks. The cut-off date for applications for the wage subsidy has also been extended and is now 31 August 2006.
For more information and to download the application form and guidelines go to the Cyclone Larry wage assistance site or call the Cyclone Larry Wage Assistance Hotline on 1802 001.
The National Harvest Labour Information Service (NHLIS) will work closely with farmers and displaced agricultural workers to provide a central coordinating point for sourcing labour in the area affected by Tropical Cyclone Larry.
The National Harvest Labour Information Service can be contacted on freecall 1800 062 332 from 8am to 8pm weekdays.
Eligible farmers and businesses will also have access to concessional loans to re-establish their enterprises. Loans of up to $200,000 under the Natural Disaster Relief Arrangements will be available with repayments deferred for up to two years. The first 25 per cent of the loan will be provided as a grant.
For special cases, such as enterprises demonstrating extreme damage, the maximum loan amount will be increased to $500,000, with the grant component capped at $50,000. There will be no principal or interest repayments in the first two years. These loans will be available to eligible businesses regardless of the number of employees.
Applications for the concessional loans close on 31 December 2007 for farmers and 31 December 2006 for businesses.
The Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority (QRAA) is administering these loans. For more information call the QRAA on 1800 623 946.
Assistance via the Fuel Excise Relief payments has now closed.
On Sunday 26 March 2006, it was announced that the Australian Government will provide assistance with excise paid on diesel or petrol fuel used by businesses, farmers and households to generate their own electricity until normal services are restored.
The Prime Minister announced on Thursday 30 March 2006 that the Australian Government will provide further assistance under the Natural Disaster Relief Arrangements to dairy farms and aquaculture businesses that are without power as a result of damage suffered due to Tropical Cyclone Larry.
Assistance for costs associated with hiring a generator will be available where electricity is needed to operate equipment that is required to relieve livestock distress and maintain the life of cows and fish and other aquatic organisms. This will help dairy farmers operate milking machines and aquaculture businesses operate pumps and filters.
Callers within Queensland seeking advice about this assistance can call the Primary Industry Cyclone Recovery Advice Service on: 13 25 23.
This assistance is in addition to the fuel excise relief which was available to households and businesses that were without electricity and were using a generator as a result of the impact of Tropical Cyclone Larry.
Assistance for generator hire has now closed.
Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) are providing assistance to companies that have been affected by Tropical Cyclone Larry.
Where companies and office holders are experiencing difficulties with such activities as lodgements, notifications and payment of fees, extensions of time may be granted and late fees waived. ASIC will consider these options on a case by case basis.
Companies are urged to contact ASIC to discuss their particular circumstances and seek advice regarding their obligations. For further information phone 1300 555 600.
Small Business Field Officers will provide on-the-spot assistance to small business operators within the region to help rebuild their businesses, including offering advice for obtaining financial support and how to access Government programs. For further information phone 1800 024 095.
The Australian Taxation Office is providing relief to taxpayers in the cyclone affected area who have suffered damage to their homes and businesses and as a result are experiencing difficulties meeting their tax obligations.
The Tax Office is offering a range of assistance such as fast tracking of refunds, extending debt payment and lodgement obligation time frames, and help in reconstruction of lost/destroyed tax records. For information and assistance contact the Tax Office on 13 11 42 (select option 4) between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday.
The Prime Minister announced on 7 July 2006 that the Australian
Government will allow the removal of debris from farms in the cyclone-affected areas under the Queensland Government's Operation Farm
Clear programme to be considered as eligible expenditure under the NDRA.
The Australian Government will reimburse Queensland Government expenditure of up to $10 million.
Operation Farm Clear aims to assist primary producers with the removal of debris from farms impacted by Tropical Cyclone Larry to facilitate the re-establishment of essential property infrastructure and restoration of profitable operations.
Assistance is available through the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries on 13 25 23, between 8am and 6pm weekdays, or email cyclonelarry@dpi.qld.gov.au.
In recognition of the scale and the immediate nature of the relief and recovery operations, the Prime Minister has agreed to an initial advance of up to $40 million to Queensland this financial year under the Natural Disaster Relief Arrangements.
This will help meet immediate personal hardship and distress costs, such as the provision of emergency food, clothing and accommodation, urgent housing repairs and the replacement of essential household goods. It will also ensure that urgent efforts to rebuild vital public infrastructure in cyclone-damaged communities in Far North Queensland are not delayed by red tape.
For more information about the Farm Help program for farmers and their families who are experiencing severe financial difficulties please call Centrelink's Farmer Assistance line on 1800 050 585 or visit the Centrelink website.