Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment
The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) provides one-off financial assistance to eligible Australians adversely affected by the floods in New South Wales.
The rate of AGDRP is $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child. Claims for this payment can be lodged with Services Australia for a period up to 6 months.
AGDRP is available for people who have been seriously injured, have lost their homes or whose homes have been directly damaged, whose major assets have been directly damaged or are the immediate family members of a person who has died as a direct result of the floods.
You have until 5 April 2023 to lodge a claim for AGDRP in the forty-three (43) local government areas of: Bayside, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury Bankstown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Cumberland, Dungog, Fairfield, Georges River, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Kempsey, Kiama, Lake Macquarie, Lithgow, Liverpool, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Muswellbrook, Nambucca, Narromine, Newcastle, Northern Beaches, Oberon, Parramatta, Penrith, Port Macquarie Hastings, Port Stephens, Randwick, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Strathfield, Sutherland, The Hills, Upper Lachlan, Warren, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Wollongong.
For more information on eligibility, visit the Services Australia website or contact the Australian Government Information Hotline on 180 22 66 for claims assistance.
New Zealand disaster recovery payment
A grant payment is being provided to eligible New Zealand 'non-protected' special category visa (SCV) (subclass 444) holders who have been adversely affected by the floods in New South Wales.
The payment rate is $1000 per eligible adult, $1000 per partner or dependent adult and $400 per eligible child. Claims for this payment can be lodged with Services Australia for a period of 6 months.
The payment is available for SCV holders who have been seriously injured, have lost their homes or whose homes have been directly damaged, whose major assets have been directly damaged or are the immediate family members of a person who has died as a direct result of the floods.
You have until 5 April 2023 to lodge a claim for the New Zealand disaster recovery payment in the forty-three (43) local government areas of: Bayside, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury Bankstown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Cumberland, Dungog, Fairfield, Georges River, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Kempsey, Kiama, Lake Macquarie, Lithgow, Liverpool, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Muswellbrook, Nambucca, Narromine, Newcastle, Northern Beaches, Oberon, Parramatta, Penrith, Port Macquarie Hastings, Port Stephens, Randwick, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Strathfield, Sutherland, The Hills, Upper Lachlan, Warren, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Wollongong.
For eligibility information, visit the Services Australia website or contact the Australian Government Information Hotline on 180 22 66 for claims assistance.
Disaster Recovery Allowance
The Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) provides income support payments to employees, primary producers and sole traders who can demonstrate they have experienced a loss of income as a direct result of the floods in New South Wales.
DRA provides fortnightly payments for up to 13 weeks up to the applicable rate of JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance, depending on the person's circumstances.
DRA is available to Australian residents who are 16 years and older.
DRA is not available to those already receiving another income support payment or pension such as the Age Pension, JobSeeker Payment or Service Pension.
You have until 5 April 2023 to lodge a claim for DRA in the forty-three (43) local government areas of: Bayside, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury Bankstown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Cumberland, Dungog, Fairfield, Georges River, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Kempsey, Kiama, Lake Macquarie, Lithgow, Liverpool, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Muswellbrook, Nambucca, Narromine, Newcastle, Northern Beaches, Oberon, Parramatta, Penrith, Port Macquarie Hastings, Port Stephens, Randwick, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Strathfield, Sutherland, The Hills, Upper Lachlan, Warren, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Wollongong.
For eligibility information, visit the Services Australia website or contact the Australian Government Information Hotline on 180 22 66 for claims for assistance.
New Zealand disaster recovery allowance
The New Zealand disaster recovery allowance is available to eligible New Zealand 'non-protected' special category visa (SCV) (subclass 444) holders who can demonstrate they have experienced a loss of income as a direct result of the floods in New South Wales.
The disaster recovery allowance provides fortnightly payments for up to 13 weeks up to the applicable rate of JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance, depending on the person's circumstances.
The allowance is available to SCV holders who are 16 years and older.
You have until 5 April 2023 to lodge a claim for the New Zealand disaster recovery allowance in the forty-three (43) local government areas of: Bayside, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury Bankstown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Cumberland, Dungog, Fairfield, Georges River, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Kempsey, Kiama, Lake Macquarie, Lithgow, Liverpool, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Muswellbrook, Nambucca, Narromine, Newcastle, Northern Beaches, Oberon, Parramatta, Penrith, Port Macquarie Hastings, Port Stephens, Randwick, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Strathfield, Sutherland, The Hills, Upper Lachlan, Warren, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Wollongong.
For more information on eligibility, visit the Services Australia website or contact the Australian Government Information Hotline on 180 22 66 for claims assistance.
Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements
The joint Australian, state and territory governments' Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) provide a range of financial assistance to the natural disaster-declared areas in each state or territory.
For the NSW Severe Weather and Flooding from 27 June 2022, the available assistance measures include:
- Personal hardship and distress assistance
- Counter disaster operations
- Restoration of essential public assets
- Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations who have suffered direct damage
- Freight subsidies for primary producers
- Grants for non-profit organisations.
Additional Recovery Assistance Measures
Under the DRFA, the following extraordinary assistance measures have been activated for this disaster:
- Storm and Flood Clean-up Package: To provide immediate assistance for the clean-up of impacted properties and other public community and environmental assets.
- Primary Producer Recovery Grants: Recovery grants of up to $75,000 are available for eligible primary producers to help with recovery and reinstatement activities.
- Small Business and Non-Profit Organisation Recovery Grants: Recovery grants of up to $50,000 are available for eligible small businesses and non-profit organisations to help with recovery and reinstatement activities.
- Local Government Recovery Grants: These grants will provide funding assistance to local governments to assist them in undertaking immediate recovery activities, address emerging needs and help build community resilience. Grants will be used to fund initiatives across the built, social, economic and natural environment recovery domains.
- Property Assessment and Demolition Program: This measure will provide assessments of properties and undertake demolition of those found to be uninhabitable as a result of the disaster.
- Rental Support Scheme: Contributing to the cost of 16 weeks rental support benchmarked against current rental costs to ensure households can secure accommodation.
- Back Home Grants: A one-off payment of up to $20,000 for eligible applicants in highly impacted local government areas. This payment in intended to help pay for costs towards restoring housing to a habitable condition or replacing essential household items.
- Rural Landholder Support Package: Grants of up to $25,000 for impacted landholders, not eligible for assistance under existing support mechanisms, for clean-up activities, damages or losses beyond the vicinity of the residential dwelling
- Community Infrastructure Recovery Package: This package supports the repair and reconstruction of community assets, sport infrastructure and Aboriginal community infrastructure; for the repair and restoration of riparian sties and landscapes; and the construction of new flood levees.
- Northern Rivers Resilient Homes Fund: Through this program, eligible homeowners will be able to access financial support to assist with the resilient rebuilding of houses, house raising or voluntary buybacks.
For information on available recovery assistance, visit the Resilience NSW and Service NSW websites.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will replace passports that have been lost or damaged in declared natural disasters free of charge, visit the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.
