Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment
The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) provides one-off financial assistance to eligible Australians adversely affected by the storms and floods.
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 storms and floods.
You have until 28 September 2021 to lodge a claim for AGDRP in the sixty-four (64) local government areas of: Armidale, Ballina, Bathurst, Bega Valley, Bellingen, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Brewarrina, Byron, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury Bankstown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Cobar, Coffs Harbour, Cumberland, Dungog, Eurobodalla, Fairfield, Gilgandra, Glen Innes Severn, Gunnedah, Gwydir, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Inner West, Inverell, Kempsey, Ku-ring-gai, Kyogle, Lachlan, Lake Macquarie, Lismore, Lithgow, Liverpool, Liverpool Plains, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Moree Plains, Nambucca Valley, Narrabri, Newcastle, Northern Beaches, Oberon, Orange, Parramatta, Penrith, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Richmond Valley, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Sutherland, Tenterfield, The Hills, Tweed, Walcha, Walgett, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly.
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
An ex-gratia payment is being provided to eligible New Zealand 'non-protected' special category visa (SCV) (subclass 444) holders who have been adversely affected by the storms and floods.
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 storms and floods.
You have until 28 September 2021 to lodge a claim for the New Zealand disaster recovery payment in the sixty-four (64) local government areas of: Armidale, Ballina, Bathurst, Bega Valley, Bellingen, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Brewarrina, Byron, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury Bankstown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Cobar, Coffs Harbour, Cumberland, Dungog, Eurobodalla, Fairfield, Gilgandra, Glenn Innes Severn, Gunnedah, Gwydir, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Inner West, Inverell, Kempsey, Ku-ring-gai, Kyogle, Lachlan, Lake Macquarie, Lismore, Lithgow, Liverpool, Liverpool Plains, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Moree Plains, Nambucca Valley, Narrabri, Newcastle, Northern Beaches, Oberon, Orange, Parramatta, Penrith, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Richmond Valley, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Sutherland, Tenterfield, The Hills, Tweed, Walcha, Walgett, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly.
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 storms and floods.
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 28 September 2021 to lodge a claim for DRA in the sixty-four (64) local government areas of: Armidale, Ballina, Bathurst, Bega Valley, Bellingen, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Brewarrina, Byron, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury Bankstown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Cobar, Coffs Harbour, Cumberland, Dungog, Eurobodalla, Fairfield, Gilgandra, Glenn Innes Severn, Gunnedah, Gwydir, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Inner West, Inverell, Kempsey, Ku-ring-gai, Kyogle, Lachlan, Lake Macquarie, Lismore, Lithgow, Liverpool, Liverpool Plains, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Moree Plains, Nambucca Valley, Narrabri, Newcastle, Northern Beaches, Oberon, Orange, Parramatta, Penrith, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Richmond Valley, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Sutherland, Tenterfield, The Hills, Tweed, Walcha, Walgett, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly.
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 income support allowance
The New Zealand income support 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 storms and floods.
The income support 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 28 September 2021 to lodge a claim for the New Zealand income support allowance in the sixty-four (64) local government areas of: Armidale, Ballina, Bathurst, Bega Valley, Bellingen, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Brewarrina, Byron, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury Bankstown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Cobar, Coffs Harbour, Cumberland, Dungog, Eurobodalla, Fairfield, Gilgandra, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Inner West, Inverell, Kempsey, Ku-ring-gai, Kyogle, Lachlan, Lake Macquarie, Lismore, Lithgow, Liverpool, Liverpool Plains, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Moree Plains, Nambucca Valley, Newcastle, Narrabri, Northern Beaches, Oberon, Orange, Parramatta, Penrith, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Richmond Valley, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Sutherland, Tenterfield, The Hills, Tweed, Walcha, Walgett, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly.
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 Storms and Floods from 10 March 2021 onwards the available assistance measures include:
- Personal hardship and distress assistance
- Counter disaster operations
- Restoration of damaged essential public assets
- Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations
- Freight subsidies for primary producers
- Grants for non-profit organisations
For information on available recovery assistance, visit the
Resilience NSW website.
Recovery grants
Recovery grants of up to $75,000 are available for eligible primary producers and up to $50,000 are available for eligible small business or not-for-profit organisations.
These grants are available in the seventy-eight (78) local government areas of Armidale, Ballina, Bathurst, Bega Valley, Bellingen, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Bogan, Brewarinna, Byron, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Central Coast, Central Darling, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Cobar, Coonamble, Cumberland, Dungog, Eurobodalla, Fairfield, Georges River, Gilgandra, Glen Innes Severn, Goulburn Mulwaree, Greater Hume, Gwydir, Gunnedah, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Inner West, Inverell, Kempsey, Kyogle, Ku-ring-gai, Lake Macquarie, Lachlan, Lithgow, Lismore, Liverpool, Liverpool Plains, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Moree Plains, Muswellbrook, Nambucca Valley, Narrabri, Narromine, Newcastle, Northern Beaches, Oberon, Parramatta, Penrith, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Richmond Valley, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Snowy Monaro, Sutherland, Tamworth, Temora, Tenterfield, The Hills, Tweed, Upper Lachlan, Uralla, Walcha, Walgett, Warren, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly.
For information on available recovery assistance for primary producers, visit the
NSW Rural Assistance Authority website.
For information on available recovery assistance for small business, visit the
Service NSW website.
Additional Recovery Assistance Measures
Under the DRFA, the following additional assistance measures have been activated for this disaster including:
- Storm and Flood Clean-up Package: A clean-up package to assist households, businesses, primary producers and local councils affected by the floods. The clean-up covers both insured and uninsured properties and assists with the clean-up and restoration of flood damaged, priority environmental assets.
- Flood Industry Recovery Package: This package will provide targeted funding for the agriculture, aquaculture and horticulture industries to support immediate and longer-term recovery needs and the retention of jobs for eligible producers and businesses.
- Community Infrastructure Repair Program: This package will provide targeted community infrastructure repair and renewal in partnership with local councils in high to severely impacted disaster declared LGAs. Eligible infrastructure includes libraries, youth centres, childcare centres, senior citizen centres, public toilets, parks and playgrounds.
- $10,000 Rural Landholder Grants: These grants are to reimburse eligible rural landholders not covered by insurance and who do not qualify for existing recovery grants, for the cost of clean-up activities, losses or damages beyond the vicinity of the residential dwelling.
- Riverbank restoration: This program will assist private landowners, NSW Government agencies and councils to ensure post-flood remediation works on riverbanks can be done quickly, are appropriate and consistent with government policy and regulations, and will support the long-term health of the rivers.
- Mental Health and Community Wellbeing Program: This funding will provide targeted mental health resources and support for Aboriginal communities and children and young people impacted by the storms and floods.
- Jenolan Caves Restoration: This funding will support the Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust to restore damaged environmental assets and in some cases, rebuild them to a more resilient standard.
- Local Recovery Resources: This funding is for severely impacted councils to engage a designated flood Community Recovery Officer for up to 24 months to deliver community-based recovery initiatives and assist people to navigate and access recovery support.
- Volunteer/Not for Profit Organisations: This funding is to support volunteer organisations to purchase fencing material and equipment to support rural fencing programs in flood-affected communities.
- Infrastructure Betterment Fund: The Commonwealth and NSW Governments have also announced a joint $200 million Infrastructure Betterment Fund to support the reconstruction and improved disaster resilience of public assets damaged during the February and March storms as well as the 2019-20 bushfires. This will enable local and state governments in NSW to restore and rebuild essential infrastructure—including roads, bridges, schools and hospitals—to a more resilient standard to better withstand future disasters.
Further information on the above programs is being developed and will be available shortly.
For further information on recovery arrangements, visit the
Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements page.
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.
