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 South Australia.
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 29 May 2023 to lodge a claim for DRA in the local government areas
For eligibility information, visit the Services Australia website or contact the Australian Government Information Hotline on 1800 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 South Australia.
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 29 May 2023 to lodge a claim for the New Zealand disaster recovery allowance in the local government areas.
For more information on eligibility, visit the Services Australia website or contact the Australian Government Information Hotline on 1800 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 severe weather and flooding from November 2022, the available assistance measures include:
- Personal hardship and distress assistance
- Counter disaster operations
- Reconstruction of essential public assets
Additional Recovery Assistance Measures
Under the DRFA, the following additional assistance measures have been activated for this disaster:
- 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 Grants: Recovery grants of up to $50,000 are available for eligible small businesses to help with recovery and reinstatement activities.
- Property assessment and essential services reconnection program: coordinated and equitable access to property assessments that support the reconnection of essential services.
- Coordinated waste management program including:
- Waste management damage assessments
- Demolition and specialist removal of debris associated with inundated residential, commercial and community buildings
- Clean-up, removal and disposal of debris that pose a danger to public roadways and water ways.
- Blackwater program: Support to deliver a coordinated response to large fish kill incidents.
- Legal assistance program: to enable community legal centres to provide support to impacted individuals and families with flood related legal services.
- Generator Grant Program: to support homeowners, businesses and primary producers keep power on and assist with clean up activities.
- Mental Health Support Package: to support impacted individuals and communities through specialist mental health services and mental wellbeing activities.
- Primary Production Irrigation Grants: to support primary producers who had to relocate or re-establish irrigation and electricity infrastructure impacted by the floods.
- Community Recovery Fund: to support a range of projects focussed on assisting communities return to pre-flood routines and building resilience.
- Flood Recovery Mental Health Support Program to deliver increased specialist mental health services to minimise long-term mental health impacts and promote positive mental well-being for individuals, families and communities.
- Council Community and Recreational Asset Restoration Program to assist impacted councils remediate and restore eligible assets essential to community recovery such as open spaces (reserves, parks), community facilities (boat ramps, playgrounds, public toilets) and cultural heritage sites.
- LMRIA Irrigation Trust Recovery Support Program for irrigation trusts in the LMRIA region to support medium-term targeted assistance for recovery activities and long-term resilience building activities.
- LMRIA Remediation and Resilience Program to assist in progressing the existing privately-owned levee intermediate works program in the Lower River Murray Reclaimed Irrigation Area.
For information on available recovery assistance, visit the South Australia Recovery website.
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.
For further information on recovery arrangements, visit the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements page.
