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 Tasmanian East Coast Storms and Floods.

DRA provides fortnightly payments for up to 13 weeks equivalent to the applicable rate of Newstart or Youth Allowance, depending on the person's circumstances.

DRA is available to Australian residents who are sixteen years and older.

DRA is not available to those already receiving another income support payment or pension such as the Age Pension, Newstart Allowance or Service Pension.

You have until 27 December 2016 to lodge a claim for DRA.

For more information on eligibility, visit the Department of Human Services (Centrelink) website or contact the Australian Government Information Hotline on 180 22 66 for claims for assistance.

Ex-gratia disaster assistance for New Zealand non-protected special category visa holders

New Zealand ex-gratia income support allowance

An ex-gratia 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 Tasmanian East Coast Storms and Floods.

The income support allowance provides fortnightly payments for up to 13 weeks equivalent to the applicable rate of Newstart or Youth Allowance, depending on the person's circumstances.

The allowance is available to SCV holders who are sixteen years and older.

You have until 27 December 2016 to lodge a claim for the ex-gratia income support allowance.

For more information on eligibility, visit the Department of Human Services (Centrelink) website or contact the Australian Government Information Hotline on 180 22 66 for claims for assistance.

Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements

The joint Australian, state and territory governments' Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) provide a range of financial assistance to the natural disaster-declared areas in each state or territory.

For the flooding which occurred in June 2016, the available assistance measures include:

• personal hardship and distress
• restoration of essential public assets
• counter disaster operations
• concessional loans for small businesses, primary producers and voluntary non-profit organisations
• freight subsidies for primary producers
• grants for voluntary non-profit organisations

In addition to this, clean-up and recovery grants of up to $10 000 are also available for eligible primary producers in the LGAs of Break O’Day, Kentish, Meander Valley, Northern Midlands and parts of Central Coast, Central Highlands, Latrobe, Launceston and Waratah-Wynyard.

For information on available recovery assistance, visit the TasALERT website.

For further information on recovery arrangements, visit the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements page.

The above assistance may be available in the following local government areas:

• Break O'Day
• Burnie
• Central Coast
• Central Highlands
• Circular Head
• Derwent Valley
• Devonport
• Dorset
• George Town
• Glamorgan-Spring Bay
• Kentish
• Kingborough
• Latrobe
• Launceston
• Meander Valley
• Northern Midlands
• Southern Midlands
• Waratah-Wynyard
• West Coast
• West Tamar

Category D recovery funding package

This recovery assistance package is aimed at assisting longer term recovery. The package consists of four recovery initiatives for the:

• restoration and clean-up of national parks and reserves
• stabilisation of the Beaconsfield Hart Shaft
• restoration of access to the Walls of Jerusalem National Park
• Acute Riparian Recovery initiative