Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment
The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) provides one-off financial assistance to eligible Australians adversely affected by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie and associated flooding.
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 12 July 2023 to lodge a claim for AGDRP in the one (1) local government area of Derby West Kimberley.
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 Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie and associated flooding.
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 12 July 2023 to lodge a claim for the New Zealand disaster recovery payment in the one (1) local government area of Derby West Kimberley.
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 Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie.
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 6 July 2023 to lodge a claim for DRA in the four (4) local government areas of: Broome, Derby West Kimberley, Halls Creek and Wyndham East Kimberley.
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 Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie.
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 6 July 2023 to lodge a claim for DRA in the four (4) local government areas of: Broome, Derby West Kimberley, Halls Creek and Wyndham East Kimberley.
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 government Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) provide a range of financial assistance to the natural disaster-declared areas in each state or territory.
For Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie and associated flooding the available assistance measures may include:
- personal hardship and distress assistance
- personal and financial counselling
- counter disaster operations
- reconstruction of essential public assets
- interest rate subsidy to small businesses and primary producers who have sustained direct damage
- freight subsidies for primary producers.
For information on eligibility and application visit the Western Australia Department of Fire & Emergency Services 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.
Additional Recovery Assistance Measures
Under the DRFA, the following additional assistance measures have been activated for this disaster:
- Temporary Accommodation Program (Phase 1): This measure will provide temporary residential accommodation to affected individuals and families while damaged homes are repaired or rebuilt.
- Freight Subsidy Program: This measure will reduce freight costs for Kimberley industries and businesses impacted by the floods.
- Community and Industry Recovery Officer Program: This measure will engage officers to provide culturally sensitive and locally based recovery support, as well as promote local employment and economic development opportunities
- Clean-up Program: This measure will provide assistance to local governments, individuals and businesses for clean-up activities, including the removal and disposal of debris and hazardous waste.
- Small and Medium Business Recovery Grants: these measures will support small and medium businesses who have suffered direct damage with costs associated with clean-up and reinstatement activities.
- Primary Producer Recovery Grants: this measure will assist impacted pastoralists with some of the costs of flood clean-up and disposal, restoration, repairs and stock recovery.
- Homeowners Recovery and Resilience Grants: this measure will assist impacted private homeowners with the costs of restoring their homes to a more resilient standard.
- Temporary Workers Accommodation Program: this measure will provide accommodation facilities for workers undertaking community recovery, clean-up, restoration and rebuilding activities.
- Temporary Accommodation Program (Phase 2): this measure will provide medium to longer-term temporary residential accommodation for displaced residents while homes are repaired or rebuilt.
- Community Housing and Access Roads Program: this measure will repair, replace and improve the flood resilience of public housing residences and repair community access roads.
- National, Conservation and Marine Parks Clean-Up Program: to assist with the costs of clean-up and the repair and reinstatement of minor visitor infrastructure.
- Community Social Recovery Program: to support the wellbeing and psychosocial recovery of impacted individuals, families and communitites.
- Environment, Heritage and Culture Assets Flexible Grants Program: to support projects to clean-up, rehabilitate, restore and monitor long term impacts to sensitive environmental, heritage and cultural assets.
- Prescribed Body Corporate Recovery Support Program: to fund eligible Prescribed Body Corporates to provide community engagement, advocacy and cultural navigation services to support the delivery of recovery activities.
- Infrastructure Betterment Program: to improve the disaster resilience of directly damaged essential public assets.
- Aboriginal and Local Business Partcipation in Recovery Program: to provide opportunities for First Nations businesses and workers to participate in recovery and reconstruction works.
For further information on available recovery assistance, visit the Western Australia Department of Fire & Emergency Services website.
