Disaster Recovery Payment
The Disaster Recovery Payment (DRP) provides one-off financial assistance to eligible Australians adversely affected by tropical cyclone Debbie.
The rate of DRP is $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child. Claims for this payment can be lodged with the Department of Human Services (Centrelink) for a period up to six months.
DRP is available for people who have been seriously injured, who have lost their homes or whose homes have been directly damaged, or the immediate family members of a person who has been killed, as a direct result of the tropical cyclone.
You have until 30 September 2017 to lodge a claim for DRP in the Whitsunday local government area.
You have until 4 October 2017 to lodge a claim for DRP in the Gold Coast City, Logan, Mackay and Scenic Rim local government areas.
You have until 20 October 2017 to lodge a claim for DRP in the Rockhampton local government area.
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.
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 tropical cyclone.
DRA provides fortnightly payments for up to 13 weeks up 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 30 September 2017 to lodge a claim for DRA in the Whitsunday local government area.
You have until 4 October 2017 to lodge a claim for DRA in the Gold Coast City, Logan, Mackay and Scenic Rim local government areas.
You have until 20 October 2017 to lodge a claim for DRA in the Rockhampton local government area.
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 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 tropical cyclone.
The payment rate is $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child. Claims for this payment can be lodged with the Department of Human Services (Centrelink) for a period of six months.
The payment is available for SCV holders who have been seriously injured, who have lost their homes or whose homes have been directly damaged, or the immediate family members of a person who has been killed, as a direct result of the tropical cyclone.
You have until 30 September 2017 to lodge a claim for the ex-gratia disaster recovery payment in the Whitsunday local government area.
You have until 4 October 2017 to lodge a claim for the ex-gratia disaster recovery payment in the Gold Coast City, Logan, Mackay and Scenic Rim local government areas.
You have until 20 October 2017 to lodge a claim for the ex-gratia disaster recovery payment in the Rockhampton local government area.
For eligibility information, visit the Department of Human Services (Centrelink) website or contact the Australian Government Information Hotline on 180 22 66 for claims for assistance.
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 tropical cyclone.
The income support allowance provides fortnightly payments for up to 13 weeks up 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 30 September 2017 to lodge a claim for the ex-gratia income support allowance in the Whitsunday local government area.
You have until 4 October 2017 to lodge a claim for the ex-gratia income support allowance in the Gold Coast City, Logan, Mackay and Scenic Rim local government areas.
You have until 20 October 2017 to lodge a claim for the ex-gratia income support allowance in the Rockhampton local government area.
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 Tropical Cyclone Debbie which occurred in Queensland on 28 March 2017, the available assistance measures include:
- counter disaster operations, in the (35) affected local government areas of:
- Banana
- Brisbane
- Bundaberg
- Burdekin
- Central Highlands
- Charters Towers
- Fraser Coast
- Gladstone
- Gold Coast City
- Goondiwindi
- Gympie
- Hinchinbrook
- Ipswich
- Isaac
- Livingstone
- Lockyer Valley
- Logan
- Mackay
- Maranoa
- Moreton Bay
- Noosa
- North Burnett
- Palm Island
- Redland
- Rockhampton
- Scenic Rim
- Somerset
- South Burnett
- Southern Downs
- Sunshine Coast
- Toowoomba
- Townsville
- Western Downs
- Whitsunday
- Woorabinda Aboriginal
- extraordinary costs associated with the delivery of personal hardship and distress assistance in the (35) affected local government areas of:
- Banana
- Brisbane
- Burdekin
- Bundaberg
- Central Highlands
- Charters Towers
- Fraser Coast
- Gladstone
- Gold Coast City
- Goondiwindi
- Gympie
- Hinchinbrook
- Ipswich
- Isaac
- Livingstone
- Lockyer Valley
- Logan
- Mackay
- Maranoa
- Moreton Bay
- Noosa
- North Burnett
- Palm Island
- Redland
- Rockhampton
- Scenic Rim
- Somerset
- South Burnett
- Southern Downs
- Sunshine Coast
- Toowoomba
- Townsville
- Western Downs
- Whitsunday
- Woorabinda Aboriginal
- personal hardship and distress in the (8) affected local government areas of:
- Gold Coast City
- Isaac
- Livingstone
- Logan
- Mackay
- Rockhampton
- Scenic Rim
- Whitsunday
- demolition or rebuilding in the (8) affected local government areas of:
- Gold Coast
- Isaac
- Livingstone
- Logan
- Mackay
- Rockhampton
- Scenic Rim
- Whitsunday
- removal of debris in the (35) affected local government areas of:
- Banana
- Brisbane
- Bundaberg
- Burdekin
- Central Highlands
- Charters Towers
- Fraser Coast
- Gladstone
- Gold Coast City
- Goondiwindi
- Gympie
- Hinchinbrook
- Isaac
- Ipswich
- Livingstone
- Lockyer Valley
- Logan
- Mackay
- Maranoa
- Moreton Bay
- Noosa
- North Burnett
- Palm Island
- Redland
- Rockhampton
- Scenic Rim
- Somerset
- South Burnett
- Southern Downs
- Sunshine Coast
- Toowoomba
- Western Downs
- Townsville
- Whitsunday
- Woorabinda Aboriginal
- personal and financial counselling in the (8) affected local government areas of:
- Gold Coast City
- Isaac
- Livingstone
- Logan
- Mackay
- Rockhampton
- Scenic Rim
- Whitsunday
- restoration or replacement of essential public assets in the (29) affected local government areas of:
- Balonne
- Banana
- Bundaberg
- Central Highlands
- Fraser Coast
- Gladstone
- Gold Coast City
- Goondiwindi
- Gympie
- Ipswich
- Isaac
- Livingstone
- Lockyer Valley
- Logan
- Mackay
- Maranoa
- Moreton Bay
- Noosa
- North Burnett
- Rockhampton
- Scenic Rim
- Somerset
- South Burnett
- Southern Downs
- Sunshine Coast
- Toowoomba
- Western Downs
- Whitsunday
- Woorabinda Aboriginal
- concessional interest rate loans for small businesses in the (8) affected local government areas of:
- Gold Coast City
- Isaac
- Livingstone
- Logan
- Mackay
- Rockhampton
- Scenic Rim
- Whitsunday
- concessional interest rate loans for voluntary non-profit organisations in the (6) affected local government areas of:
- Gold coast
- Logan
- Mackay
- Rockhampton
- Scenic Rim
- Whitsunday
- concessional interest rate loans for primary producers in the (14) affected local government areas of:
- Banana
- Central Highlands
- Gladstone
- Gold Coast City
- Isaac
- Livingstone
- Lockyer Valley
- Logan
- Mackay
- North Burnett
- Rockhampton
- Scenic Rim
- Whitsunday
- Woorabinda Aboriginal
- freight subsidies for primary producers in the (13) affected local government areas of:
- Banana
- Central Highlands
- Gladstone
- Gold Coast City
- Isaac
- Livingstone
- Lockyer Valley
- Logan
- Mackay
- North Burnett
- Rockhampton
- Scenic Rim
- Whitsunday
- grants to needy individuals in the (8) affected local government areas of:
- Gold Coast City
- Isaac
- Livingstone
- Logan
- Mackay
- Rockhampton
- Scenic Rim
- Whitsunday
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.
Category C Assistance
A Category C Community Recovery Fund (cost-share) under the NDRRA has been activated for the local government areas of Gold Coast, Isaac, Logan City, Mackay, Rockhampton, Scenic Rim and Whitsunday.
Recovery grants of up to $25,000 are also available for eligible primary producers in the ten (10) local government areas of Logan, Mackay, Scenic Rim and Whitsunday, and parts of Central Highlands, Gold Coast, Isaac, Livingstone, Lockyer Valley linking to Scenic Rim and Woorabinda.
In addition to this, recovery grants of up to $25,000 are also available for eligible small businesses and non-profit organisations in the local government areas of Isaac, Logan, Mackay, Rockhampton and Whitsunday.
Category D Assistance
The Australian and Queensland Governments are jointly funding (cost share on a 50-50 basis) a $96.244 million initiative under Category D of the Commonwealth-State Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA). The Category D funding includes the following initiatives:
- Local Council Package for the restoration and repair of actual direct damage on Airlie Beach Foreshore, Bluewater Trail and Shute Harbour Marina.
- Resilient Infrastructure project to improve the disaster resilience of assets that were directly damaged by TC Debbie.
- Environmental recovery package to assist with the restoration of beaches and removal of debris, clean-up and restoration of recreational assets, riparian recovery, weed control and soil conservation, debris removal from water courses and improved mapping and collation to improve the delivery of these projects.
- Economic package to assist with the engagement of Industry Recovery Officers to provide personal and financial counselling services, as well as monitoring and evaluation of the delivery of this support.
For information on available recovery assistance, visit the Queensland Government Disaster Management website.
For further information on recovery arrangements, visit the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements page.
To find out other assistance you may be eligible for, visit the Financial assistance page on the Queensland Government website.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade may replace passports that have been lost or damaged in declared natural disasters free of charge, visit the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.
