Fourteen more Local Government Areas in Queensland and New South Wales impacted by the flooding disaster will have access to Commonwealth financial assistance including the Balonne Shire.
The expansion comes as the assistance reaches the milestone of more than 1.5 million Australians through this disaster since the 1st of March.
The Coalition Government has activated the Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) in 14 additional Local Government Areas (LGAs) including Balonne.
AGDRP is a one-off, non-means tested payment of $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child and is available to eligible people in affected LGAs who have suffered a significant loss, such as a severely damaged or destroyed home or a serious injury.
Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) has also been extended to Balonne – DRA assists employees and sole traders who experience a loss of income as a direct result of a major disaster and is payable for a maximum of 13 weeks and is taxable.
Member for Maranoa David Littleproud acknowledged there are still very tough days, weeks and months ahead for thousands of people and the recovery process will take time.
“We want our communities to have the support they need so they can get back on their feet as soon as possible,” Mr Littleproud said.
“I encourage Balonne residents impacted by the floods to check their eligibility for the AGDRP and DRA on the Services Australia website, before lodging a claim for assistance.
“The easiest and quickest way to claim AGDRP and DRA is online through myGov. If people require support to claim, they can call the Australian Government Emergency Information Line on 180 22 66.
“To provide further support, we are also pausing Centrelink debt raising and new debt recovery in the affected locations.”
Online claiming via myGov is available 24×7. The Australian Government Emergency Information Line is open local time 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday.
For more information on support available, visit www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/disaster.
