Disaster assistance for flood-impacted communities
Jointly funded disaster assistance is now available to 27 local government areas (LGAs) following severe flooding across NSW which began on 14 September 2022.
The LGAs are: Blayney, Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Cabonne, Cowra, Dubbo, Edward River, Forbes, Gilgandra, Glen Innes Severn, Greater Hume, Gunnedah, Gwydir, Lachlan, Lithgow, Liverpool Plains, Moree Plains, Mid-Western, Narrabri, Narromine, Tamworth, Upper Lachlan, Walgett, Warren, Warrumbungle and Weddin.
Assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Senator the Hon Murray Watt, said some communities had experienced multiple flooding events this year.
“Eleven of these LGAs were also disaster declared in August, which demonstrates how challenging it can be for these communities to get back on their feet,” Minister Watt said.
“Some financial support has already been made available through the Commonwealth and State governments for the August floods, but councils are facing significant repairs to public assets damaged in the latest event, and our priority is to provide the support we can.”
New South Wales Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said the assistance announced today will ensure that communities in the Central West and north west of NSW can access recovery support.
“We know that with these types of floods it can take some time to understand and calculate the impacts of an event like this, particularly when some LGAs still have flooding throughout their regions due to river system flooding,” Ms Cooke said.
“We are continuing to assess the impacts of this event to ensure that appropriate support is available.”
Jointly funded disaster assistance has also been extended to an additional three LGAs, Dubbo, Forbes and Liverpool Plains, following the flood event which started on 4 August 2022.
Assistance available under the DRFA may include:
- Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged (eligibility criteria apply);
- Support for councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets;
- Concessional loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations; and
- Freight subsidies for primary producers.
For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88.
To apply for a concessional loan, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit www.raa.nsw.gov.au.
Information on disaster assistance can be found on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at www.disasterassist.gov.au.
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