Fresh flood support, as Prime Minister declares national emergency

The legislative power was sought after the 2019-20 bushfire crisis and gives the federal government power to deploy money and resources faster.

The decision was made after visiting northern NSW and seeing the “catastrophe firsthand”.

“The feedback we’ve had from communities, state governments and my own ministers who have visited the impacted areas has helped us identify where the gaps are right now, and how we can get support out the door quickly to where it’s needed,” Mr Morrison said.

Further financial assistance

Mr Morrison said the Richmond Valley, Lismore and Clarence Valley LGAs have been declared the highest impacted areas and in need of additional support.

Initial support includes:

• Two more weekly disaster recovery payments of $1,000 per adult and $400 per child will be made to residents in the Lismore, Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley local councils, with further assessment to identify if other LGAs will qualify.
• The payments will be made on March 15 and 22

This will bring the total Commonwealth support for eligible adults in these three LGAs to $3,000 each, plus a total of $1,200 for each child.

“The sheer scale and impact to these areas in northern NSW highlights the need for extra support right now,” the Prime Minister said.

“While people in northern NSW aren’t able to work, are still clearing out their homes and businesses, the extra two lots of $1,000 payments we’re rolling out to eligible families and individuals will give them some certainty as they start to rebuild their lives.

“We can’t underestimate the long term mental health toll so many communities will be facing. As well as the new mental health supports we’re announcing, my government will closely monitor the situation to understand what else people need as they recover from these disasters.

Further assistance includes:

• $7 million to expand the Commonwealth’s business recovery and resilience service, Strengthening Business, into at least 30 of the most flood-affected regions of northern NSW and South-East Queensland
• $800,000 to extend the Regional Small Business Support Program to include small businesses impacted by the recent flood event in NSW and Queensland, with a six-month extension until 31 December 2022.
• $5.4 million to boost existing legal assistance services operating within affected communities
• $25 million for emergency relief, food relief and financial counselling services
• $10 million will go towards mental health support for school-aged children in the Northern Rivers region.
• Approximately $6.9 million in support payments of $10,000 to assist early childhood education and care (ECEC) services affected by the floods
• Long-term mental help will be boosted with $31.2 million for individuals, families, and communities impacted by the disaster.
• $4.7 million to ensure the immediate continuity of primary healthcare services for flood-impacted Australians

The Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience, Bridget McKenzie, said the government was also looking at how to support primary producers particularly in northern NSW.

“We’re working with NSW and Queensland to identify the priorities for the longer-term recovery under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements,” Ms McKenzie said.

The assistance is in addition to the Morrison and Palaszczuk governments' previous announcement of an initial $558.5 million, as well as the $434.7 million package announced last week by the Morrison and Perrottet Governments, which included SME business support. 

The federal government has paid $238.9 million in disaster payments to 205,700 individuals impacted in NSW, plus a further $146.3 million in disaster payments to 125,200 individuals impacted in Queensland, and deployed more than 4,370 Australian Defence Force personnel to the flood zones with more machinery set to be deployed.

Mr Morrison said additional tractors, front end loaders, bob cats, dump and lift trucks into the region, and have been inserted into communities including Evans Head, Coraki, Woodburn and Broadwater by helicopter, and have been on the ground in Wilson’s Creek, Main Arm and Repentance Creek.

[Related: Qld government launches SME, farmer flood assistance]