Emergency payments and disaster loans have been made available as councils and communities recover from widespread flooding.
The Federal Government and Queensland Government have activated Personal Hardship Assistance for flood-affected residents in Winton as prolonged monsoon conditions impacted north-west Queensland.
The assistance includes payments of $180 for individuals and up to $900 for families of five or more to help cover emergency essentials such as food, clothing and medicine, along with additional support for low income and uninsured residents.
Disaster assistance loans have also been activated for small businesses in 13 north and north-west local government areas, with low interest loans of up to $250,000 available to support recovery efforts and up to $100,000 to help sustain operations.
The affected local government areas include Burke, Carpentaria, Cassowary Coast, Cloncurry, Croydon, Flinders, McKinlay, Mount Isa, Palm Island, Richmond, Townsville, Winton and Yarrabah.
Eligible primary producers in Winton Shire can also access disaster loans of up to $250,000 and freight subsidies of up to $5,000, while Doomadgee Shire Council and Etheridge Shire Council will receive support for counter disaster operations and essential asset repairs.
All financial assistance is being funded by the Federal Government and Queensland Government under the joint Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Kristy McBain, said the support had been activated to help Queenslanders recover.
“These assistance measures have been activated to make sure flood-affected families and businesses can get back on their feet,” McBain said.
“For Winton residents whose properties have been inundated with floodwater, the grants will allow them to cover emergency costs such as food and clothing, and offer financial safety nets for the vulnerable.
“Disaster loans will make sure impacted small businesses and primary producers have the funds required for all necessary recovery activities and to maintain operations during this tough period.
“We’re also providing councils with confidence to continue their work with response, clean-up and emergency repairs.”
Queensland Minister for Disaster Recovery, Ann Leahy, said the assistance would help protect jobs and local economies.
“Queenslanders hit hard by this disaster need a suite of assistance measures, and this support is part of that suite,” Leahy said.
“These loans give businesses more financial options and we are determined to help them keep the doors open and people employed.
“We will continue working with the Federal Government to provide Queenslanders with the assistance they need to recover from this disaster.”
