The team at Gulf Gold, wish to bring to the attention of the people of Queensland affected by the recent 2022 South East Queensland floods, that the Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants, have been extended to assist people and communities to recuperate and rebuild.
The 2022 Eastern Australia floods were one of the nation’s worst recorded flood disasters with a series of floods that occurred in South East Queensland, the Wide Bay–Burnett and parts of coastal New South Wales with the loss of twenty two people.
In the Wide Bay–Burnett, the city of Gympie suffered its worst flooding since 1893, with about 550 people seeking shelter at the city’s evacuation shelter as up to 3,600 homes were inundated with floodwaters.
About 1,000 schools were closed and non-essential travel was avoided by the public. Food shortages were reported across the region, due to the ensuing supply chain crisis as well as affecting communities in outback Queensland.
An independent Deloitte Report into the 2022 South East Queensland floods, considered the social, financial and economic costs that hit 23 local government areas and revealed an estimated total cost of $7.7 billion to Queensland. A broad range of factors taken into consideration included human and social impacts; damage to residential, commercial and public infrastructure as well as industry disruption; emergency response and clean-up and environmental factors.
The report estimates more than 500,000 people were affected by the floods in some way with an estimated human and social cost of $4.5 billion.
In response, following the Southern Queensland Flooding, 6 – 20 May 2022, the Queensland government announced financial recovery assistance in the form of Extraordinary Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants.
Natural Disaster Assistance is administered by the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) on behalf of the State and Federal governments.
Grants of up to $75,000 are available for affected primary producers in the Gympie and Somerset areas and grants of up to $50,000 for affected small businesses and non-profit organisations, to assist directly with the cost of clean-up and reinstatement.
The grants have also been extended to primary producers in the Lockyer Valley, Southern Downs, Western Downs and Balonne council areas. The Moreton Bay and Toowoomba council areas are also defined disaster areas.
Are you eligible?
Applicants are required to provide evidence of their eligibility within the defined disaster area with:
- Rates Notices or Lease Agreements
- Evidence of the direct damage, such as photographs, quotations and tax invoices or official receipts.
Upon satisfying the requirements for the initial application/s, an initial claim will receive up to the total amount of $15,000 with subsequent application/s up to the total amount of $60,000 for primary producers and $35,000 for small businesses.
An applicant may also be eligible for an exceptional circumstances grant if both of the following apply:
- the small business is located outside the defined disaster area for the eligible disaster but is operated at least sometimes on a regular basis in the area, and
- if plant or equipment of the small business situated in the defined disaster area has been damaged as a result of the eligible disaster.
How must the funding be used?
Eligible clean-up, reinstatement activities and emergency measures include:
- Equipment and materials to undertake clean-up,
- Additional labour costs (above and beyond normal wage expenditure i.e. day-to-day staffing),
- Disposing of damaged goods and stock, including associated costs,
- Repairs to buildings (other than housing),
Reconditioning/ repairing essential plant and equipment, - Purchase or hire/ lease costs for equipment essential to the immediate resumption of the business’
- Payment for tradespeople to conduct safety inspections, and,
- Essential repairs to premises and internal fittings that is not covered by insurance.
What about insurance?
If applicants have insurance cover, they are required to provide, full details and a copy of the insurance policy and/or claim. Unfortunately, QRIDA is unable to finalise the grant applications until the outcome of the insurance claim is determined and formal advice of the claim outcome is provided. Applicants are advised to finalise their insurance claim before lodging an application for grant assistance.
Grant applicants must NOT send original documents, as these will not be returned. Only send COPIES.
To apply for this grant, visit:
https://www.qld.gov.au/community/disasters-emergencies/disasters/money-finance/eligibility-apply
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