**Information on personal hardship and distress assistance can be accessed via Service NSW on 13 77 88 or online at www.service.nsw.gov.au**
Senator Perin Davey has welcomed the activation of disaster assistance to support southeastern NSW regions affected by flood and storm damage over recent days.
“Recent rain events and storm damage have been devastating for much of NSW, including the south east,” Senator Davey said.
“The Federal Government has now activated disaster relief provisions to allow the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla Local Government Areas to access support under the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
“I can advise that the Government will be pausing all debt recovery on Centrelink payments in the affected Local Government Areas, to mitigate financial impacts on the most vulnerable members of our communities.
“The Federal Government will also make Commonwealth Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) available to residents of the affected regions.
“The DRA is essentially a short-term income support payment for anyone whose income has been affected by recognised disaster events.”
The DRA will be available for up to 13 weeks at a level equivalent to the maximum rate of JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance and can be claimed via the Australian Government Emergency Information Line on 180 22 66 from Tuesday 14 December 2021.
Support for the south east LGAs now mean there are a total of 48 Local Government Areas across NSW with access to disaster funding, as a result of the impacts of recent flooding and storm events.
Assistance available under the DRFA may include:
- Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged (eligibility criteria apply)
- Support for affected local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets
- Concessional interest rate 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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Media contact:
Mark Kennedy – 0430 901 377