Residents in many flood impacted areas have been left high and dry by the Federal Government having been excluded from accessing the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (ADGRP).
Shadow Emergency Management Minister, Senator Perin Davey said there was no reason why the AGDRP, which is wholly funded by the Commonwealth and distributed by Services Australia, had not been rolled out across flood impacted areas.
“The AGDRP is $1,000 per adult that can go towards helping them meet immediate costs such as restocking their fridge or to give them a hand to commence the clean-up,” she said.
“As the floods have come and gone and come and gone, as the water is slowly making its way down the system, NSW residents along the Murrumbidgee and Murray systems are wondering why they have been left high and dry by the Government.
“It is not as if the Government doesn’t know these areas have been flooded, with State-Commonwealth Disaster Recovery Funding arrangements in place and over 50 LGAs having access to the Commonwealth Disaster Recovery Allowance for income support.
“That in itself should have activated the AGDRP.
“Border residents are looking across the river where you have both AGDRP and Disaster Recovery Allowance available in Victoria along the Campaspe, Goulburn and Murray systems but in NSW the one-off payment is not available.
“The AGDRP is designed to be rolled out quickly to help people in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster and once activated by the Emergency Management Minister can be rolled out within days.
“Unfortunately in many flood affected areas in NSW they are still waiting. This is a decision wholly within the remit of the Emergency Management Minister and he needs to act now,” Senator Davey said.
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