The additional local government areas include: Ballina, Brewarrina, Cabonne, Cobar, Gilgandra, Gunnedah, Lachlan, Lithgow, Liverpool Plains, Narrabri, Oberon, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Walcha and Walgett.
Assistance is now being provided to 63 local government areas in NSW through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Minister for Emergency Management David Littleproud said the storms and floods have already caused extensive damage.
“Severe winds, relentless rainfall and widespread flooding has damaged roads and properties, businesses and public assets right across New South Wales,” Minister Littleproud said.
“Through the DRFA, a range of practical assistance measures are now available to help people get back on their feet and support councils with the clean-up and repairs to infrastructure.”
New South Wales Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said communities experienced significant disruption due to heavy rainfall and flooding over several days, including damage to and closure of roads and schools.
“As NSW continues to deal with this serious weather event, today’s announcement will help reassure those already affected that there is assistance available to cover the costs associated with the operational response and support households, small businesses, primary producers, not-for-profit organisations and councils as they continue to repair the damaged,” Minister Elliott said.
Assistance available under the DRFA may include:
- help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged
- 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
- freight subsidies for primary producers, and
- grants to eligible non-profit organisations.
The local government areas announced today are in addition to the 47 local government areas previously announced: Armidale, Bathurst, Bega Valley, Bellingen, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Byron, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury Bankstown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Cumberland, Dungog, Eurobodalla, Fairfield, Glen Innes Severn, Gwydir, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Inner West, Inverell, Kempsey, Ku-ring-gai, Kyogle, Lake Macquarie, Lismore, Liverpool, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Moree Plains, Nambucca Valley, Newcastle, Northern Beaches, Parramatta, Penrith, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Richmond Valley, Sutherland, Tenterfield, The Hills, Tweed, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly.
For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88. To apply for a concessional loan or grant, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit www.raa.nsw.gov.au
Further information on disaster assistance is available on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at www.disasterassist.gov.au and Service NSW at disasterassistance.service.nsw.gov.au
