Jointly funded disaster assistance is now available to 27 local government areas (LGAs) following severe flooding across NSW which began on September 14.
The LGAs are:
Blayney, Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Cabonne, Cowra, Dubbo, Edward River, Forbes, Gilgandra, Glen Innes Severn, Greater Hume, Gunnedah, Gwydir, Lachlan, Lithgow, Liverpool Plains, Moree Plains, Mid-Western, Narrabri, Narromine, Tamworth, Upper Lachlan, Walgett, Warren, Warrumbungle and Weddin.
Assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Some communities have experienced multiple flooding events this year, with 11 of these LGAs also disaster declared in August.
NSW Nationals Minister for Emergency Services, Resilience, and Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said the assistance will ensure that communities in the Central West and north west of NSW can access recovery support.
“We know that with these types of floods it can take some time to understand and calculate the impacts of an event like this, particularly when some LGAs still have flooding throughout their regions due to river system flooding,” Ms Cooke said.
“We are continuing to assess the impacts of this event to ensure that appropriate support is available.”
Jointly funded disaster assistance has also been extended to an additional three LGAs, Dubbo, Forbes and Liverpool Plains, following the flood event which started on 4 August 2022.
Assistance available under the DRFA may include:
• Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged (eligibility criteria apply);
• Support for councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets;
• Concessional 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
