The bushfires have brought local economies to their knees. Photo: Getty
Australia’s unprecedented bushfires have claimed 28 lives, destroyed more than 2000 homes and burnt through more than ten million hectares of land.
The federal government has set up a $2 billion national bushfire recovery fund to coordinate the national rebuilding response, in addition to providing one-off and ongoing disaster relief payments for affected individuals and businesses.
And state governments have also earmarked substantial funds for the recovery effort, through the jointly funded Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Here’s a list of the government assistance available to affected individuals.
(There’s also government assistance for farmers and businesses, compensation of up to $300 a day for volunteer firefighters, and emergency grants from the Red Cross and several other charities.)
The federal government is providing two forms of financial assistance to individuals severely affected by this season’s bushfires.
The first is a one-off payment of $400 for children and $1000 for adults.
Known as the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment, it is available for Australian residents who:
Australian Council of Social Service CEO Cassandra Goldie described the payments as “seriously inadequate” and called on the prime minister to raise the allowance to $3000 for adults and $1000 for children.
Local economies will suffer from billions in lost tourism, retail and agricultural income. Photo: AAP
Individuals can claim the one-off payment by calling CentreLink on 180 22 66. Only individuals in local government areas (LGAs) listed on Centrelink’s website can make a claim. Lists of LGAs can be found here.
The second form of federal assistance is an ongoing, tax-exempt allowance for individuals who have lost income as a direct result of the bushfires.
Australian residents who work in an affected LGA and earn less than the income threshold can claim the allowance for a maximum of 13 weeks.
The maximum income threshold is $1060.67 a fortnight for singles aged 22 and over and $970.17 a fortnight for each member of a couple. (A full list of income thresholds can be found here.)
While the amount paid varies according to an individual’s income, the maximum payment rate is equivalent to Newstart.
The NSW government has published a list of available support on this Facebook page, which it regularly updates.
It includes disaster relief grants for uninsured, low-income earners “whose homes and essential household contents have been damaged or destroyed”, and motorcycle stamp duty relief for motorists who have written off their cars.
Low-income earners who wish to make a claim for a disaster relief grant should call the Disaster Welfare Assistance Line on 1800 018 444.
People who have lost personal documents such as licences, passports and certificates can also apply for free replacements on 13 77 88.
And individuals who need emergency short-term housing should ring the Housing Contact Centre on 1800 422 322.
The Prime Minister’s response to the bushfire crisis has hurt his approval ratings.
The QLD government has provided emergency housing for those in need and worked with charities such as Givit, Lifeline and the Salvation Army to help coordinate donations.
In partnership with the Commonwealth Government, it has also made available the following assistance:
Residents can apply for grants online at communityrecovery.qld.gov.au, or call the Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349.
Those affected by the bushfires in Cudlee Creek and on Kangaroo Island can apply for assistance through the state government’s appeal fund.
Besides public donations, there’s also a re-establishment grant of up to $10,000 for eligible, uninsured residents who have had their principal place of residence damaged by the bushfires, and a one-off emergency hardship grant of up to $700 per family and $280 per adult.
Like most other states, SA also offers grants of up to $10,000 for affected businesses and grants of up to $15,000 for eligible primary producers.
The bushfires will have a long-lasting impact on consumer sentiment and tourism. Photo: Getty
The Tasmanian government is offering the following assistance to Break O’Day residents affected by the Fingal fire:
Individuals who need assistance should call Housing Tasmania on 1300 665 663.
Emergency financial assistance is available to eligible individuals in Ararat, Alpine, Ballarat, East Gippsland, Glenelg, Golden Plains, Indigo, Mansfield, Northern Grampians, Pyrenees, Southern Grampians, Towong, Wangaratta, Wellington and Wodonga council areas.
It includes:
The Victorian Government will also replace lost documentation free of charge, waive land tax for eligible businesses, families and individuals, and provide up to $55,000 in stamp duty relief.
Individuals who need to replace their documents should call the Department of Justice and Community Safety on 03 5215 8500.