Government Announces Aid Package After Relentless Flooding

NSW SES flood rescue operators launch a flood boat off the banks of the Lachlan River in Forbes, Australia, on Nov. 17, 2021 . Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Small business owners and not-for-profit organisations subject to “repeated relentless flooding” in the past year can receive up to $50,000 (US$33,000) in disaster recovery payments under a new package from the Australian federal and New South Wales (NSW) governments.

The prime minister and NSW premier said they had identified a significant number of businesses affected by flooding events since August and are dealing with extensive clean-ups and repairs.

“We know this repeated, relentless flooding is very tough on people, and we want them to know we will be there to support them now–and as they continue to recover,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a media release.

“The Australian government is working closely with the NSW government to ensure financial support is provided where it is needed to assist residents and local communities who have been impacted by the floods.”

The jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements will roll out across two stages, with the first $25,000 pushed out quickly, and the second $25,000 distributed after receipts for the recovery work are made available shown.

Prime Minister Albanese said once applications were accepted the funding would appear in bank accounts within days, he said at a press conference in one of the worst flood-hit towns in NSW, Eugowra.

Supporting Flood-Ravaged Communities

Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt announced that 200 Australian Defence Force personnel would be on the ground in NSW around Forbes, Parkes, and Eugowra, helping people with the immediate clean-up.

Speaking at a press conference in Forbes, which has experienced multiple floods this year, Watt said the floods caused major damage to Australian agriculture production.

“We’re seeing very big impacts on everything from wheat and barley crops ... through to sheep and the dairy industry ... and that’s inevitably going to have an impact on the national economy,” Watt said.

He also said the federal government was standing by affected communities.

“My message, more than anything though, to the people of New South Wales and right across the country who are dealing with these floods is that your federal government is standing with you both in the response immediately after these floods and in the recovery,” Watt said.

“We will keep coming back to these communities as often as is needed to make sure that these communities get the support they need in what is going to be a very long recovery.”

Whole State at Risk of Flooding

Meanwhile, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has warned that the whole state of NSW, which is 1.15 times larger than the U.S. state of Texas, currently faces flood risks that could get worse as the season shifts to summer.

“Almost every place across New South Wales right now, every community across New South Wales right now, is at risk of flood,” the NSW premier said. “ Our rivers are full, our dams are full, and our catchments are full. And over summer as well, there are difficult times that lie ahead.”

Across the whole country, 200 local government areas (LGA) are currently disaster-declared, NSW currently 75 LGAs have been declared disaster zones.