Current Government support for those impacted by flooding.

We hope everyone is staying safe from flood waters at this time. We recognise this is such a difficult time for our community and we know that we are supporting each other as best we can.

Please find following a list of Current Government Support offered via State and Federal Government channels for those impacted by the flooding. Please note that this information is regularly being updated, and you are encouraged to regularly check back with the source site.

• The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment – provide one-off financial assistance to eligible Australians adversely affected by storms and floods

• The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Allowance  –  provides income support payments to eligible persons who can demonstrate they have experienced a loss of income as a direct result of storms and floods.

• Victorian Emergency Relief Assistance Payment –  The one-off payment is to help residents and their household to meet “immediate and essential needs” like emergency shelter, food, clothing or personal items

• The emergency re-establishment payment – provides assistance to households of limited financial means, whose home is uninhabitable, destroyed or is inaccessible. The payment can cover clean-up, emergency accommodation, repairs, rebuilding (a principal place of residence), and replacing some damaged contents.

• Council Flood Support Fund – this will be established as an initial measure to provide immediate payments of $500,000 to the 24 local government areas that have experienced the most profound flood damage. This support is in addition to existing Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

• Flood Recovery Hotline – a single state-wide number, 1800 560 760, that Victorians impacted by the October 2022 floods can call for help with:

• • navigating available support
  • clean-up
  • temporary accommodation
  • mental health and wellbeing support.

• Agriculture Victoria has recently made available grant streams which open on 20 October to flood-affected businesses and farmers:

• • Primary Producer Clean-Up Relief Grants: $10,000 grants to cover the cost of the clean-up and get businesses up and running again.
  • Primary Producer Concessional Loans: Up to $250,000 to restore or replace damaged equipment and infrastructure, or to cover the short-term business expenses.
  • Primary Producer Transport Subsidies: Up to $15,000 to support the transport of emergency fodder or stock drinking water, and the movement of livestock.

• Small Business Immediate Flood Relief Program – For small business owners whose livelihoods have been affected by the floods.

Thank you to Regional Development Victoria for providing this list.

And from the Department of Families Fairness and Housing:

Translated resources

• Multilingual audio news – flood updates
• After the flood: Returning home safely
• Information on emergency payments
• General information about floods and storms – including audio
• Trauma – reaction and recovery
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Survivor reactions to traumatic events
• Trauma and children – newborns to two years
• Trauma and families