Photo caption: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton pictured in Menindee late last year.
Disaster assistance is now available in the Central Darling local government area following severe storms and flooding from Tuesday 9 November 2021, which continues to impact areas of New South Wales.
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton welcomed the inclusion of Central Darling and said this would ensure communities across the LGA now have access to support to enable them to recover from the severe weather that has occurred over the past few months.
“This is another example of how we are continually working with the NSW Government, councils and local communities to ensure that those impacted by recent storms and flooding are able to access the support that they need,” Mr Coulton said.
Assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) and is available to primary producers, small business owners, households and individuals in the form of recovery support grants and concessional interest rate loans.
A total of 62 Local Government Areas have been impacted by the severe weather and flooding over the previous months.
Berrigan Shire and Central Darling are now included in the natural disaster declaration along with the LGAs of Balranald, Bathurst, Bega Valley, Bland, Blayney, Blue Mountains, Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Cabonne, Cobar, Coonamble, Cootamundra-Gundagai, Cowra, Dubbo, Eurobodalla, Federation, Forbes, Gilgandra, Glen Innes Severn, Goulburn-Mulwaree, Greater Hume, Gunnedah, Gwydir, Hilltops, Inverell, Kyogle, Lachlan, Lismore, Lithgow, Liverpool Plains, Lockhart, Mid-Western, Moree Plains, Muswellbrook, Narrabri, Narromine, Oberon, Orange, Parkes, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Richmond Valley, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Snowy Monaro, Snowy Valleys, Tamworth, Tenterfield, Upper Hunter, Upper Lachlan, Walcha, Walgett, Warren, Warrumbungle, Weddin, Wentworth, Yass Valley and the Unincorporated Area of NSW.
Assistance available under the DRFA may include:
- Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged (eligibility criteria apply)
- Recovery grants for primary producers, small businesses and non-profit organisations
- 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, 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 or primary producer grant, 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