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Home > Community > Community recovery > Community recovery support and assistance > Financial assistance

Financial assistance

If a natural disaster has been declared in your area you may be eligible for:

Emergent Assistance Grant

An Emergent Assistance Grant may be available to individuals and families who do not have the capacity to meet immediate, unexpected basic costs for food, clothing, medical supplies or accommodation caused by the disaster.

This grant is a non-means tested once-off payment of $170 per person, up to a maximum of $780 for a family of five or more.

Emergent Assistance Grants are not means tested, however if you are seeking assistance you will need to establish that you have experienced, or will experience, personal hardship as a result of the disaster.

Individuals and families can express an interest in this grant by calling 1800 173 349, visiting the nearest Community Recovery Information and Coordination Centre or contacting your Regional Service Centre.

Eligibility for an Essential Household Contents Grant or a Structural Assistance Grant

To be eligible for the Essential Household Contents Grant you will need to satisfy an income test and for the Structural Assistance Grant you will need to satisfy both the income and asset tests as follows:

Applications will be assessed on a case by case basis and you will need to discuss your eligibility for these grants with officers from the Department of Communities.

Essential Household Contents Grant

An Essential Household Contents Grant may be available to people who own essential household contents that have been lost or damaged in the disaster and who do not have contents insurance.

This grant is a means tested once-off payment of $1,660 per adult, up to a maximum of $4,980 for a couple/family.

Eligible household contents may include cooking utensils, clothing, bedding and linen, floor coverings, essential furniture and white goods and food lost due to storm damage. The grant assists with the repair or replacement of essential items and maximum limits apply for individual items.

An income test will be applied to applications for this grant. If you are eligible, departmental officers will visit your home, to assess the damage and to complete an application form with you.

You can apply for this grant by:

Structural Assistance Grant

A Structural Assistance Grant may be available to property owners whose home has been damaged by the disaster. The home must be uninsured for this disaster event, owend by the applicant and their sole place of residence at the time of the disaster. The grant provides a contribution towards repair of the residence to a habitable and secure condition.

This grant is a means tested once-off payment of up to $10,250 per individual, and up to $13,800 for a couple/family.

An income and assets test will be applied to applications for this grant. If you are eligible, departmental officers will visit your home to assess the damage and to complete an application form with you.

You can apply for this grant by:

Other financial assistance

Financial assistance may also be available through other government agencies as follows:

Last updated: 15 March 2010