$1000 Disaster Payment Assistance 2024 Australia

The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (DRP) is a one-off, non-means tested payment of $1000 for eligible adults and $400 for eligible children who have been adversely affected by a major disaster either in Australia or overseas.

DRP is activated when the impact of a disaster on individuals and families requires Australian Government assistance, in addition to that provided under standard recovery assistance. Each disaster is different and as a result the timing and nature of additional levels of assistance varies from disaster-to-disaster and community-to-community. DRP assists with the short-term recovery needs of the community

Eligibility

You may be eligible for assistance if you meet all of the following criteria:

● you are at least 16 years of age.

● you are an Australian resident or the holder of an eligible visa.

● you have been adversely affected by a major disaster.

A person is generally considered adversely affected if, as a direct result of the disaster:

● the person is seriously injured, or

● the person is an immediate family member of an Australian who is killed, or

● the person’s principal place of residence has been destroyed or has sustained major damage, or

● the person is the principal carer of a dependent child who has experienced any of the above.

How do I claim?

Once an event is declared a major disaster you will have six months to lodge your application. To lodge you can:

● call the Department of Human Services on 180 22 66.

● complete, sign and take your claim form to your nearest Centrelink or Medicare Service Centre or any Centrelink Agent, or post to:

Emergency Processing Centre
Reply Paid 7815
Canberra BC ACT 2610

● fax your form to 1300 727 760.

How they pay emergency relief payments

You can be paid by:

• direct debit transfer into your nominated bank account
• a prepaid debit card.

Using your prepaid card

A prepaid card can be used to:

• Buy items at stores that accept EFTPOS
• withdraw cash from an ATM – up to $1000 per day

The card will expire on the expiry date printed on the back of the card.

Emergency Relief Payments

A one-off payment is provided to help meet immediate needs, including emergency food, shelter, clothing, medication and accommodation.

Affected people can check their eligibility on the Services Australia website, and the easiest way to claim a payment is online through myGov.

If people need help to claim, they can call the Australian Government Emergency information line on 180 22 66 between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. If they want to speak to someone in their language, they can also call the Centrelink multilingual phone service on 131 202.

Twenty Services Australia staff have been deployed to cyclone affected areas including Mossman, Machans Beach, Holloways Beach, Cooktown, Daintree, Wonga Beach, Tully, Degarra and Manunda, and are working on the ground alongside other support agencies to help people access payments and services.

Mobile Service Centre ‘Desert Rose’ has also been redirected to provide support to people in Mossman from Thursday 28 December. Staff on board can assist people to claim disaster assistance and refer them to local support services.

In addition to this direct support to affected individuals, the estimated $64 million announced last week by the Federal and Queensland governments will assist the tourism industry, farmers, small businesses and not-for-profits to support the recovery and resilience of Far North Queensland communities impacted by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

ACT Government Disaster Assistance

The ACT Government is responsible for ensuring that adequate measures are taken to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and assist recovery from natural disasters and other emergencies.

To support relief and recovery, the ACT Government provides a diverse range of financial and non-financial assistance measures through the ACT Recovery Sub-Plan and Disaster Assistance Guidelines.

In addition to assistance from the ACT Government, the Australian Government provides various recovery assistance measures following disasters. People affected by a disaster could expect to receive both Australian and ACT Government assistance.

Australian Government financial assistance

In addition to assistance from the ACT Government, the Australian Government provides various recovery assistance measures following disasters. People affected by a disaster could expect to receive both Australian and ACT Government assistance.

Households may be eligible for Australian Government assistance of:

• Disaster Recovery Payment: A one-off, non-means tested payment of $1000 for eligible adults and $400 for eligible children affected by a major disaster.
• Disaster Recovery Allowance: This is a short-term income support payment to help individuals who show that the disaster directly impacted their income.

To help states and territories with relief and recovery costs, the Australian Government provides funding under the joint Australian Government – State cost sharing arrangements under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements 2018.

Immediate Assistance Grant

Who is eligible?

Includes people whose homes are inaccessible, or whose homes may have been destroyed or damaged, or people who evacuated in line with ESA advice.

Australian citizenship or residency is not an eligibility requirement. ACT residency is not an eligibility requirement. Eligible individuals may include visitors to the ACT (e.g. travellers, commuters, tourists).

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility is based on an assessment of an individual’s needs.  Applicants must demonstrate that they have been adversely affected by the disaster and have no means of meeting their immediate needs.

Factors such as the severity of the impact, access to personal finances and access to support from friends or family are taken into account when assessing need.

Mode of Delivery

Immediate financial assistance is generally provided from Evacuation or Recovery Centres.

Community Services Directorate (CSD) has a cash float to enable immediate cash payments to be made. Should additional sums be required because of the number of people affected by a disaster, CSD Finance & Budget will arrange funds.

Victorian Government support

The Victorian Government provides support for people affected by a natural disaster.

This may include:

• individual and business grants
• loans for small businesses and non-profit organisations
• help from a Community Recovery Officer.