Australians make 145,000 claims for flood assistance after entire towns were submerged


Hundreds of thousands of disaster support payment claims have already been requested in Queensland and northern NSW, as heavy rain heads south.

Government Services Minister Linda Reynolds said there have been 145,000 claims for government support so far, 90,000 of which were filed on Tuesday.

The emergency federal support is a one-off payment of $1,000 for adults and $400 for children affected by floodwaters.

Senator Reynolds said the number of claims is ‘of a magnitude beyond’ anything the government has seen before in a flooding event.

Residents begin the cleanup in Lismore in Northern NSW on Wednesday (pictured)

Residents begin the cleanup in Lismore in Northern NSW on Wednesday (pictured)

Locals are busy empty their houses of soggy items and washing away mud after the floodwaters reached roof level (pictured)

Locals are busy empty their houses of soggy items and washing away mud after the floodwaters reached roof level (pictured)

But she would not be drawn on whether the payment, which has been at the same rate since 2006, should increase.

‘At the moment, that’s what it is,’ she told ABC Radio National on Wednesday.

‘This is a payment for people who need to buy food and emergency supplies… it is a payment for people to get through the next few days.

‘At the moment, our sole focus is on evacuations and these early stages of the disaster that’s making sure people are safe.’

The minister confirmed 35,000 people have already received the emergency payment in their bank accounts, as Services Australia works to keep up with demand.

On Wednesday, there was still high water in some parts of the city (pictured)

On Wednesday, there was still high water in some parts of the city (pictured)

On Tuesday the floodwater was still at about roof height, submerging this service station (pictured)

On Tuesday the floodwater was still at about roof height, submerging this service station (pictured)

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese says more needs to be done to help people on the ground who have lost everything in the floods.

‘People have struggled to get the support they need and aren’t in a position to get a MyGov account and go through the bureaucracy,’ he said in Brisbane on Wednesday.

‘We encourage the federal government to have Services Australia representatives on the ground to make sure Queenslanders and those in northern NSW can access emergency relief they’re entitled to.’

Senator Reynolds confirmed Services Australia teams would be sent to evacuation centres ‘as soon as it is safe to do so’ and will help people who are without internet or paperwork to make claims.

Business were also inundated int he deluge with the cost of the damage not yet determined (pictured)

Business were also inundated int he deluge with the cost of the damage not yet determined (pictured) 

Residents in Lismore can be seen on their second storey as floodwaters remain high on Tuesday (pictured)

Residents in Lismore can be seen on their second storey as floodwaters remain high on Tuesday (pictured) 

Meanwhile, Emergency Management Minister Bridget McKenzie has defended the government for not yet using its $4.8 billion emergency response fund.

She says it is a ‘future fund’ for catastrophic events expected in coming years.

‘We haven’t had to draw on (the emergency response fund) yet because we haven’t exhausted our other funding,’ she told Nine.

‘Under the legislation, we can use $50 million of the interest (from the fund) to partner with states around mitigation projects – which we’ve done – and we’ve put $150 million towards flood mitigation and coastal erosion.’

The Government said there have been more then 145,000 claims for financial assistance (pictured: Lismore)

The Government said there have been more then 145,000 claims for financial assistance (pictured: Lismore) 

This car dealership in Lismore was completely flooded, it is not known if the cars were moved beforehand (pictured)

This car dealership in Lismore was completely flooded, it is not known if the cars were moved beforehand (pictured) 

But Labor senator Murray Watt says none of the mitigation projects given funding by the government has started construction, and nor has any funding gone to disaster recovery.

‘We’re now in our third disaster season since this fund was first established,’ he told ABC radio.

‘There’s not a single disaster mitigation project where construction has actually begun – let alone completed under this fund – which is just a shocking lack of preparation for the kind of floods that we’re seeing right now.’

The Government is offering $1,000 for adults and $400 for kids as a one-off assistance payment for those affected by the floods (pictured)

The Government is offering $1,000 for adults and $400 for kids as a one-off assistance payment for those affected by the floods (pictured)

The Clarence River was one of many in northern NSW which overflowed (pictured)

The Clarence River was one of many in northern NSW which overflowed (pictured) 

Senator Watt said the government is also misrepresenting the amount of money spent on disasters in the past three years by including $13 billion in support spent during the pandemic.

‘Certainly (Covid) is a disaster, but the fact that the government has to roll in Covid support payments to bump up their disaster support figures shows they haven’t done enough to support people recovering from natural disasters,’ he said.

Storms are expected to hit Sydney on Wednesday and the NSW south coast later in the week.

East Gippsland in Victoria and northern Tasmania are also expected to be hit in the coming days. 

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