THEY HAVE TO BE KIDDING!!!!
Below is the unedited letter sent to victims of the Queensland floods by their Government.
Millions are pouring into the State's coffers and they are offering this pittance and with means testing being applied, it means their will be SFA for most who have struggled and achieved even a modicum of success.
What to me is even worse, the
Queensland Government is offering small businesses 4% loans to help rebuild, generous at first look perhaps, but in reality this is money that has been given out of the hearts of many
Australians - what right has government to then gain interest on these donations?
We all want to help, but we continuously stand back and watch this shyster mentality of government continue.
We need to come up with another option to ensure those that need help get it when they need it, and
how they need it, not random glad bags of tinned goods and stuffed animals for the kiddies.
The insurance companies are NOW claiming it was the WRONG type of flood and few are covered, I am deadset over this shit going on between the Government and insurance companies.
I know people who have spent their lives building their businesses in Brisbane and are part of the reason the city was doing so well, now they are looking to move away from our country because they are so burnt by the way our governments treat small business.
Financial assistance
If a natural disaster has been declared in your area you may be eligible for:
Personal Hardship Assistance
Essential Household Contents Grant
Structural Assistance Grant
Other financial assistance
When making a claim for assistance please make sure you have:
•drivers licence or ID card
•Medicare card showing members of your family, and
•recent rates notice or electricity account showing your address.
Personal Hardship Assistance Grant
Personal Hardship Assistance 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 $850 for a family of five or more.
Personal Hardship Assistance 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
Eligibility for an Essential Household Contents Grant or a Structural Assistance Grant
The Essential Household Contents and Structural Assistance grants are means tested and will need to satisfy income and asset tests for these grants.
Income and asset tests are as follows:
•Upper income limits:
◦Individual: $704/week + $51 for each dependent
◦Couple: $930/week + $51 for each dependent
•Upper asset limits:
◦Pensioners: $25,101
◦Others: $6,135
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 up to $1,705 per adult, up to a maximum of $5,120 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 calling 1800 173 349.
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, owned 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 $10,500 per individual, and up to $14,200 for a couple/family, less amounts paid as an Emergent Assistance Grant and/or Essential Household Contents Grant.
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 calling 1800 173 349.
Other financial assistance
Financial assistance may also be available through other government agencies as follows:
•The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment of $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per child is available to eligible people adversely affected by the Queensland flooding. Centrelink also has a Disaster Income Recovery Subsidy and a range of other payments and services to support people in an emergency or crisis, whether or not you are already a Centrelink customer. For more information, visit the Centrelink website or call the Emergency Assistance Hotline on 180 2266.
•Freight subsidies of up to $5000 per disaster event are available for eligible primary producers located within a disaster-declared area under joint Commonwealth/State Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA). For more information, visit Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation website or telephone 132 523.
•Low interest rate loans of up to $250,000 for eligible primary producers and small businesses located within a disaster-declared area can be obtained through QRAA (Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority). For more information, visit QRAA or freecall 1800 623 946.
•Grants up to $25,000 are available for primary producers and small businesses to pay for costs arising out of damage caused by the November and December flood crisis. Assistance is provided through an initial claim of up to $5,000 to assist with immediate early recovery and subsequent claim of up to $20,000 to repair direct flood damage. The maximum amount available under the scheme is $25,000. For more information, visit QRAA or freecall 1800 623 946.
•Sport and Recreation Services Disaster Recovery Program is offering one-off funding of up to $5,000 for replacement of operational items and up to $20,000 to assist the repair of sport and recreation infrastructure damaged by flooding. For more information, visit Sport and Recreation funding.
Last updated: 17 January 2011
