To assist businesses affected by the January/February 2009 Victorian bushfires and North Queensland floods, the government will be offering a number of disaster recovery measures.
Victorian bushfires assistance
Grants
Emergency grants of $5 000 are immediately available to small businesses and primary producers who have been directly impacted by the bushfires. The grants aim to assist businesses with immediate repair and restoration costs, which may include the hire of tools, equipment, fencing repairs, materials, trades and services. Additional funding may be available for businesses significantly impacted, up to a total of $25 000 based on a damage assessment.
Small businesses and primary producers whose physical assets have been destroyed or damaged by bushfires are also eligible for a low-cost, low-interest loans scheme through the Rural Finance Corporation.
For more information on the Emergency grants or low-interest loan scheme, or to apply, call 1800 255 925 or visit the Rural Finance Corporation website.
Financial assistance from Centrelink
Income Subsidy Recovery Assistance will be available from Centrelink for individuals who have lost their primary source of income as a direct result of the fires. If you have lost your farm, business or place where you conduct your business from, you will be entitled to this payment.
Assistance is also available from Centrelink for people adversely affected by the fires, through the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP). Assistance is available for:
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a person who has been seriously injured
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a person who is the immediate family member of a deceased Australian
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a person’s principal place of residence has been destroyed
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a person’s principal place of residence has sustained major damage
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a person who is unable to return to their principal place of residence for 24 hours or more, as a direct result of the bushfires.
A one off payment of $1 000 will be available for eligible adults and $400 per eligible child.
Claims for the AGDRP related to the Victorian fires should be lodged with Centrelink by 7 August 2009.
Funeral assistance will also be available for the immediate family of a person who has lost their life as a direct result of the fires. This assistance will be $5 000 for each deceased person.
For more information Income Subsidy Recovery Assistance or the AGDRP, visit the Centrelink website or call the Australian Government Victorian Fires Hotline on 180 2211.
Counselling
General financial counselling services are available for Victorians from the Financial and Consumer Rights Council Inc (FCRC). For more information call 1800 134 139 or visit the FCRC website.
Business advice
Free business advice is also available to all bushfire affected businesses and primary producers to help them determine how best to respond to the impact of the bushfires. Services are being offered through the Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) and the Small Business Mentoring Service (SBMS) .
For further information on business counselling and general business advice, please contact the Business Victoria hotline on 13 22 15 or visit the Business Victoria website.
North Queensland flood assistance
Grants and loans
Small businesses affected by the floods may be eligible for assistance from the QRAA. Under the National Disaster Assistance program, small businesses affected by floods can apply for concessional loans for requirements including to repair and/or replace damaged plant equipment, repair buildings, and up to one month's supply of lost stock to maintain liquidity of your operation.
For more information on this program, please visit the QRAA website or call 1800 629 946.
Under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA), primary producers can access concessional loans of up to $250 000 at QRAA's commercial interest rates, and freight subsidies of 50% of costs up to $5 000 for moving food, building and fencing materials, stock, fodder, machinery and fuels.
To obtain this assistance, severely impacted producers can contact the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) to obtain an Individual Disaster Stricken Property (IDSP) declaration.
Other assistance available from DPI&F includes assistance to transport horticulture from flooded areas and assistance with accessing stranded stock.
For further information, please visit the DPI&F website or call 13 25 23.
Financial assistance from Centrelink
Assistance is also available from Centrelink for people adversely affected by the floods, through the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP). Assistance is available for:
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a person who has been seriously injured
-
a person who is the immediate family member of a deceased Australian
-
a person’s principal place of residence has been destroyed
-
a person’s principal place of residence has sustained major damage
-
a person who is unable to return to their principal place of residence for 48 hours or more, as a direct result of the bushfires.
A one off payment of $1 000 will be available for eligible adults and $400 per eligible child.
Claims for the AGDRP related to the North Queensland floods should be lodged with Centrelink by 7 August 2009.
For more information, visit the Centrelink website or call the Australian Government North Queensland Floods Hotline on 180 2222.
Further information
If you have lost your business or company registration details as a result of the fires or floods, you can request new copies. Businesses can contact Consumer Affairs Victoria on 1300 558 181 or the Queensland Office of Fair Trading on 13 13 04, and companies can contact the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) on 1300 300 630.
The Tax Office have established an emergency support info line to help those with tax queries. Officers can be contacted on 1300 304 975 during business hours.
Time extensions have been granted to those who have monthly business activity statements due in February, March and April. The new BAS lodgement date is 21 May 2009. Quarterly BAS normally due 28 February and 28 April have been extended also to 28 May 2009.
Those in affected areas now have until 30 June 2010 to lodge their 2007-08 tax return which will help those who no longer have records to make a reasonable assessment.
If you have lost your ABN registration details, documents for taxation purposes, or are having difficulties meeting your taxation obligations, you contact the Tax Office for advice on 13 28 66.
Further taxation information on lost or damaged property, insurance, charitable assistance, and information for employers is available on the Tax Office's Bushfires and small business owners webpage.
Taxation information for primary producers on abnormal income, farm management deposits scheme, damage to property, write-off for expenditure on conserving or conveying water, loss of records and charitable assistance is also available on the Tax Office's Bushfires and primary producers webpage.
For further information on the Victorian bushfires and North Queensland floods , visit the Disaster Assist website.
