Grants are available from QRAA to assist small businesses to pay for costs arising out of direct damage from flooding caused by the Western Queensland Tropical Low 2012.

What assistance is available?
Grants of up to $25,000 are available to assist eligible small businesses as follows:

• Initial grant: up to $5,000 to assist you with immediate recovery
• Subsequent grant: up to $20,000 to recover costs that you have paid in order to repair direct flood damage.

Assistance under this scheme is not intended to compensate for loss of income. Assistance provided is subject to future audit.

How can the assistance help you?

The assistance enables you to cover the costs associated with cleaning and restoration activities including:

• purchasing, hiring or leasing plant, equipment or materials to clean-up or resume business activities
• clearing or disposing of debris and damaged goods
• repairing buildings or essential fittings in buildings other than houses
• replacing lost or damaged stock essential to resuming trading
• leasing temporary premises to resume operations
• engaging a person to clean or to conduct a safety inspection of premises
• paying additional wages to an employee to assist with the clean-up and restoration work.

Eligible areas

To apply for assistance for direct damage caused by the Western Queensland Tropical Low 2012, you must be located in one of the following local government areas (current as at 21/02/12): 

*The areas of Quilpie Shire East of 144 degrees longitude

Who is eligible to apply?

To be eligible for the grant you must:

• own (whether as sole owner, in partnership or as a private company) a small business
• have been engaged in your small business, in the prescribed Western Queensland Tropical Low 2012 flood disaster area and have suffered direct damage as a result of the flood event
• intend to re-establish your small business enterprise
• be responsible for meeting the costs you are claiming.

Small businesses in the areas above that have suffered direct damage and who have generated more than 50 per cent of their income from their businesses are eligible to apply.

Please note, further criteria apply. Please refer to the Guidelines for further information (including terms and conditions) on this assistance.

How to apply?

Complete and submit the Special Disaster Assistance Application Form to QRAA.  Applications must be received by QRAA no later than 31 October 2012.

To apply for the initial claim up to $5,000, what do I need to provide with my application?

To support the initial claim, some evidence of direct damage that has occurred to your enterprise will be required. (e.g. photographs, quotes and/or tax invoices.)

To apply for the subsequent claim up to $20,000, what do I need to provide with my application?

The subsequent claim requires you to have made payments for repairs. QRAA will require:

1. tax invoices showing full details of goods or services supplied (to be identifiable as flood related damage on the invoice), including the initial claim up to $5,000 and
2. an official receipt from the supplier or contractor – if this cannot be obtained, photocopies of cheque butts, bank transfers and bank statements will be required, including the initial claim up to $5,000.

Financial hardship

If you are unable to pay for clean up and restoration costs you may be eligible to apply for assistance under financial hardship.

To be eligible for financial hardship you must hold a current low income health care card from Centrelink or provide a certificate (letter) from a suitably qualified person (e.g. accountant or bank manager) stating that paying for costs would put your enterprise in doubt (see guidelines for further information).

If you are applying for financial hardship please provide a copy your low income health care card from Centrelink or a copy of your certificate (letter), along with quote for works to be completed and submit with the subsequent claim form. QRAA will advise of an approval in principle based on quotations provided, and payment will be made direct to the supplier after the supplier has provided a tax invoice(s) for eligible costs.

If you have any questions

Should you have any queries regarding the flood assistance, our Client Liaison Officers are available to assist you or please contact us in Brisbane on Freecall 1800 623 946.

Other assistance available

QRAA also administers low interest loans of up to $250,000 to small businesses under the Natural Disaster Assistance scheme.