Flood Disaster Payment NSW: Who Is Eligible and How Do You Get It?

NSW residents who have been impacted by the most recent bout of floods will be able to apply for a disaster payment of up to $1,000 from July 7, 2022. The flood disaster payment, which was set in motion by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday, July 6, is available to adults and children from areas affected by floods in NSW starting from June 27.

Here’s everything we know about claiming financial support if you’ve been affected.

NSW flood disaster payment: What’s the deal?

Per the Service Australia website, the flood disaster payment is set to become available for claims on July 7 from 2:00 pm. As mentioned, financial support is available for folks impacted by the NSW floods which began on June 27.

Adults are eligible for a lump sum of $1,000 and $400 can be claimed for children.

As of July 7, you can apply for the payment on the Service Australia website here.

The ABC reports that this will be a cash payment, leaving the allocation of funds up to the people receiving support. It also states that all Australian residents, or eligible visa holders and eligible New Zealanders, who live in the areas declared disaster zones can claim the payment.

As of July 5, the flood disaster zones are:

• Blacktown
• Blue Mountains
• Camden
• Canterbury Bankstown
• Campbelltown
• Central Coast
• Cessnock
• Fairfield
• Georges River
• Hawkesbury
• Hornsby
• Kiama
• Lithgow
• Liverpool
• Northern Beaches
• Penrith
• Shellharbour
• Shoalhaven
• Sutherland
• The Hills
• Wingecarribee
• Wollondilly
• Wollongong

In terms of eligibility for the flood disaster payment, Services Australia states that this will be considered based on serious impact as a result of the NSW floods, for example, if:

• your home has been severely damaged or destroyed
• you’ve been seriously injured

It also states you can claim “Disaster Recovery Allowance if you’ve lost income as a direct result of the flood”. The website continues:

If you’re eligible, you can get it for up to 13 weeks, starting from the date you first lost income. You’ll get the maximum equivalent rate of JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance, depending on your personal circumstances.

Financial support (in the form of concessional loans, transport subsidies or grants) is also available for small businesses, not-for-profits, sporting clubs and primary producers.

This announcement from the government comes after evacuation orders have been put in place for a number of areas across NSW. The June floods are the third major flooding event to hit the state in a matter of months. We’ll update this piece with any additional details you may need to know as they become available.

This article has been updated since its original publish date.