The Australian Government is extending both the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) and the Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) to more North Queensland communities affected by recent flooding and heavy rainfall.
From 2pm local time on Monday 10 February 2025, the AGDRP will be extended further to the localities of Carruchan, Ellerbeck and Wongaling Beach within the Cassowary Coast LGA; Balgal Beach and Bluewater Park in Townsville; and Paluma which crosses the Townsville and Charters Towers LGAs.
The AGDRP offers residents $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child for people who suffered serious damage or injury as a result of the floods, to help with the costs of recovery.
From 2pm local time on Monday 10 February 2025, the DRA will also be extended to the Cairns, Charters Towers, Etheridge, Tablelands, Whitsunday and Yarrabah Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The DRA is available to individuals who live or work in the declared LGAs and have lost some or all of their income due to the disaster. To be eligible for DRA, a person’s income must have fallen below the average Australian weekly income as a result of the floods.
Before they claim, people can check their eligibility on the Services Australia website at: servicesaustralia.gov.au/disastersupport.
The easiest way to claim is online through myGov. If people need help to claim, they can call the Australian Government Emergency Information Line on 180 22 66.
People impacted by the floods can also pause or change their Centrelink debt repayments using the Money you owe service online in either their Centrelink online account or Express Plus Centrelink mobile app. Alternatively, they can call 1800 076 072.
Robert is the founder of AustralianSenior.com.
He studied Journalism and Marketing at USC and TV Presentation at NIDA. He is passionate about advocating for seniors and presenting non-biased, fact-based news to enable those over 50 to thrive in an increasingly complicated digital world. He covers all areas of life and style, from pop culture to the economy and travel to events. If it's worth reading, it's worth writing about.
He loves to travel the globe and is a recently diagnosed, late-in-life Type One Diabetic.