MINISTER FOR WATER RESOURCES, DROUGHT, RURAL FINANCE, NATURAL DISASTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
THE HON CRAIG CRAWFORD
QUEENSLAND MINISTER FOR FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES
JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
14 September 2019
Disaster assistance has been extended to primary producers, small businesses and not for profits impacted by the Southern Queensland bushfires.
Assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Federal Minister for Natural Disaster and Emergency Management David Littleproud said Category B assistance, including loans and freight subsidies, has been activated to help affected primary producers, small businesses and not for profit organisations.
“The Southern Queensland Bushfires caused serious disruption to the Southern Downs and Scenic Rim communities, destroying houses, damaging public infrastructure and impacting businesses and primary producers, both directly and indirectly,” Minister Littleproud said.
“Primary producers, who have already battled through prolonged drought, now have fire damage to fencing, hail netting, poly tanks and poly pipes and have lost feed, stock and crops.
“Businesses in the area are reporting cancellations of bookings and loss of trade, as well as impacts from loss of power in the immediate aftermath of the fires.
“Queensland Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Craig Crawford said Queensland firies and other agencies, including interstate teams, continued to fight the fires burning across Queensland by various means, including water bombing.
“These fires have been unprecedented for Queensland. Residents were evacuated in some areas, evacuation centres were opened and a number of houses and other infrastructure have been destroyed,” Mr Crawford said.
“We want to help impacted primary producers and businesses recover quickly, so we’ve activated Category B assistance which includes concessional loans of up to $250,000 and essential working capital loans of up to $100,000 and freight subsidies of up to $5,000 for the movement of stock, feed, machinery, fuel, water and building/fencing materials.
“We hope this goes some way to assisting those impacted to get back on their feet, and look towards the future,” he said.
Mr Crawford said the assistance measures announced today were in addition to the DRFA funding already available in the regions.
