Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, has welcomed the extra assistance being provided to small business and primary producers in New England following the recent storms and floods.

“The Australian and New South Wales governments have agreed to cost share recovery grants to small business of up $50,000 and grants to primary producers of up $75,000 in the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Armidale, Glen Innes Severn, Inverell, Liverpool Plains, Tenterfield, and Walcha,” Mr Joyce said.

The clean-up and recovery grants are being provided through the joint Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Mr Joyce said the package will provide direct assistance to residents, primary producers and small businesses to clean-up and dispose of debris from their properties and help them get back on their feet.

“The Australian Defence Force personnel, alongside NSW Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW, have already been deployed.  Teams are going from house to house, hosing out properties and removing damaged items, as well as sandbagging and clearing debris.

“These storms and floods have been an enormous blow on the back of the bushfires, but I know that those affected in New England are resilient and, with the support of the Australian and NSW governments, they will recover strongly from this latest set-back,” Mr Joyce said.

The NSW Storm and Flood Clean-up Program includes:

• Residential clean-up – to assist residents in flood affected areas whose homes have been damaged by floodwaters
• Clean-up of essential public assets – to assist with the clean-up and debris removal activities from flood damaged public assets (e.g. roads)
• Clean-up of community, recreation and cultural assets including sporting fields
• Primary producers and small business clean-up – to assist primary producers and small businesses to clean-up and dispose of flood related debris from their properties.
• Clean-up and restoration of environmental assets – to assist with the clean-up and restoration of flood damaged, priority environmental assets including beaches
• Associated clean-up and waste disposal costs – to cover additional costs incurred by affected councils and relevant state agencies.

• Small business recovery grants up to $50,000 (direct damage)

The grants are designed to provide short-term targeted assistance for recovery and reinstatement activities, including safety inspections, repairs to premises and internal fittings, and replacement of stock.

• Primary producer recovery grants up to $75,000 (direct damage)

The grants are designed to provide short-term targeted assistance for recovery and reinstatement activities, including salvaging crops and repairs to damaged farm infrastructure (e.g. fencing) and equipment.

To connect with a Customer Care specialist, call Service NSW between 7am and 7pm on 13 77 88. The Contact Centre hours have been extended to include weekends while communities recover. Information about the Customer Care service is also available in Service NSW Centres.

(ENDS)