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Small businesses who have been directly affected by a declared natural disaster including floods, fires or storm damage, may be eligible for low interest loans of up to $130,000.

This low interest rate loan can help a small business:

• return to its normal level of trading or until the next major income is received within 12 months from the date of disaster
• replace and repair damage caused to your small business and associated improvements not covered by insurance.

A repayment term of up to ten years is available dependent upon the amount borrowed and the applicant’s ability to repay.

The repayment term is preceded by a two-year interest and repayment free period.

A list of declared disasters and the associated closing dates for applications is available on the Rural Assistance Authority website.

Small businesses who have been directly affected by a declared natural disaster including floods, fires or storm damage, may be eligible for low interest loans of up to $130,000.

This low interest rate loan can help a small business:

• return to its normal level of trading or until the next major income is received within 12 months from the date of disaster
• replace and repair damage caused to your small business and associated improvements not covered by insurance.

A repayment term of up to ten years is available dependent upon the amount borrowed and the applicant’s ability to repay.

The repayment term is preceded by a two-year interest and repayment free period.

A list of declared disasters and the relevant application close dates are available of the Rural Assistance Authority's website.

Natural disaster relief loans assist voluntary non-profit organisations directly affected by a declared natural disaster including flood, fire or storm damage.

Low interest rate loans are available:

• for the restoration of essential facilities that have been damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster
• and may also be directed towards temporary storage or leasing of alternate premises

A repayment term of up to five years is available dependent upon the amount borrowed and the applicant’s ability to repay.

A list of declared disasters and the associated closing dates for applications is available on the Rural Assistance Authority website.

You may be eligible for up to 12 months free mail redirection if a major natural disaster impacts your mail delivery. Australia Post will let affected residents in the region know if this is available .

If you and/or your small business are impacted by floods in October 2022, they can help you with free mail redirection. Call in to your nearest Post Office for more information and to apply.

If you have been impacted by a natural disaster which is making it difficult to manage your payments and obligations with Revenue NSW, we can offer a range of options to help you based on your specific circumstances.

These may include:

• extending payment or lodgement time frames
• arranging payment plans
• lifting licence or registration sanctions
• putting debts on short term hold
• assisting with hardship applications
• considering the emergency situation when assessing requests for review.

You can apply for an additional Child Care Subsidy for Temporary Financial Hardship due to a natural disaster.

If your home or essential household contents were damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster, you may be eligible for the Disaster Relief Grant for individuals.

The financial assistance is provided to help people to recover from the effects of a disaster and re-establish a basic standard of living. It is not provided to replace insurance or compensate for losses.

The grants assist low-income residents who have no other means of restoring their homes to a safe and habitable condition following a disaster event.

Assistance falls into two categories: 

1. Essential Household Contents Grants to assist with the cost of re-establishing essential household items considered necessary to maintain a basic standard of living.
2. Structural Grants as a contribution toward essential structural repairs to homes for households unable to meet the cost of repairs. The Structural Repair Grants are commonly delivered in the form of either grants to contribute toward essential structural repairs to homes or full rebuilds of property which has been rendered uninhabitable. 

If the natural disaster event has caused damage to a temporary dwelling, assistance provided will depend on the type of temporary dwelling. There are several types of temporary dwelling support available, including support for people living in caravans, houseboats and relocatable homes and rough sleepers.

If you're unable to return to your home due to the floods and need support to enter the private rental market, you can contact the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) Housing Contact Centre. A rental bond loan and a grant for advance rent may be available.

• Rentstart Bond Loan – An interest-free loan where you can apply for up to 100% of a rental bond. In exceptional circumstances, Housing NSW may provide a loan of up to 100% of the bond. Your repayment plan is based on how much of your income is spent on rent.
• Advance Rent – A grant that's provided to clients who already have a Rentstart Bond Loan, but are finding it difficult to meet the set-up costs of their tenancy. It's also available to help clients who are moving into caravan parks, or registered boarding houses and hostels where a deposit is needed, rather than a bond having to be lodged with the Bond Board. In this instance, up to 100% of the key money, or security bond, or other deposit is provided. Advance Rent is a grant and doesn't need to be repaid.

Farm Household Allowance (FHA) provides assistance to farming families experiencing financial hardship. This program focuses on helping farmers make important decisions to improve their long-term financial situation.

The support available includes:

• a fortnightly payment for up to 4 years in each specific 10-year period
• supplementary allowances such as rent assistance, telephone and pharmaceutical allowances and a Health Care Card
• individual case support with a Farm Household Case Officer (FHCO)
• a financial assessment of the farm enterprise worth up to $1500
• up to $10,000 in activity supplements that gives farmers an opportunity to develop skills, access training and pay for professional advice to better manage their business into the future

Westpac has announced that its Disaster Relief Package is available for customers who are suffering hardship as a result of the recent disasters. Westpac's Disaster Relief Packages aim to offer immediate practical help to assist customers to manage the impact of natural disasters on their finances.

Depending on the nature of disasters, our Disaster Relief Packages generally offer the following:

Home loan and insurance customers

• Affected customers with Westpac home loans may apply to defer repayments for up to three months.
• Affected Westpac customers with Home and Contents insurance can make a claim online 24/7
• Affected Westpac customers with Car insurance can make a claim online 24/7

Credit cards, term deposits and personal loans

• Affected credit card customers may apply to defer repayments to their card for up to 90 days.
• Westpac will waive interest rate adjustments for affected customers wishing to withdraw term deposits.
• Customers experiencing severe hardship may also be offered a halt on all interest accrual on unsecured credit products for a period of up to three months.

Business customers

• Apply online for Disaster Relief Package
• Affected businesses with existing loans can request loan restructuring without incurring the usual bank establishment fees.
• Affected business customers with merchant facilities are eligible to receive assistance including monthly terminal access fee refunds for up to three months. Contact us to find out if you are eligible on 1800 029 749.

You may be able to access a range of tailored support options if you or your business are impacted by a natural disaster, pandemic or other disruptive or unforeseen event.

Support for individuals:

• Customised payment arrangements such as the option to defer loan repayments
• Waived fees and charges
• Temporary overdrafts, additional loans or emergency credit limit increases (subject to credit approval)
• Early access to Term Deposits
• Emergency accommodation assistance for Residential Home Insurance customers whose homes have been damaged by bushfire, flood or storms
• Expedited home and contents insurance claims

Support for business customers:

• Deferred business loan repayments for eligible* business customers.
• Refund of merchant terminal fees for up to 90 days or waiver of merchant terminal non-return fees for eligible^ business customers
• Specialised tailored support for larger business customers
• Early access to Term Deposits, Cash Deposit, Farm Management Term Deposit and Business Investment accounts

If you have a Relationship Manager they will be able to discuss the support options available to you, or you can call our dedicated Business Financial Assistance team, available 24/7, on 13 26 07.

Broker Emergency Assistance Package
Eligible Brokers who have been significantly impacted by the flood emergency in Victoria, New South Wales or Tasmania are encouraged to contact their Relationship Manager to help them understand their options and how to apply for assistance.

If you’ve been affected by a natural disaster – such as a bushfire, flood, storm or earthquake, ANZ offer their customers a range of supports.

Offerings under their Disaster Relief Package includes:

• Short-term payment relief on home loans, credit cards, personal loans and some business loans (we may still charge you interest during that period)
• Waiving fees for restructuring business loans
• Waiving fees for accessing term deposits early

Also, if you have ANZ Home and Contents Insurance, you may be eligible for emergency funds and temporary accommodation.

Whether you are just starting out with a great business idea or looking to expand and grow your business, Business Connect services can help you on your journey to business success. Business Connect is a dedicated and personalised NSW Government program that provides trusted advice to help you start or grow your small business.

For businesses affected by a natural disaster or COVID-19, Business Connect can help to:

• work out priorities and next steps
• develop a business or recovery plan
• manage cashflow and access finance
• connect to other government support and professional services
• innovate and implement digital tools such as ecommerce
• market your business to reach new customers

Business Connect also provides regular free business advice and webinars.

If you find that you are unable to make your repayments due to an unforeseen circumstance you may be eligible to receive Financial Hardship assistance.

Depending on the nature of your financial difficultly, some possible assistance may be:

• Utilise any advance payment on your loans
• Convert repayments to an interest only structure for a period of time
• Reduced repayments for a period of time
• Extension of your loan term
• Debt restructure
• Debt refinance

A natural disaster assistance transport subsidy is available to eligible farmers who are affected by a declared natural disaster event. This subsidy pays for the cost of transporting:

• fodder and/or water to an affected property
• stock to sale or slaughter
• stock to/from agistment.

A list of declared disasters and the associated closing dates for applications is available on the Rural Assistance Authority website.