Disaster Recovery Allowance - September 2022 Floods

The Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) is a short term payment to help you if the New South Wales Floods in September 2022 directly affects your income.

Eligible Northern Inland LGAs are:

• Glen Innes Severn
• Gunnedah
• Gwydir
• Liverpool Plains
• Moree Plains
• Narrabri
• Tamworth

You can get it for a maximum of 13 weeks. They will pay this from the date you started losing income as a direct result of the New South Wales Floods that started on 14 September 2022.
To get it, you must meet all of the following:

• were 16 or older at the time of the floods
• are an Australian resident or hold an eligible visa
• work or live in an affected Local Government Area (LGA)
• lost income as a direct result of the storms and floods
• earn less than the average Australian weekly income in the weeks after you had this income loss.

They have used Australian Bureau of Statistics figures to work out the average weekly income. On 19 August 2021, this was $1,737.10 per week.

If you’re part of a couple, you can both claim this payment. You and your partner will need to make separate claims.
You can’t get DRA if you get any of the following payments during your claim period:

• an income support payment or pension
• Parental Leave Pay
• Dad and Partner Pay
• ABSTUDY Living Allowance
• Farm Household Allowance
• a Service Pension from the Department of Veterans' Affairs
• Self-Employment Allowance or New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) Allowance.