The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment is a lump sum payment of:
- $1,000 for eligible adults
- $400 for each eligible child under the age of 16.
You can claim this payment if you’ve been seriously affected as a direct result of the monsoon and flooding. For example:
- your home has been severely damaged or destroyed
- you’ve been seriously injured.
You can also claim Disaster Recovery Allowance if you’ve lost income as a direct result of the monsoon and flooding.
If you’re eligible, you can get it for up to 13 weeks, starting from the date you first lost income. You’ll get the maximum equivalent rate of JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance, depending on your personal circumstances.
If you’re a New Zealand citizen living in Australia, check if you’re eligible for:
To be eligible, you need to meet the Local Government Area criteria and other rules.
Claiming is available from 2 pm on 17 March 2023. Read more about payments and eligibility if you’re seriously affected by the Northern Queensland monsoon and flooding in December 2022 - March 2023.
Centrelink debt
If you have a Centrelink debt, you can pause or change your repayments. Read more about pausing your debt repayment.