Queensland secures Category D funding for flood damaged primary producers

Primary producers who have suffered extreme flood damage in 14 local government areas will be able to access a loan and grant package of up to $650,000 under the Exceptional Disaster Assistance Scheme.

The Category D assistance will be available to those primary producers that suffered damage to the extent that previously announced assistance measures will not be enough to restore their business.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry John McVeigh said the loan included a grant of up to $50,000, and the first two years of a loan would be interest and repayment free.

“From the third year of the loan, the new record low 1.7 per cent interest rate for disaster loans will initially apply,” Mr McVeigh said.   

“I know from my damage inspections over the past three weeks that many primary producers particularly around the Wide Bay-Burnett and Lockyer Valley areas, desperately need this kind of support.

“It’s now three weeks since ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald struck Queensland and in that time the state government has not stopped working to secure as much support from the Federal Government as possible to kick start our recovery.

“This latest package of support measures will help those who have been hardest hit and badly need our assistance in getting their operations up and running again.”

Areas currently for the Exceptional Disaster Assistance Scheme:

• Banana Regional Council 1
• Bundaberg Regional Council
• Fraser Coast Regional Council
• Gladstone Regional Council
• Goondiwindi Regional Council 2
• Gympie Regional Council
• Ipswich City Council 3
• Lockyer Valley Regional Council
• North Burnett Regional Council
• Scenic Rim Regional Council
• Somerset Regional Council 4
• South Burnett Regional Council
• Southern Downs Regional Council 5
• Toowoomba Regional Council 6

1 - applies to area of the Banana Shire Council that is West of the Callide and Auburn Ranges; and East of the Banana and Cooper Ranges and then east of the Baralaba-Rannes Road.

2 - applies to area of the Goondiwindi Regional Council that is West of the Yelarbon-Keetah Road, Merton Road, Kelmans Road, Wyaga Road, the Gore Highway, Yagaburne-Boondandilla Road, and the eastern boundary of lots 4 and 5 on PG97; and East of the Lapgate Road, Bungunya-Alton Road, North Aranyi Road, the eastern boundary of lot 12 on CVN221, North Talwood Road, Talwood-Mungindi Road.

3 - applies to area of the Ipswich City Council defined as Division 10.

4 - applies to area of the Somerset Regional Council South of the D'Aguilar Highway.

5 - applies to area of the Southern Downs Regional Council that is East of Keoghs Road, Old Stanthorpe Road and the New England Highway to where it joins the Cunningham Highway; North of the Cunningham Highway and east of the Warwick Pratton Road.
 
6 - applies to the area of the Toowoomba Regional Council that is the area south and east of the Gatton-Clifton Road, the Greenmount-Hirstville Road, the Nobby Connection Road, the New England Highway, the Felton-Clifton Road, the Back Plains Road, the Doolan Road, and the Clifton-Pittsworth Road.

The Exceptional Disaster Assistance Scheme will be delivered by QRAA and is made available under Category D of the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).  The Queensland and Australian Governments will equally share the cost of these loans.

Mr McVeigh said for the worst impacted areas, an additional package of Category D measures to help with employment and clean up and recovery was still being negotiated with the Federal Government.

Forms for the Exceptional Disaster Assistance Scheme loan package will soon be available at www.qraa.qld.gov.au   

For more information about the Exceptional Disaster Assistance Scheme please contact QRAA on Freecall 1800 623 946.
 
[ENDS] 17 February 2013

Contact: Louise Gillis – 0408 709 160