Nearly 415,000 flood victims in NSW have received a total of $340 million in disaster support from the federal government since its announcement by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week.

The latest crisis, which has impacted communities from the Blue Mountains to the south coast, has made those affected eligible for assistance. 

Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said the speed at which the payments had rolled out set a record since its announcement. 

A disaster recovery allowance is also available for employees and sole traders who lose income as a direct result of a major disaster, lasting up to 13 weeks.  

Minister Shorten acknowledged the support was “modest” for people dealing with thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to their home and further help was coming.  

“This package of support, and I should just make it clear to the people who are not flood affected, these payments are not a king’s ransom,” he said. 

“What we do going forward will be the subject of cabinet discussion.” 

The federal government will also do more to ensure flood risks are mitigated in the future.  

“Do I wish the previous federal government actually invested more in remedial works so we don’t have to keep making payments to people affected by natural disasters? Yes, I do,” Minister Shorten said. 

“We are where we are. We can’t make up for the last 10 wasted years but we can try and do more to make sure we decrease risk.” 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese triggered the federal support payments on Wednesday, with people eligible to claim on Thursday afternoon.  

Minister Shorten visited the Services Australia Smart Centre in Liverpool on Sunday for a briefing on support activities.  

Staff have been working around the clock and through the weekend to process the claims.  

Flood-affected residents are starting to return to their homes to assess the damage caused by days of unrelenting rain and severe storms.  

The government has mobilised some 250 Australian Defence Force troops and three helicopters to assist with the flood response and clean-up. 

With AAP

Eliza Sayon

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Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.

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