Anthony Albanese announces $1,000 payment for Aussies caught in firing line of ex-Cyclone Alfred
A one-off cash payment of $1,000 for adults and $400 for children can be accessed for Australians who have been seriously impacted by a natural disaster.
Anthony Albanese announced on Saturday he would green-light the payments for those affected by ex-Cyclone Alfred, which had been downgraded to a tropical low, though the threat of widespread flooding remains.
The funding is made available through the Disaster Recovery Payment scheme, which is jointly-funded by state and federal governments.
It is the responsibility of state governments to activate the payments for designated regions 40 hours after impact and the Centrelink payments can be accessed online via the Services Australia website.
To meet the eligibility criteria to receive the payment, those applying need to be an Australian citizen or NZ special category visa holder, be at least 16-years-old and have been adversely affected by the disaster.
According to the government, those adversely affected are generally people who have been seriously injured, have had an immediate family member perish in the disaster, or have had a major asset significantly damaged.
Those who are the principal carer of a child who has been adversely affected can also claim the payment on their behalf.
Those who have lost income, for example if their shop was flooded, can apply for a Disaster Recovery Allowance that lasts up to 13 weeks, with the amount of the payments assessed on a case by case basis.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday he had greenlit disaster recovery payments for those affected by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred
A fallen gum tree is seen impacting a house at Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast
Cyclone Alfred sat off the Queensland coast for days but has been downgraded to a tropical low system
Similar funding was activated for North Queensland residents affected by flooding in February.
The payments can cover immediate personal costs such as replacing food, medical supplies and clothing, along with essential household items like bed linen and white goods.
Previously on Wednesday disaster recovery funding for 12 south-east Queensland councils was activated as they prepared for the weather system to make landfall.
That money was made available to local governments to assist with preparation and recovery efforts including sandbagging and evacuations, along with emergency repairs to roads and public infrastructure.
Local government areas of Brisbane, Fraser Coast, Gold Coast, Gympie, Ipswich, Logan, Moreton Bay, Noosa, Redland, Scenic Rim, Somerset, and Sunshine Coast can access the funding.
Queensland Minister for Disaster Recovery Ann Leahy said community safety was the top priority.
'We're prepared for Cyclone Alfred and we're asking Queenslanders to do the same,' she said.
'We have resources on the ground, ready to go, as soon as Cyclone Alfred passes. We are working in partnership with councils and this funding will greatly assist them with their preparations for their communities.'
The government provides payments of up to $1,000 for those affected by natural disasters
A yacht, swept away by the waves, rests at Point Danger on the southern end of the Gold Coast
Alfred was downgraded to a tropical low as it approached the coast on Saturday morning, but severe weather warnings remain for most of southeast Queensland and northern NSW.
There are no reports of deaths or homes inundated in Queensland, however a man remains missing in northern NSW after being swept away by floodwaters in Megan, near Coffs Harbour, and thousands are under evacuation orders.
An older apartment building on the Gold Coast lost its roof in the wild weather but there is no longer a risk of storm tide inundation along the coast, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said.
Gold Coast University Hospital lost power and is running on generators, while the premier said authorities are now racing to get electricity back to two water treatment plants before they run out of water.
'The challenge is now flash flooding, creek rises - they remain a real prospect predicted in days ahead,' Mr Crisafulli told reporters.
'We have to be ready for that prospect and with already swollen catchments, the risk of flash flooding remains.'
Gold Coast Council warned residents to stay inside after widespread flooding and significant damage across the city.
Schools and public transport in southeast Queensland remain closed until further notice and the premier promised to reveal when they would open with at least one day's notice.
Some 240,000 homes and businesses lost power in the state's southeast and thousands more have been warned to brace for ongoing outages as the system moves inland.
Wild conditions pummelled coastal communities overnight, with 120 millimetres of rain recorded at the Gold Coast and 130mm at Lismore since 9am on Friday.
Dozens of evacuation alerts have been issued for communities in northern NSW and the Lismore levee is expected to spill later on Saturday.
There were some 8,800 calls for assistance to the SES and more than 16,000 people are under evacuation orders in the Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast areas, the agency said.
The area is prone to devastating flooding and some 31,400 dwellings were under flood warnings as of 5am on Saturday.
Some local governments have also already been provided federal government funding to assist in preparation and recovery efforts including evacuations and repairs to public infrastructure (pictured: volunteers sandbagging properties in Brisbane)
Brisbane cafe owner Quat Vu spent days preparing for Alfred after his Eightysix Cafe was inundated during the 2022 floods, which devastated more than 20,000 homes and caused $2 billion in damage.
Blue translucent tarps lined his cafe's windows, hunkered down with lines of yellow and white sandbags.
'We had (sandbags) to a certain height but then we got the latest news about what the cyclone is doing and how it is going to dump a lot more rain,' he said prior to the low crossing the coast.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a team of 66 disaster response personnel have arrived from New Zealand to assist, as hardship payments for those who are unable to work activate.
Schools, public transport, some shops, major roads and airport are closed, while elective surgeries at some hospitals have been put on hold.
