NSW & QLD Flooding Assistance

NSW & QLD Flooding Assistance – Government & Bank support and assistance packages that may help your business get back on its feet. 

With the recent flooding hitting the East Coast, we hope to provide some advice and support where possible to help affected businesses from the February – March 2022 floods. There are numerous government support grants & loans that may help your business get back on its feet.

While some businesses were eligible to make an insurance claim for damages, many did not had that opportunity or found themselves not covered for damages.  In addition to the Government Support Packages, Australian banks are offering some relief in the form of loan repayment deferrals (up to three months) for home, personal and some business loans. Some banks are also offering the waiving of fees for accessing term deposits early, credit card payment deferrals, temporary overdrafts and emergency credit limit increases, plus much more. Below is a list of the available support options that may be relevant to your business.

Queensland

Listed below are Government Support schemes that may assist in the recovery of your business and home. The jointly funded Commonwealth/State Emergency Hardship Assistance Grant is available for anyone who lives in the eligible areas and needs to pay for food, clothing, medical supplies or temporary accommodation. Some of these grants close as early as the 28th of March so we recommend applying as soon as you can.

Businesses: This support is administered by the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) however is available to small businesses in many government locations.

• Extraordinary Disaster Assistance Recovery Grant – Grants of up to $50,000 are available for affected small businesses following the South East Queensland Rainfall and Flooding to hire or purchase equipment and materials, clean up, remove debris, replace or repair damaged infrastructure and stock and other costs associated with the recovery process. Businesses should take photographs of the direct damage to accompany their application.
• Disaster Assistance (Essential Working Capital) Loan – Available to assist primary producers, small businesses and non-profit organisations with essential working capital for expenses. Maximum of $100,000 loan up to 10 years with two years interest only may be available. Concessional loans are provided to assist you with essential working capital for paying expenses such as:
  • salaries or wages
  • creditors
  • rent or rates
  • buying goods, including for example, fuel essential to carry-on the small business.
• Disaster Assistance Loans – Available to assist primary producers, small businesses and non-profit organisations with re-establishing normal operations. Maximum of $250,000 loan up to 10 years with two years interest only may be available. Concessional loans are provided to assist you to re-establish the normal operations of your small business by covering costs such as:
  • repairing or replacing damaged plant and equipment
  • repairing or replacing buildings
  • supplying stock for up to one month to replace lost stock and maintain liquidity of the business
  • meeting carry-on requirements including: sustenance & paying rent and rates.

Homes: For grants related to home repairs, below are a few that may assist.

• Essential services hardship assistance grant – $150 per person, up to $750 for a family of 5 or more. This grant is not income or asset tested.
• Essential household contents grant – Grants of up to $1,765 for single adults and up to $5,300 for couples or families.
• Structural assistance grant – Grant of up to $10,995 for single adults and up to $14,685 for couples or families, to help you repair your home.
• Essential services safety and reconnection grant – There are 2 parts to the grant:
  • Inspection: up to $200 towards a safety inspection for each essential service needing reconnection (electricity, gas, water, and sewerage or septic system)
  • Repair: up to $4200 towards repair work needed to reconnect these essential services (for example, electrical rewiring).

New South Wales

• NSW Storm and Flood Disaster Recovery Small Business Grant – Funding of up to $50,000 for NSW small businesses, sole traders and not-for-profit organisations impacted by storms and floods in February and March 2022. Funding may be used to contribute to the costs of clean-up and reinstatement activities, including:
  • payment for tradespeople to conduct safety inspections
  • equipment and materials required for cleaning up
  • equipment and materials essential for immediately resuming operations
  • payment for a cleaner if the service would not have been needed, or exceeds ordinary cleaning costs, in the absence of the disaster
  • the removal and disposal of debris, damaged materials or damaged stock
  • repairing premises and internal fittings
  • leasing temporary premises, replacing or repair of motor vehicles, or replacing lost or damaged stock if it’s essential for resuming operations.
• NSW Special Disaster Grants – Severe Weather and Flooding February 2022 Onwards – Funding of up to $75,000 for NSW primary producers affected by severe weather and flooding. Funding may be used to contribute to the costs of clean-up, reinstatement activities and emergency measures, including:
  • hiring or leasing equipment or materials to clean premises, property or equipment
  • removing and disposing of debris, damaged goods, materials including injured or dead livestock
  • repairing or replacing fencing and/or other essential property infrastructure
  • purchasing and transporting fodder or feed for livestock
  • replacing livestock
  • replace lost or damaged plants, salvage crops, repair or restore fields
  • replacing, reconditioning or replacing essential plant or equipment
  • maintaining the health of livestock
  • paying additional wages to an employee to assist with clean-up work (above and beyond normal wage expenditure, i.e. day-to-day staffing)
  • repairing buildings (except dwellings, unless they are used for staff accommodation).

Note: If you were affected by the storms and floods in November and December 2021, you may be eligible for the separate storm and flood disaster recovery small business grant (November and December 2021).

Banks

• ANZ
  • Short-term payment relief on home loans, credit cards, personal loans and some business loans (we may still charge interest during this period)
  • Waiving fees for restructuring business loans
  • Waiving fees for accessing term deposits early
• BOQ
  • 90 day deferral of loan repayments (i.e. Home Loans, Business Loans, Personal Loans, Asset Finance) which may be capitalised to the loan over the remaining term;
  • Waiver of fees associated with transactions relating to the financial difficulty assistance;
  • Early release of funds held in customer Term Deposits (including waiver of fee);
  • Temporary overdrafts for transactional accounts.
• Commonwealth Bank
  • Customised payment arrangements for your home loan, credit card, personal loan and some business loans.
  • Waiving fees and charges
  • Temporary overdrafts, additional loans or emergency credit limit increases (subject to credit approval)
  • Waiving fees and notice periods for early access to Term Deposits
  • For CommInsure customers, we are able to assist with emergency accommodation if your home has been damaged
  • Loan restructuring for business customers and existing loans
• NAB
  • Credit card and personal loan relief
  • Waiving the establishment fee for restructuring business facilities
  • ​​​​​​​Concessional loans to customers seeking support to restructure existing facilities to assist in repairs, restocking and re-opening for business
  • Reducing and moratorium on home and personal loan repayments
  • NAB Assist tele-consults for customers
  • Wellbeing support for colleagues and customers
• Westpac
  • Affected customers with home loans may apply to defer repayments for up to three months.
  • Credit card customers may apply to defer repayments to their card for up to 90 days.
  • Customers wishing to purchase replacement goods may apply for a personal loan at a discounted interest rate with no establishment fee.
  • Waived interest rate adjustments for affected customers wishing to withdraw term deposits.
  • Those experiencing hardship may also be offered a halt on all interest accrual on unsecured credit products for a period of up to three months.
  • Business loan customers may apply to defer repayments for up to three months.
  • Affected businesses with existing loans can request loan restructuring without incurring the usual bank establishment fees.
  • Affected business customers with merchant facilities are eligible to receive assistance, including monthly terminal access fee waivers for up to three months.

Finlease clients can call their brokers to talk through any queries they may have here.

Disclaimer
The above information is provided at a conceptual level and may not be applicable in every case. Please check eligibility prior to any submissions, to find out if you may be eligible, or to discover how your financial institution could assist you in this difficult time, consider visiting their website for more information or reaching out directly.