QUEENSLAND

 

BARCLAY MIS SUPPORT UPDATE

 

Apart from the information below contact your bank to obtain information of their flood relief packages.

 

Please find below information on financial assistance for small business by the Queensland State Government for further details following is the link to the appropriate web site -

http://www.qraa.qld.gov.au/index.php?option=com_qraa&view=detail&id=201&Itemid=89

Special Disaster Flood Assistance

Grants are available from QRAA to assist your small business to pay for costs arising out of direct damage caused by the November and December 2010 flood crisis.

What assistance is available?

Grants of up to $25,000 are available to assist eligible small businesses as follows:

• Initial claim: up to $5,000 to assist you with immediate early recovery (subject to future QRAA audit)

• Subsequent claim: up to $20,000 to recover costs that you have paid in order to repair direct flood damage.

Assistance under this scheme is not intended to compensate for loss of income.

How can the assistance help you?

The assistance enables you to cover the costs associated with cleaning and restoration activities including:

• purchasing, hiring or leasing plant, equipment or materials to clean or resume business activities (including stock replacement)

• clearing or disposing of debris and damaged goods

• repairing buildings or fittings in buildings other than houses

• leasing temporary premises for the purpose of resuming trading

• engaging a person clean or to conduct a safety inspection of premises

• paying additional wages to an employee to assist with the clean-up and restoration work.

Who is eligible to apply?

To apply for assistance for direct damage caused by flooding in November and December 2010, you must be located in one of the following local government areas (current as at 12/01/2011):

• Balonne, Banana, Barcaldine, Brisbane City Council, Bundaberg

• Central Highlands, Cherbourg

• Fraser Coast

• Gladstone Regional Council (Boyne River, Kolan River and Baffle Creek catchments), Goondiwindi Regional Council (west of Leichardt Highway), Gympie

• Ipswich City Council, Isaac (partial declaration defined as west of the Sarina Marlborough Road, south of the Peak Downs Highway and east of the Gregory Developmental Road)

• Lockyer Valley

• Maranoa Regional Council (south of the Condamine-Roma Road and the Dunkeld Rd to the Southern Road and east of the Southern Road to Woodburn Rd, and south of the Diliqui Rd to the Balonne Shire boundary), Moreton Bay

• North Burnett

• Rockhampton

• Scenic Rim, Somerset, South Burnett, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast

• Toowoomba

• Western Downs, Woorabinda

Small businesses in these areas that have suffered direct damage and who have generated more than 50 per cent of their income from their businesses are eligible to apply.

How is a small business defined?

To be eligible for the grant you must:

• own (whether as sole owner, in partnership or as a private company) a small business

• have been engaged in your small business, in the prescribed November and December 2010 flood disaster area and have suffered direct damage as a result of the flood event

• intend to re-establish your small business enterprise

• be responsible for meeting the costs you are claiming.

Please note, further criteria apply. The guidelines for this assistance (including terms and conditions) will be available in the near future.

To apply for the initial claim up to $5,000, what do I need to provide with my application?

In the initial claim, some evidence of damage that has occurred to your enterprise will be required. (e.g. photographs, quotes and/or tax invoices.)

To apply for the subsequent claim up to $20,000, what do I need to provide with my application?

The subsequent claim requires you to have made payments for repairs. QRAA will require:

1. tax invoices showing full details of goods or services supplied (to be identifiable as flood related damage on the invoice), including the initial claim up to $5,000 and
2. an official receipt from the supplier or contractor – if this cannot be obtained, photocopies of cheque butts, bank transfers and bank statements will be required, including the initial claim up to $5,000.

Financial Hardship

If you are unable to pay for clean up and restoration costs you may be eligible to apply for assistance under financial hardship.

To be eligible for financial hardship you must hold a current low income health care card from Centrelink or provide a certificate from a qualified person .

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/payments/disaster_relief.htm

If you have any questions, assistance is available...

Should you have any queries regarding the flood assistance, our Client Liaison Officers are available to assist you or please contact us in Brisbane on Freecall 1800 623 946.

Other assistance available

QRAA also administers low interest loans of up to $250,000 to small businesses under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Assistance scheme.