Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Moore for her question. As a Queenslander I note that she has been truly in the thick of it in Queensland during the January flood events. I note the commitment to supporting the rebuilding and reconstruction in Queensland following such a devastating summer of natural disasters. Since the series of natural disasters that have occurred, the Gillard government has taken decisive action to support Queenslanders through the crisis recovery and the rebuilding phase of these events. To date the government has made over 380,000 payments of the Australian government disaster relief and recovery payment totalling approximately $447 million to support individuals. Further wage assistance in the form of the Disaster Income Recovery Subsidy has been paid to over 51,000 people, with a total payment of approximately $22.7 million to people affected by the floods.

The Commonwealth and state governments have also moved to activate the natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements to provide targeted support for those in need. Yesterday I announced with Premier Bligh an extension of category D concessional loans to cover a defined portion of 39 local government areas. Eligible businesses, primary producers and voluntary not-for-profit organisations that have incurred extreme damage will be able to access up to $650,000 as a concessional loan with up to $50,000 provided as a grant component. When I went to Dalby and Emerald and Tully the community told me that the $250,000 concessional loans did not provide enough support for people who had suffered extreme damage. These new concessional loans reflect the feedback and the community views that I heard during these visits. (Time expired)