Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Minister for Government Services. Would the minister please update the House on how the Morrison government is ensuring critical assistance and supports are reaching flood affected Australians. Minister, how can Australians access this support now?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Moncrieff for her question and acknowledge the work she's doing with the industry minister as our city and the Gold Coast are inundated and rivers and creeks are flooding. I thank her for her continual effort in serving the city. It's a wet east coast of Australia!

In response to the unprecedented rain events, Services Australia is now coordinating an all-of-nation response across our agency. As the Prime Minister said, we started the day with over a thousand Services Australia staff operating phones and processing claims. We're now in the process of surging that to 2½ thousand staff to ensure all Australians are getting the services they need. To give the House the up-to-the-minute number of claims processed, the CEO has just informed me that we've now gone past 13,000 claims having been processed and $17 million in payments across the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment to needy Australians—$1,000 per adult and $400 per child.

To ensure this rate of effort is maintained for as long as we need, Services Australia are now training public servants from the Australian Taxation Office, the Department of Social Services and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to also join in the national undertaking. I thank the respective ministers for releasing some of their staff to us. I encourage any Australian impacted to call the Australian government emergency information line on 1802266 to claim either the Disaster Recovery Allowance or the Disaster Recovery Payment.

To give the House an idea of the volume of calls coming through, as of a minute or two ago, from the start of the day over 8½ thousand Australians have now called and claimed. The average speed of answer, so the average wait an Australian is waiting, is 4½ minutes. So I all Australians, if they're in need and looking for that support, to get on the phone lines. They'll be open until 8 pm tonight. Those lines will not close until every single Australian who has called that number has been answered.

Services Australia will also be at three evacuations centres today: at the Port Macquarie Golf Club, the Laurieton United Services Club and the Bonny Hills Conference Centre. We were at four evacuations centres yesterday. We'll continue to be in each and every evacuation centre and recovery centre, if the states put them together, where invited and where needed.

At the same time, Australians are reminded that debt has been paused for all affected Australians until September, as have mutual obligations for the time being. For those Australians in the NDIS, be advised that the agency and local area coordinators will be reaching out proactively as we speak to engage with each and every one of you to check and ensure your welfare.

I encourage all Australians wherever you are in flood affected areas, if you are impacted and eligible, please call that emergency line: 1802266.