Hardship and recovery payments have been made available to more communities affected by the wet season flood disaster across the Top End.
Eligible residents in the Litchfield and Coomalie local government areas will be able to apply for help with the aftermath of Monday’s “unprecedented” flash-flooding around the Darwin River Dam.
People in the Aboriginal communities of Beswick/Wulugarr, Jilkminggan, Daly River/ Naiuyu and Palumpa will now also have access to the same supports announced earlier for people in nearby Katherine.
See below for everything we know so far.
One important note — “appropriate evidence” is needed for the larger payments, so don’t forget to take photos or footage of any damage if you can.
What is available?
The same disaster assistance payments announced for Katherine residents in recent days are being expanded to include other locations.
Eligible residents will be able to access:
Immediate relief payments of up to $611 per adult and $309 per child, capped at $1,537 per family, to help with “personal hardship” as a result of the flooding.Temporary accommodation assistance of up to $1,160 per family.Re-establishment assistance of up to $8,843 per household to spend on the replacement of essential items like whitegoods, furniture, bedding and basic household goods.
The temporary accommodation and re-establishment payments are means-tested and there are limits on claims for the re-establishment help.
The payments are jointly funded by the Northern Territory and federal governments.
Who is eligible?
Let’s start with the immediate relief payments.
“All residents” in Katherine, Beswick/Wugularr and Jilkminggan affected by floods are eligible for immediate relief payments, according to Secure NT.
That includes people who live in the area for work, even if they live permanently elsewhere.
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, the NT government also said residents of Palumpa and Daly River/Naiuyu, which were both fully evacuated to Darwin on the weekend, were now eligible for payments.Â
For Litchfield and Coomalie LGA residents “directly affected by floods”, the eligibility criteria for immediate assistance payments is yet to be updated on the Secure NT website.
The temporary accommodation assistance payments are means-tested.
The following income thresholds apply:
Personal hardship and distress means testGross income thresholdSingle adult – no children$65,189Single adult – with children$84,1892 Adults – no children (joint income)$103,1892 Adults – with children (joint income)$122,190
The eligibility criteria for re-establishment assistance is not clear.
In both regions, Secure NT says “eligibility assessment and payment options will be finalised once damage assessments can be completed”.
How do I access the payments?
This varies by location but mostly has to be done in person, for now.
No information is available for Litchfield and Coomalie shires, Wulugarr/Beswick, Palumpa or Daly River/Naiuyu residents on the Secure NT website yet.
However, the government statement said for Litchfield and Coomalie LGA residents, recovery payments would be confirmed once household impact surveys were undertaken.
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For Jilkminggan residents, payments will be made at the evacuation centre in Mataranka, and will start to be issued from March 17.
As for Katherine, the government is trying to prioritise the worst-affected households first.
There have been long queues for help in the last two days, with some residents telling the ABC they have been turned away after spending hours waiting.
Most of the payments are only available in person at the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre on the Stuart Highway.
A flood-related sewage problem prevented the centre opening on Thursday morning but it was open in the afternoon.
Floodwaters almost up to the roof of a car in Beswick. (Supplied)
The top priority is anyone whose home has been inundated or who is staying at an evacuation centre.
Payments for all other residents will commence from Friday morning, according to the Secure NT website.
The centre will be open between 9am and 5pm on weekdays and the same hours this weekend.
An online form is being created for temporary accommodation assistance claims.
For residents of both Palumpa and Daly River/Naiuyu, the government says 25 per cent of their relief payment amounts will be paid in Darwin, with the other 75 per cent to be issued when they return home.
Palumpa residents will receive their payments from March 19 and people from Daly River/Naiuyu are set to receive theirs from March 20.
A home inundated by flooding at Darwin River. (Supplied: Matthew South) (Supplied: Matthew South)
What documents do I need to make a claim?
To access the immediate assistance payments you’re asked to bring the following items when making your application:
photo ID (such as driver’s licence)proof of residence (recent rental agreement, rates notice, utilities bill, letter from employer)proof of family status (such as Medicare card or Centrelink statements)
Don’t worry if you don’t have those documents or lost them in the floods — Centrelink staff will be on site to help.
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To access the temporary accommodation assistance bring:
a tax receipt for out-of-pocket accommodation expenses in the name of the applicant (including ABN and GST details)photo ID (such as a driver’s licence)proof of residence (recent rental agreement, rates notice, utilities bill, letter from employer)proof of annual income (payslips, tax statements or Centrelink statements)
Re-establishment assistance will be available once damage assessments are done and eligibility criteria is finalised.
“Appropriate evidence” will be needed when it’s time to make a claim.
Secure NT states: “To ensure you have the appropriate evidence to support damage and eligibility assessments, you must document (photos and footage) any inundation (flooding) of your home.
“Do not dispose of damaged items without recording evidence of the damage.”