Insights

Flood Business Support – Special Disaster Grant (Primary Producers)

Written by BLG Business Advisers | 26/07/22 12:41 AM

Contents

Grant Assistance Available

Eligible primary producers can receive a maximum grant of up to $75,000, including an up-front payment of $25,000. The maximum grant amount is per affected property (subject to terms and conditions).

To apply, you must meet the eligibility criteria (outlined below), and be within an eligible local government area. A full list of the local government areas with the relevant application close dates can be found in Attachment A in the Guidelines.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, you must:

  1. be a primary producer
  2. draw at least 50% of your gross income from your primary production enterprise
  3. contribute a part of your labour to the primary production enterprise
  4. hold an active Australian Business Number (ABN) and have held that ABN at the time of this event
  5. have a primary production enterprise located in the defined area that has suffered direct damage as a result of this event
  6. have been engaged in carrying on the primary production enterprise when affected by this event
  7. lodge an application by the closing date shown on the RAA website
  8. intend to re-establish or continue the primary production enterprise.


Special eligibility criteria and clauses exist relating to new entrants, seasonal conditions, separate businesses and value-adding, that may impact your eligibility. See full Terms and Conditions to ensure you are assessing your eligibility correctly.

An up-front grant, if included in the declaration, will be provided to eligible, approved applicants, without the need to provide invoices at the point of application. This grant will be provided on the basis of quotes or estimates and can be used for small, immediate expenses to support animal welfare, business clean up and reinstatement.


What can your Grant be used for?

You can use your grant for the following items associated with the event:

  • help pay for the costs of clean up, reinstatement activities and emergency measures associated with the immediate recovery of your primary production enterprise
  • hire or lease equipment or materials to clean premises, property or equipment
  • remove and dispose of debris, damaged goods or materials including injured or dead livestock
  • repair or replace fencing and/or other essential property infrastructure
  • purchase and transport fodder or feed for livestock
  • replace livestock
  • replace lost or damaged plants, salvage crops, repair or restore fields
  • repair, recondition or replace essential plant or equipment (physical assets) to return infrastructure to its previous standard, or to a standard that improves future resilience
  • maintain the health of livestock
  • pay wages or labour costs of contractors, casuals or temporary staff who are engaged for clean-up and reinstatement activities
  • pay the costs of additional hours (overtime or extra hours/days) worked by permanent employees to assist with clean-up and reinstatement activities
  • repair buildings (except dwellings, unless they are used for staff accommodation)

Application Process

To apply for the Special Disaster Grant, you will need to complete an online application and submit any claims by the closing date.

Apply online via the RAA website, by selecting ‘Apply Online’.

The following documents may need to be provided to the RAA as part of the application process:

  • personal tax returns of business owners
  • latest financials and income tax returns for the business
  • LLS rates notice (for each property being claimed, if multiple)
  • Quotes, estimates, photos, tax invoices (if you have them)

Note, if you have provided these documents in the past 12 months for a previously approved assistance from the RAA, you may not need to provide them again.

If you are unsure whether your personal circumstances are eligible for this grant, the RAA are available to assist with determining your eligibility and can be contacted via phone or email to discuss further:

Phone: 1800 678 593
Email: rural.assist@raa.nsw.gov.au

The above information is per the guidelines on RAA’s website as at 25 July 2022. We will endeavor to update as more information becomes available.

For assistance with the above details or other circumstances, our team is available so please talk with us today.
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