FULL LIST: All NQ flood recovery grants
Still trying to figure out what flood recovery grants you’re eligible for? See the FULL LIST of state and federal disaster schemes and where to apply.
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Trying to figure out what disaster recovery grants you’re eligible for?
We’ve pulled all the Queensland and Australian Government grants, loans and disaster assistance schemes into one place.
To receive government hardship funding you need the details of an Australian bank account in YOUR name, a valid email address, two forms of identification such as a drivers licence and Medicare card, and you may also need proof of address via a rates notice or power bill and potentially need photographic evidence of damage.
Not in a declare disaster area but still impacted by the 2025 floods? You may still be able to claim, you just need to call the government directly.
Grants for personal hardship
Emergency Hardship Assistance: $180 per person
Where to apply: Queensland Government website at communityrecovery.qld.gov.au or call 1800 173 349
Grant amount: $180 per person, up to $900 for families of five or more.
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The Emergency Hardship Assistance grant is to help with the essential and immediate needs of food, clothing, shelter and medication.
Eligible: You are eligible if you live in or are stranded in a flood-affected area, AND have experienced personal hardship AND can’t meet you immediate essential needs for food, clothing, medication or accommodation.
Not eligible: You cannot apply for this grant if you were isolated within your own property (unless this caused hardship), cannot apply for this grant for business loss or loss of income, cannot apply for farm or property damage that isn’t the main house, cannot apply to replace lost tools of trade, and cannot apply to cover the loss of electricity or essential services to your home.
You do not need to be an Australian citizen to apply.
Transport and motoring assistance: Free replacements
If you live in a declared disaster area and your vehicle is garaged in that area, you are eligible for several concessions.
- Free replacement of drivers licence if lost or damaged
- Free replacement of number plate if lost or damaged
- Free replacement of learner logbook
- Free replacement of industry licence, accreditation document or book
- Free replacement of National Driver Work Diary
- Free copies of lost or damaged infringement notices
- Anyone with a disability parking permit will receive a three month extension
- Operators of Certificate of Inspection vehicles can apply for two months extensions
- Seasonally registered heavy vehicles (typically harvest and farm trucks) can be left ‘dormant’ for up to two years
- All surcharges and late fees will be waived automatically
- You can pay for three months rego without being hit with a surcharge
Essential Services Hardship Assistance Grant: $150 per person
Where to apply:Queensland Government website at communityrecovery.qld.gov.au or call 1800 173 349
Grant amount: $150 per person, up to $750 for a family of five or more
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The Essential Services Hardship Assistance Grant is for people who lost one or more essential services (electricity, gas, water, sewerage) at their home for more than five consecutive days due to the disaster.
Eligible: You are eligible if you main house (this includes boats and caravans if one is your principal place of residence) was in the disaster area, AND you were living there when the disaster happened AND your home lost one or more essential services for five or more days AND the utility provider has confirmed you lost the service AND you are suffering personal hardship because of this.
Not eligible: You cannot apply for this grant if you home lost a service but it was for less than five days, cannot apply if you stayed in your property (unless this action caused hardship), cannot apply to cover loss to a business or loss to income, cannot apply for farm damage or property damage that is not the main house, or to replace lost tools of trade.
Essential Household Contents Grant: $1765 per person
Where to apply:Queensland Government website at communityrecovery.qld.gov.au or call 1800 173 349
Grant amount: $1765 per person, up to $5300 for couples and families
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The Essential Household Contents Grant is to replace lost essential household contents, such as bed linen, white goods and more.
Eligible: You are eligible if you live in the affected area AND owned the items that were lost AND own or rent the affected residence AND are uninsured or unable to claim on your insurance AND meet the income limits.
Income limits means you must make less than the following per week (before tax) to be eligible:
- $1,179 for individual
- $1,639 for a couple
- $1,632 for single parent
- $2,021 for couple with child/ren
For each additional child, add $391 per week.. For each dependent adult, add $451 per week.
Essential Services Safety and Reconnection: $4,400
Where to apply:Queensland Government website at communityrecovery.qld.gov.au or call 1800 173 349
Grant amount: $4,200 for repairs or replacement, $200 for safety inspection
The Essential Services Safety and Reconnection grant is to help with safety inspections and repairs to reconnect essential services (gas, water, power, sewage).
Eligible: You are eligible if you live in the affected area AND had your essential services disconnected AND own and live in the affected house AND are uninsured or unable to claim insurance AND meet the income limits (see above).
Not eligible: You cannot apply for this grant to repair investment properties, such as holiday homes, assets such as caravans, sheds and boats that are not at your main home, to repair damage that existed before the disaster, or to cover the cost of property maintenance work.
Structural Assistance Grant: $80,000
Where to apply:Queensland Government website at communityrecovery.qld.gov.au or call 1800 173 349
Grant amount: Maximum of $80,000 to make a home safe, secure and habitable
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The Structural Assistance Grant is to help uninsured, low income homeowners repair their homes to a safe, secure and habitable standard.
Eligible: You are eligible if your home is in a recognised disaster area AND you were living in the dwelling (this includes boats and caravans) when the disaster happened AND you home sustained structure damage during the disaster AND you own or have a mortgage on the dwelling AND you do not have an insurance policy that covers the expenses AND you meet the income limits (see above).
Not eligible: You cannot apply for damage to an investment property, a property that is not your main home, for damage to a caravan, shed or boat, you cannot use this grant to fix pre-existing damage, to fix retaining walls (unless they are part of the house’s structure), driveways, drainage systems (unless they are part of the house’s structure) pools, pool fencing, pool pumps and fencing.
Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment: $1000 per adult, $400 per child
Where to apply: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/north-queensland-floods-january-february-2025
Grant amount: $1000 per adult and $400 for each child younger than 16.
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This recovery payment is to help with the immediate costs if a disaster caused major damage to your home or assets, if you were seriously injured, or if you’re the immediate family member of someone who died or is missing from a disaster event.
Eligible: You are eligible if you were in a declared disaster area AND your home took on major damage (declared structurally unsound, had sewage inside it, flooring or furniture needs to be replaced, metal has begun to rust, ect) AND this damage has a combined market value of $20,000 or more.
This $20,000 damage to assets can include buildings, vehicles, caravans, water tanks, and machinery damage.
Disaster Recovery Allowance: Equal to 13 weeks of your income
Where to apply: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/north-queensland-floods-january-february-2025
Grant amount: The equivalent of 13 weeks of your income
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This allowance is available to those who lost income as a direct result of the NQ floods. You MUST make less than $1,924 per week and MUST live in the following LGAs: Burdekin, Cairns, Carpentaria, Cassowary Coast, Charters Towers, Croydon, Douglas, Etheridge, Flinders, Hinchinbrook, Palm Island, Tablelands, Townsville, Whitsundays, Wujal Wujal, Yarrabah.
Grants for farms, businesses, not-for-profits
Disaster Assistance Loans: 2.14 per cent interest loans
Where to apply: qrida.qld.gov.au/program/disaster-assistance-loans
Grant amount: $250,000
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For primary producers/farmers/businesses: Can apply for a loan of up to $250,000 for up to 10 years at a 2.14 per cent interest rate.
For not-profit organisations: Can apply for a loan of up to $100,000 for up to 10 years at a 2.14 per cent interest.
This assistance is to help ‘re-establish normal operations’ by covering the costs for repairing or replacing damaged equipment, farm buildings, purchasing livestock to replace herd loss, meeting carry-on requirements like rent, rates, restoration, sustenance
Essential Working Capital Loans: 2.14 per cent interest loans
Where to apply: qrida.qld.gov.au/program/disaster-assistance-essential-working-capital-loan
Grant amount: $100,000
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For primary producers/farmers/businesses/not-for-profits: Can apply for a loan of up to $100,000 for up to 10 years at 2.14 per cent interest.
This assistance is to help cover expenses such as paying salaries and wages, paying creditors, paying rent and rates, buying goods essential to running the business
Emergency Fodder Support Package
Where to apply: Department of Primary industries on 13 25 23
Grant amount: Unknown
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The Emergency Fodder Support Package is to help with the purchase and transport of fodder to sustain livestock and mitigate the impacts of flooding.
Available to: Burdekin, Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Charters Towers, Flinders, Hinchinbrooks, Palm Island, Townsville, Yarrabah
Exceptional Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants: $25,000
Where to apply: qrida.qld.gov.au/program/exceptional-disaster-assistance-recovery-grants-north-and-far-north-tropical-low
Grant amount: $25,000
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These grants are available for flood-affected primary producers, small businesses and not-for-profit agencies impacted by the NQ floods to help hire or purchase equipment and materials, clean up, remove debris, replace fencing and other costs associated with recovery..
Eligible: To be eligible you must be a primary producer, business owner, or not-for-profit located in the declared disaster area and demonstrate you have suffered direct impacts via photographs, quotes, tax invoices or official receipts.
The declared disaster areas for these exception grants are the LGAs of Burdekin, Cairns, Cassowary, Hinchinbrook, Palm Island, Townsville and Yarrabah.
Sports and Recreation Disaster Recovery Program: $5000
Where to apply: qld.gov.au/recreation/sports/funding/disaster-recovery
Grant amount: $5000
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Eligible: This grant is available for eligible sport and active recreation organisations located in areas declared in the disaster zone.
QLD sports minister Tim Mander said any legitimate sports club won’t have trouble getting approved for the grant.
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