West to receive equal aid funds for flood relief

Flood victims in Western Australia's Gascoyne region are now likely to receive as much l help as those crippled by the Queensland floods.

Flood victims in Western Australia's Gascoyne region are now likely to receive as much l help as those crippled by the Queensland floods.

Locals confronted Julia Gillard as she toured Carnarvon on Friday, asking why they were eligible for clean-up and recovery grants of up to $15,000, while Queenslanders would receive up to $25,000. The Prime Minister replied that she had provided what had been requested by the WA government.

Acting Premier Kim Hames said yesterday the government had asked for the maximum $15,000 allowed under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery guidelines, without knowing Queensland would receive more.

He has now written to Ms Gillard and said he was "fairly certain" the imbalance would be redressed.

Flood-affected Queenslanders will also benefit from thousands of donations to a $30 million disaster-relief fund.

The fund's value was boosted significantly on Sunday night when a Nine Network telethon raised more than $10m. NSW and Victoria have both pledged $1m, and Coles announced yesterday that it would contribute $1m.