Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) extended to all Townsville suburbs

After a month of pressure, the federal government has finally made everyone in Townsville eligible for the $1000 per person disaster payment, replacing the suburb-only approval process.

Federal Member for Townsville Phillip Thompson with Merissa Tones.

After a month of pressure, the federal government has finally made everyone in Townsville eligible for the $1000 per person disaster payment, replacing the suburb-only approval process.

On Wednesday, March 19, the Federal Government announced it was extending the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) to the entirety of the Townsville and Cassowary Coasts local government areas.

The Townsville Bulletin and Herbert MP Phillip Thompson have been pushing for the government to give blanket approval to all suburbs.

Mr Thompson called the announcement a “win for Townsville”, saying it was a hard fought victory after he recently escalated his call to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Back in February, at the height of the flood disaster Mr Thompson received a call to help Pimlico resident Merissa Tones, who lives with cerebral palsy and is bound to a wheelchair.

Water had begun to rise in her unit and she was unable to get out. The majority of her personal items and furniture were wrecked or water damaged and had to be thrown out.

Dawn Kapernick with wrecked items from Merissa's house in Pimlico. Picture: Nikita McGuire

The Townsville Bulletin shared Ms Tones story and how Dawn Kapernick had been trying to help find somewhere for her to live, after the Department of Housing said her unit, which was covered in mould and water damage, was “liveable”.

“Thanks to some veteran mates, we got her out and into a hotel. But it’s a disgrace she wasn’t covered for disaster relief until now,” Mr Thompson said.

“She had mould ruining everything — clothes, furniture — and no help from Canberra. Meanwhile, down south, they rolled out full funding before the rain even stopped.”

Ms Tones now has a new place to live that is mould-free and safe and will now receive support to replace items lost.

“It’s really good because people can have their things replaced, their precious things. People have been through enough and it took too long to get this money,” she said.

Mr Thompson expressed his gratitude to Townsville residents who reached out to him.

“Your continued support on this issue meant we could keep beating the drum until it turned into a roar....,” he said.

Flash flooding in Townsville after heavy overnight rain. Traffic in Kings Road near Castletown. Picture: Evan Morgan

Critics of the government’s performance have pointed to the rapid response to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred’s impacts in the state’s south-east, saying that the more populous cities of Brisbane and the Gold Coast were given preferential treatment, or prioritised first.

It’s a charge that federal treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers denied while speaking with journalists prior to his pre-budget speech this week.

“There’s a whole range of different ways that the commonwealth and states work together to rebuild communities,” Dr Chalmers said.

“We’ve had to provision for a number of natural disasters including what we saw in North Queensland and Far North Queensland not that long ago - there’s about $13.5bn provisioned for in the budget for these purposes.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos MARCH 18, 2025: The Australian Federal Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers MP during his pre-budget address in Brisbane. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

“We’ve provided - and we are providing very substantial assistance and funding to North Queensland and Far North Queensland. We understand there’s very serious damage that’s been done up north and we consider questions around eligibility, support and recovery funding for rebuilding communities to be the same whether it’s happening in Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane, the Gold Coast or even the Northern Rivers region in NSW.”

Mr Thompson previously said he’d been inundated with calls from consitutents in his electorate - which covers most of Townsville - telling him that they’d been knocked back from receiving assistance.

The AGDRP is a lump-sum payment given to those who have suffered serious impacts, including: major damage to their home, if you were seriously injured by the disaster, or lost a loved one during the floods.

The lump sum payment is $1000 per adult and $400 per child.

Claims for the AGDRP opened at 2pm local time, on Wednesday, March 19.

The easiest way to claim is online through myGov or via the myGov app. If people need help to claim, they can call the Australian Government Emergency Information Line on 180 22 66.
For more information about the Allowance and AGDRP, people can find out more and check their eligibility on the Services Australia website at: servicesaustralia.gov.au/disastersupport.

Originally published as Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) extended to all Townsville suburbs