Townsville Enterprise works to activate NQ as $29 million disaster recovery fund for businesses finalised

Business owners will soon be able to access the $29 million fund for flood disaster recovery but the grant amounts and when they will be available are still uncertain.

Lannercost St, Ingham's main street. Floodwaters have inundated businesses in the Ingham Central Business District. The United Petrol Station on Herbert Street, the Bruce Highway, on Sunday morning. A major flood alert has been issued, with homes throughout the Hinchinbrook Shire inundated. Picture: Cameron Bates

Townsville businesses and tourism operators will soon be able to claim their cut of a $26 million funding package aimed at helping them fully recover from the North Queensland floods.

Senator Nita Green said this funding isn’t only available to small businesses directly damaged by the floods but also those who were cut off from customers during the devastating weather event.

“We’ve got this issue about businesses that are essentially cut off but not impacted by the floods directly, and that’s what this funding is all about, those businesses that weren’t able to operate because of the floods and lose income, but kept their workers on,” she said.

“(The funding) will be administered by the Queensland Government, the QRA (Queensland Reconstruction Authority) and they are working on the guidelines right now and we expect it to be open very soon.”

This chunk of funding is part of the $269 million that has been allocated to different areas of disaster recovery in North Queensland.

CEO of Townsville Enterprise Claudia Brumme-Smith and Senator Nita Green announce grants for local businesses and tourism operators after the North Queensland floods

The CEO of Townsville Enterprise, Claudia Brumme-Smith said the timeline until the grants are available and the specific amount businesses will receive are still unclear but are expected to be announced in the next couple of weeks.

“We’re still working on all the details in terms of the dollar values for Townsville and North Queensland but we know the commitment to small business grants, but also to promotion campaigns, airline campaigns, activations that will come our way is really what’s needed.”

Ms Brumme-Smith said there had been a 40 per cent drop in business for tourism operators in March compared to the same period last year with the hardest hit areas being Hidden Valley and Magnetic Island.

“We’re seeing the island being heavily impacted by southerners not coming up at this time of the year, we’re also seeing our Easter bookings being much slower than we’ve expected.”

Ms Green said businesses should start collecting all of their information so ensure they are prepared for when the grants become available.

Originally published as Townsville Enterprise works to activate NQ as $29 million disaster recovery fund for businesses finalised