Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. As at 11.30 am this morning Services Australia has now granted over 4,300 claims. That's 1,800 claims being paid in the first 3½ hours of this morning. It equates to $5.7 million going straight to families and communities. The House should be aware that there are over 1,000 Services Australia staff from all over the country, as an all of nation effect, operating until 8 pm tonight. Then from 8 am to 8 pm seven days a weeks until such time as the disaster has passed us. The majority of claims are being finalised over the phone. With the government's new payment platform money is paid into the family's bank account within an hour. I encourage all Australians who find themselves impacted to call the emergency number at 1802266.

To give the House an idea of the sheer extent of where claims are coming from, as at last night there were: 469 claims from the Central Coast Council area, 425 claims from the MidCoast Council area, 321 claims from the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area, 179 claims from Kempsey, 145 claims from Coffs Harbour, 136 claims from Cessnock. This is across Dobell, Robertson, Lyne, Cowper, Hunter and Shortland and the numbers continue. Australians are calling and meeting eligibility because they're seriously injured; because they have got significant damage to their home, making it uninhabitable, destroyed, structurally unsound or there's major flooding inside making it unliveable; or because they've got significant damage to major assets.

Australians are doing it tough right across the country at present but especially in New South Wales. I would encourage all Australians impacted to call 1802266 for the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment, $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per child. For a family of five, that's two partners and three kids, that is $3,200. If an individual's work is impacted please call to access the Disaster Recovery Allowance, which is a 13-week income support payment.

Australians should also be aware that all debts for the affected LGAs for any citizen that may have a debt have been suspended. They don't need to do anything. No Australian in those areas needs to do anything. You can call Services Australia for advice but those debt pauses have occurred automatically to ensure Australians won't be overly burdened during a difficult period.

See this speech in context