Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am going to continue talking about the floods that have hit my area and put on record in this place in essence what I have said in my local newspaper. There is often confusion about the way the flood assistance works, and people rightly are concerned; they just want to know that everything works.

I have been pushing hard, building the strongest possible case—with the Treasurer, the Attorney-General and the Prime Minister's office—to activate the Australian government disaster recovery assistance payment, AGDRP, for the Clarence Valley local government area. This is the one that is referred to as 'cash assistance'. However, there is assistance aimed at alleviating personal hardship or distress which is available already under the joint Commonwealth-state natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements that were announced by Prime Minister Gillard and New South Wales Premier O'Farrell last week when he was in the Clarence Valley.

The flood recovery centre in Prince Street, Grafton, is dealing with category A assistance, which can include emergency food, clothing, temporary accommodation, repair or replacement of furniture and personal effects, essential repairs to housing, removal of rubbish and things that have accumulated post flood—and this one was fast and furious and really dirty—and personal and financial counselling. Category B assistance is also in force under the NDRRA, and this allows our councils to apply for funding to restore or replace essential public assets and for primary producers to apply for concessional loans—and also small business.

I have stayed in contact with state MPs Don Page, Thomas George and Chris Gulaptis—the members for Ballina, Lismore and Clarence—particularly in relation to activating category C assistance for the entire region, which we all want and which would provide recovery grants for primary producers to help cover the cost of clean-up and reinstatement. This is the way it works: the state puts it forward to the Commonwealth; Premier O'Farrell makes a formal request in writing to Prime Minister Gillard. That has happened already in Queensland. I know that the region's cane, macadamia and small crop farmers see category C as crucial to recovery in the agricultural sector.

Last Friday I witnessed firsthand with Governor-General Her Excellency Quentin Bryce, Clarence Valley Mayor, Councillor Richie Williamson, Councillor Jeremy Challacombe and state member for Clarence, Chris Gulaptis the terrible damage and loss to families in the Copmanhurst area alone and heard about many others in the Clarence Valley. Many constituents have contacted me directly or through my office from Lower Kangaroo Creek, South Grafton, Coaldale, Southgate, Brushgrove, Woodford Island, Harwood, Palmers Island and Chatsworth Island. Once again, we have had a summer of bushfires, floods and storms. I commend the State Emergency Service, Rural Fire Service volunteers, council workers, local media and all of the good neighbours in the community who do such great work to keep people safe and get on with the big clean-up.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.

Sitting suspended from 10:01 to 11:31