Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Moore for her question. I know that she remains keenly interested in the recovery and rebuilding of Queensland since the floods and cyclone. From the outset, the Gillard government has supported and will continue to support Queenslanders as they recover from not only the floods but also Cyclone Yasi. We will continue to stand side by side with them to ensure that they can rebuild the state of Queensland after those devastating events. The reconstruction effort will be expensive. The cost of the floods and Cyclone Yasi is estimated to be around $6 billion. That is why the government acted decisively to introduce the flood and cyclone reconstruction levy legislation. The passage of this legislation is good news for the people of Queensland and other affected states. The government made the right decision and has got this important legislation through parliament and is now getting on with the critical job of rebuilding Queensland and those other states that have been affected by floods and bushfires throughout Australia.

The modest one-year levy, combined with spending cuts, means that our communities will be able to get back on their feet, rebuild roads, bridges and schools and ensure that public infrastructure is returned. Already we have provided over $730 million in Australian government disaster relief. Payments to affected individuals provided over 57,000 subsidy payments worth about $55 million to people who have suffered a loss of income. The government has provided over 5,100 cleanup and recovery grants totalling $26.5 million. The government has provided employers in the far north of Queensland wage assistance to help them retain workers in those affected regions. It has extended access to concessional loans of up to $650,000, including a grant of up to $50,000 to all category C affected areas of Queensland. (Time expired)