Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

On the Friday of that week it became increasingly clear that the extent of the damage was extraordinarily serious. The then Acting Prime Minister, Mr Truss, the Minister for Justice and I announced additional government assistance in the form of the disaster recovery payment and the disaster recovery allowance for those who were hardest hit in the Hunter Valley, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Central Coast and the mid-north coast regions. The Department of Human Services is responsible for administering both of those payments.

As at the close of business yesterday, we had granted 29,272 disaster recovery payment claims, which is a total of $36.9 million, as well as 253 disaster recovery allowance and equivalent ex gratia assistance claims. We have also taken over 39,660 phone calls in response to the New South Wales coast storms and flooding. (Time expired)