Extraordinary Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants are available to assist directly impacted small businesses with the costs of clean-up and reinstatement.

Grants of up to $50,000 are available for affected small businesses following Tropical Cyclone Jasper, associated rainfall and flooding, 13 - 28 December 2023 to hire or purchase equipment and materials, clean up, remove debris, replace or repair damaged infrastructure and stock and other costs associated with the recovery process. Businesses should take photographs of the direct damage to accompany their application/s.

Applicants need to show they are an eligible small business, within the defined disaster area and demonstrate they have suffered direct impact from the disaster. Read this page and the guidelines for more information. 

If you are insured, full details and a copy of your insurance policy and/or claim must be provided. Please be aware that QRIDA may be unable to finalise your Disaster Assistance Grant application until the outcome of your insurance claim is determined and claim outcome is provided.

The maximum grant amount available is $50,000 and can be accessed through the following:

• Initial application/s up to the total amount of $10,000 is available to support an initial claim. Evidence of the direct damage is required such as photographs and quotations, tax invoices or official receipts.
• Subsequent application/s up to the total amount of $40,000 is available to support subsequent claims for which full evidence of payment is required.

Complete applications are assessed in order of receipt and QRIDA may request further information to help assess an application.

Eligible clean-up, reinstatement activities and emergency measures include:

• Equipment and materials to undertake clean-up
• Additional labour costs (above and beyond normal wage expenditure i.e. day-to-day staffing)
• Disposing of damaged goods and stock, including associated costs
• Repairs to buildings (other than housing)
• Reconditioning/ repairing essential plant and equipment
• Purchase or hire/ lease costs for equipment essential to the immediate resumption of the business
• Payment for tradespeople to conduct safety inspections
• Essential repairs to premises and internal fittings that is not covered by insurance.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an exceptional circumstances grant, you must:

• be a small business owner
• hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) and have held that ABN at the time of the eligible disaster
• own a small business located in the defined disaster area for the eligible disaster that has suffered direct damage as a result of the eligible disaster
• have been engaged in carrying on the small business when affected by the eligible disaster
• be primarily responsible for meeting the costs claimed in the application and
• intend to re-establish the small business in the defined disaster area for the eligible disaster.

An applicant may also be eligible for an exceptional circumstances grant if both of the following apply:

• the small business is located outside the defined disaster area for the eligible disaster but is operated at least sometimes on a regular basis in the area; and
• plant or equipment of the small business situated in the defined disaster area has been damaged as a result of the eligible disaster.

Defined disaster area

The Minister for Fire and Emergency Services has activated disaster assistance for Tropical Cyclone Jasper, associated rainfall and flooding, 13 - 28 December 2023.

To be eligible for assistance your business must be located in one of the defined disaster areas:

• Cairns Regional Council
• Cassowary Coast Regional Council
• Cook Shire Council
• Douglas Shire Council
• Hopevale Aboriginal Shire Council
• Mareeba Shire Council
• Tablelands Regional Council
• Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council
• Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council

• Phone: 1800 623 946
• Email: contact_us@qrida.qld.gov.au
• Website: https://www.qrida.qld.gov.au/contact-us