Disaster Assistance Loans are available to assist small businesses with re-establishing normal operations. 

Concessional loans are provided to assist you to re-establish the normal operations of your small business by covering costs such as: 

• repairing or replacing damaged plant and equipment 
• repairing or replacing buildings 
• supplying stock for up to one month to replace lost stock and maintain liquidity of the business 
• meeting carry-on requirements including: 
  • sustenance 
  • paying rent and rates. 

Defined Disaster Areas

The Minister for Fire and Emergency Services has activated disaster assistance for:

Tropical Cyclone Alfred and Severe Weather, commencing 1 March 2025

• Brisbane City Council
• Bundaberg Regional Council
• Fraser Coast Regional Council
• Gold Coast City Council
• Gympie Regional Council
• Ipswich City Council
• Lockyer Valley Regional Council
• Logan City Council
• Moreton Bay City Council
• Noosa Shire Council
• Redland City Council
• Scenic Rim Regional Council
• Somerset Regional Council
• Southern Downs Regional Council
• Sunshine Coast Regional Council
• Toowoomba Regional Council

North and Far North Tropical Low, 29 January - 28 February 2025

• Burdekin Shire Council
• Cairns Regional Council
• Cassowary Coast Regional Council
• Charters Towers Regional Council
• Hinchinbrook Shire Council
• Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council
• Townsville City Council
• Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council

Applications close 31 December 2026

Southern Summer Rainfall and Flooding, 9 December 2024 - 14 January 2025

• South Burnett Regional Council

Applications close 31 December 2026

South Queensland Severe Storms and Rainfall, 24 December 2023 - 3 January 2024

• City of Gold Coast Council
• Logan City Council
• Scenic Rim Regional Council

Applications close 31 December 2025.

Tropical Cyclone Jasper, associated rainfall and flooding, 13 - 28 December 2023

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

Applications close 31 December 2025.

Southern Queensland Fires, 8 September - 7 November 2023

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

• Western Downs Regional Council

Applications close 31 December 2025.

What can funding be used for?

Concessional loans are provided to assist you to re-establish the normal operations of your small business by covering costs such as: 

• repairing or replacing damaged plant and equipment 
• repairing or replacing buildings 
• supplying stock for up to one month to replace lost stock and maintain liquidity of the business 
• meeting carry-on requirements including: 
  • sustenance 
  • paying rent and rates. 

Eligibility criteria:

To be eligible for a loan: 

• the applicant must be a small business owner
• the applicant has sustained substantial damage to buildings, plant, equipment or stock as a result of an eligible disaster 
• the applicant’s small business was carried on in the defined disaster area immediately before the eligible disaster:

To be eligible applicants must also:

• provide adequate security and loans must be secured by: 
  • a mortgage of land and other assets satisfactory to QRIDA; and 
  • any other security considered necessary, for example – a Specific Security Agreement over plant and machinery, or a General Securities Agreement.
• continue to carry on at the same location or elsewhere in the local government area where the small business was carried on prior to the eligible disaster
• have reasonable prospects of carrying on the small business on a viable basis with the assistance given 
• have taken reasonable precautions to avoid or minimise loss or damage from the disaster, for example - adequate insurance 
• be responsible for the cost of essential repairs or replacement of the damaged assets (resulting in liquidity being severely affected) 
• be unable to repair or replace the damage assets or return to viable operations from their own resources
• have used all liquid assets and all normal credit sources up to normal credit limits (this will be assessed in relation to the expected cost of recovery and projected cash flow shortfalls)
• have not taken excessive risks in carrying on the small business.

• Phone: 1800 623 946
• Email: contact_us@qrida.qld.gov.au