Lismore and Tweed businesses and non-profit organisations trying to recover from recent flooding will now have access to ‘Category C’ Disaster funding from the Federal Government.
They can apply for grants of up to $15,000 and the funding is available for businesses in Lismore CBD, North Lismore, South Lismore, Girards Hill and parts of East Lismore, as well as the Tweed local government area.
The Category C assistance will be provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) to affected communities within the Lismore and Tweed local government areas.
Page MP Kevin Hogan welcomed the funding announcement, saying it would be essential to rebuilding Lismore’s small business community.
‘I think it is really important psychologically for the confidence of our town and, practically it will be a real boost for the local economy,’ Mr Hogan said.
Mr Hogan has been working with Lismore City Council and the Lismore Chamber of Commerce and Industry to ensure the application was detailed enough for it to be fast-tracked.
‘Our application has been exceptionally thorough and well put together,’ he said.
‘To make these grants happen quickly meant we had to give a good evaluation of the data and what was going on. That is why it has taken a few days.’
Lismore MP Thomas George said Category C funding was on top of assistance that has already been announced.
‘Small businesses are the life blood of regional communities like Lismore, so it’s vital that we give them a helping hand,’ he said.
‘We sent in Disaster Assessment Teams as soon as we could and carried out the necessary appraisal to ensure those who have lost so much have the support they need to rebuild their livelihood.’
Today’s announced assistance was in addition to the assistance already provided under the joint Commonwealth-State NDRRA, which was announced on 31 March, including:
- Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged
- Support for affected local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets
- Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations
Freight subsidies for primary producers - Grants to non-profit organisations
- To apply for a recovery grant, small businesses in the local government areas above can contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or by visiting raa.nsw.gov.au.
Meanwhile, the Diocese of Lismore with support from Lismore City Council is offering the delivery of single, double or queen mattresses to flood-affected residents across the Northern Rivers.
Anyone eligible should phone 66 19 10 95 or send an email to [email protected] leaving your name, address, phone number and size (single, double, queen) of mattress. The church will respond to your request in the next few days.
Members of the community can also donate to help assist those who have lost their mattresses by visiting www.dioceseoflismorefloodappeal.org