PRIME Minister Tony Abbott met with central Queensland mayors this morning to hear first-hand how each region had been impacted by Tropical Cyclone Marcia.
Rockhampton Regional Mayor Margaret Strelow, her voice sometimes trembling, outlined her city’s plight: 93 homes to be demolished, another 150 borderline and uninhabitable, and 400-500 homes damaged.
“There are a collection of mayors here today each of whom can tell you their story, but for Rockhampton, I know things look normal but we’ve been through a really tough time,” she said.
Mr Abbott, who arrived on Thursday afternoon and visited Yeppoon, said he appreciated how tough things were.
“Even thought the physical scars are not as obvious here as they are in Yeppoon there are still lots of people who don’t have power,” Mr Abbott said.
“If you are living in a house without power for several days, that has a very serious impact on your life.
"(This is the case) for thousands of people in Rocky and towns and centres of central Queensland who have gone through that experience - one of which none have had before.
“Not in living memory have we had a cyclone of this intensity (hit this region),” he said.
Payment assistance confusion
Mr Abbott announced before the meeting that financial assistance had been extended to those affected in the Wide Bay-Burnett districts.
This means eligible employees, primary producers and sole traders in both the Fitzroy and Wide Bay-Burnett districts will have access to the Disaster Recovery Allowance.
The Disaster Recovery Allowance provides payments to eligible individuals for up to 13 weeks equivalent to the maximum rate of Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance for eligible Australian residents.
There is also the Disaster Recovery Payment for those who have lost or suffered significant damage or injury – a one-off payment of $1000 per adult and $400 for each child.
This has created anger in the region, as the previous State government tightened criteria, and central Queenslanders are wondering why they are not getting the same level of support as those who faced Cyclone Yasi or the Brisbane floods.
Federal Member for Capricornia Michelle Landry flew in from Canberra yesterday with the Prime Minister, federal Minister for Justice Michael Keenan (disaster assistance) and federal Minister for Human Services Marise Payne (Centrelink) to sort out some of the confusion over financial assistance for victims.
“I am well aware that many people are angry that they don’t seem to be able to access financial assistance that is meant to help people impacted by this devastating event,” Ms Landry said.
“Some of the problem is the criteria set by the State government.
“With regard to people finding it hard to access immediate hardship assistance - the State government itself sets this criteria. I do not agree with this criteria which requires people suffering, to meet all of the requirements stated on the form.
"People need food and urgent payments now."
Ms Landry said the State government's criteria could be softened to help more people.
Eligibility criteria
The Queensland Government's immediate hardship assistance eligibility criteria is as follows and all criteria must be met to qualify.
- Live or are stranded in the targeted activation zone
- Be unable to meet your immediate essential needs or seek support from family or friends
- Be directly impacted by the disaster through one or more of the following:
- Direct physical damage to your home
- Loss of essential contents
- Isolation from your home for more than 48 hours
“People should be able to get access to $180 per person if they desperately need it for food, clothing, accommodation and medical supplies. If they are not, the solution rests with the Premier.”
At the meeting were Banana Shire Mayor Ron Carige and North Burnett Mayor Don Waugh and Livingston Shire Mayor Bill Ludwig.
State govt announces further assistance
This morning, State government Communities Minister Shannon Fentiman announced a further 50 community recovery personnel had been sent to assist in cyclone-hit areas of Central Queensland.
A second Community Recovery Hub will also be opened in Rockhampton, staffed by 20 recovery workers and partner agencies.
The facility at James Lawrence Pavilion will be open to the public Friday, February 27, from 10am to 5pm and Saturday, February 28 to Friday, March 6 between 9am and 5pm.
“Community Recovery staff and volunteers are doing a great job and are trying to help as many people as possible,” Ms Fentiman said.
“We know more has to be done and the extra staff will enable quicker processing of requests and undertake more outreach visits to people in their homes.”
