The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) is being extended to eligible residents in the Victorian communities of Dadswell Bridge in the Rural City of Horsham and Raglan in the Shire of Pyrenees, who were significantly impacted by recent fires.

Available for people who suffered serious damage or injury as a result of the bushfires, eligible residents can receive $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child to help with the immediate costs of recovery.

Applications will open from 2pm AEDT, Monday 4 March.

To date, around 60 disaster payment claims have been granted and almost $62,000 paid to eligible people living in the community of Pomonal where the payment is already available.

Affected people will soon be able to check their eligibility on the Services Australia website and the quickest way to claim a payment is online through myGov.

If people need help to claim, they can call the Australian Government Emergency information line on 180 22 66 between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. If they want to speak to someone in their language, they can also call the Centrelink multilingual phone service on 131 202.

The AGDRP activation builds on jointly funded disaster assistance measures already available in areas impacted by last month’s fires and storms including:

• Personal Hardship Assistance Payments to replace food, clothing and medication, and help with the cost of temporary accommodation.
• Emergency re-establishment grants of up to $49,300 for people who are uninsured and their primary place of residence has been destroyed or is uninhabitable.
• Prolonged Power Outage Payments for residents affected by widespread power outages.
• Support to councils to undertake Counter Disaster Operations, make communities safe and repair essential public assets.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Government Services, the Hon Bill Shorten:

“Supporting communities through crisis is what Services Australia is geared to do, and staff stand ready to help to those impacted by these devastating bushfires.

“I encourage people to check their eligibility for AGDRP on the Services Australia website at servicesaustralia.gov.au/natural-disaster.

“The fastest way to claim is online through myGov. People can also call the Australian Government Emergency Information Line on 180 22 66 if they need help claiming.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt:

“The Dadswell Bridge and Raglan communities are small communities hit hard by the recent fires. My thoughts are with the people and families whose homes have been damaged or lost.

“This payment can help tackle immediate needs like food, medicines and clothing. I encourage anyone in the affected areas to check their eligibility through the Services Australia website.

“The Albanese Government will continue to work with all levels of Government to provide support to affected communities to help them get back on their feet faster.”