FIRES SPECIAL: PVCA provides contact info

By Wayne Robinson | 10 January 2020
Comments Comments

The Print & Visual Communications Association has provided a detailed list of contacts for printers in all the affected regions of the country to seek assistance in various forms from various government departments.

Vitally important: Andrew Macaulay
Call PVCA for all IR, HR and OH&S issues: Andrew Macaulay

It says printers impacted by the bushfires may be eligible for the small business assistance – which in NSW can be up to $15,000 in recovery grants and concessional loans for eligible small businesses, and on Kangaroo Island up to $10,000. Specific small business assistance packages in other states are not yet available. Printers affected in Queensland need to fill in an online form – click here to get to it.

For all workplace issues, IR, HR, or Health & Safety, please call the Print & Visual Communication Association hotline on 1800 227 425.

The association says all assistance measures are aimed at providing for immediate and short term needs, to support recovery from the bushfires. PVCA has provided the following contact lists, scroll down for your state:

NEW SOUTH WALES

These assistance measures are aimed at providing for immediate and short term needs, to support recovery from the bushfires across NSW. 

  • Workplace issues, IR, HR or Health & Safety – please call Print & Visual Communication Association hotline on 1800 227 425.
  • Immediate emergency assistance – can be accessed through Evacuation Centres and Disaster Welfare Assistance Points. Call the Disaster Welfare Assistance Line (DWAL) on 1800 018 444 or visit www.emergency.nsw.gov.au.
  • Emergency Temporary Accommodation – short term housing support. Contact the Housing Contact Centre on 1800 422 322.
  • Housing assistance – includes access to emergency accommodation, private rental bonds and advance rent payments. Contact the DWAL on 1800 018 444 or contacting or visiting a local Department of Communities and Justice Housing office.
  • Red Cross Emergency Grant – $5000 grant if you have lost your home. Contact the Red Cross on www.redcross.org.au/grants.
  • Clean-up assistance – for assistance to clean up homes damaged or destroyed by recent fires:
    • Insured home owners – contact your insurance company or the Insurance Council of Australia on 1800 734 621.
    • Uninsured home owners – contact Public Works Advisory on 1800 88 55 39.
  • Animal Welfare – producers can report stock losses and infrastructure damage, or request animal assessment, or emergency fodder or water for stock. Contact Local Land Services on 1800 814 647.
  • Commonwealth Government Disaster Recovery Payment – $1,000 per adult and $400 per child for people severely affected by bushfires. Contact Human Services on 180 22 66.
  • Commonwealth Government Disaster Recovery Allowance – short term income assistance for people severely affected by bushfires. Contact Human Services on 180 22 66.
  • NSW Government Disaster Relief Grants – financial assistance for eligible individuals who have low income and limited assets. Contact the DWAL on 1800 018 444.
  • Primary producer assistance – up to $15,000 recovery grants, concessional loans and transport subsidies for eligible primary producers. Contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593.
  • Small business assistance – up to $15,000 recovery grants, and concessional loans for eligible small businesses. Contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593.
  • Legal assistance – Legal Aid can provide free assistance on issues such as insurance policies, employment, tenancy, credit and debt. Contact Disaster Response Legal Service NSW on 1800 801 529.
  • Potable Water Assistance – replacement of potable water for residents not on town water supply where RFS has taken water or contaminated roofs with fire retardant. Contact the DWAL on 1800 018 444.
  • Mental health and wellbeing assistance – 24/7 assistance for individuals.
    • Mental Health Line - 1800 011 511
    • Beyond Blue - 1300 224 636
    • Lifeline - 13 11 14
    • Mensline - 1300 789 978
    • Kids Helpline - 1800 551 800
    • If someone is in immediate danger, call 000.
  • Farm Gate counsellors – farmers and business owners in bushfire affected areas can access Farm Gate counsellors and peer support workers. Contact the Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511.
  • Volunteer Firefighters’ Financial Support – payments of up to $300 per day, up to a total of $6,000 per person, are available to eligible volunteer firefighters who are self-employed or employed by a small or medium business and have lost income. Contact Service NSW at www.service.nsw.gov.au.
  • Sporting club assistance – concessional loans for eligible sporting clubs. Contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593.
  • Church and non-profit organisation assistance – up to $15,000 recovery grants, concessional loans for eligible churches and non-profit organisations. Contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593.
  • Motor vehicle stamp duty relief – financial assistance for eligible motorists whose cars have been written off as a result of bushfires. Contact the Office of State Revenue on 1300 139 814.
  • Replacement of documents – free replacement of licences, permits and certificates, including birth, marriage and change of name certificates, and NSW Fair Trading permits and licences. Service NSW’s Mobile Service Centres are visiting bushfire affected communities to assist customers with government transactions. Contact Service NSW on 13 77 88.
  • Waste disposal – the levy for waste disposal has been waived in bushfire affected LGAs. Contact your local council for more information.

QUEENSLAND:

The Queensland Department of Employment, Small Business, and Training requests that all affected printers complete the following online survey, https://analytics-au.clickdimensions.com/cn/ainos/eastqldbushfires2019 to help them assess what support you need.

If you cannot access the interent to complete the survey, contact the Department on 1300 654 687.

Structural assistance grant

If you’re uninsured, or unable to claim insurance, you may be eligible for a one-off payment as a contribution towards repairs to your home to make it secure and safe.

Grants of up to $10,995 for single adults and up to $14,685 for couples/families are available.

To be eligible you must meet all these criteria:

  • live in a disaster affected area where this grant is activated
  • own or be the mortgagee of the home, caravan or boat
  • been living in the home, caravan or boat at the time of the disaster (it was your primary place of residence)
  • be uninsured or unable to claim insurance for the structural repairs
  • meet the income test (below).

The grant is not available for repairs to investment properties, such as holiday houses or rental properties, or assets such as caravans and boats that are not used as primary places of residence or for pre-existing damage prior to the event.

Your gross (before tax) weekly income must be less than:

  • individual: $988 ($51,398 per year)
  • couple: $1,367 ($71,061 per year)
  • sole parent, one child: $1,368 ($71,110 per year)
  • couple, one child: $1,694 ($88,111 per year).

(For each additional child add a further $327 per week; for each dependent adult add $378 per week).

Apply online via the Community Recovery Portal or by phoning the Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349 where a customer service officer will assist you to complete an online application.

When your application is completed and it is determined that you live in a disaster affected area, your application will be referred to your local Community Recovery Coordination Centre who will contact you by telephone to arrange a visit.

Then you will need to:

  1. Complete and sign the Applicant Information Form.
  2. Complete and sign the Structural Assistance Grant Form.
  3. Provide a driver licence, rates notice or electricity bill to confirm the property is your principal place of residence.
  4. Meet the income test requirements.

If you’re eligible for a Structural Assistance Grant, your property will be inspected to identify what is needed to make your home safe and habitable. This may also include an assessment of the essential services safety checks for reconnection of electricity, gas, water, sewerage services and septic systems.

This information, including estimated costs, is sent to the Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors for review. Once the scope of works is approved you may be asked to sign a statutory declaration prior to any funds being paid.

The grant will then be paid into the bank account nominated on your application form. A cheque can be issued where necessary. Once you receive the grant payment, you have 12 months to complete the repairs to your dwelling.

You will be contacted regularly to see how your home repairs are progressing and if you need any more support.

If you need help to get quotes or contract repairers phone the Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349. We can provide a referral to the Queensland Building Services Authority.

You may be able to apply for other grants if your repair bills cost more than the amount of this grant.

If you can’t source the full amount of funds required to repair your home, you may be able to access financial counselling to help with budgeting and prioritising expenditure.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA:

Eligible South Australians who are uninsured and have had their principal residence damaged by bushfires can apply for grants of up to $10,000 to help them re-establish their homes.

The payments can be used to help repair bushfire-damaged homes or replace essential household items.

​The payments are available only to those persons who meet the following criteria:

  • Their primary residence has been damaged
  • They meet an income test
  • Their losses are not being met by insurance, compensation or other assistance measures
  • The structure/dwelling component of the grant can only be paid to owner-occupiers
  • The essential household and personal item component may be paid to owner-occupiers or tenants.

​Assistance is being provided under the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. The SA Housing Authority will administer the grants under its Emergency Relief arrangements.

For more information on eligibility please visit a relief centre or phone the SA Recovery Hotline on 1800 302 787 (8.00 am to 8.00 pm).

Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment

The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment is a one-off payment to help you if a declared disaster significantly affects you.

If you’re eligible you will get $1,000 per adult and $400 for each child under 16 years of age.

More information on the Disaster Recovery Payment, including eligibility criteria is available on the Department of Human Services website or phone 180 22 66.

The Disaster Recovery Allowance is a short-term payment to help you if a declared disaster directly affects your income. It is payable for a maximum of 13 weeks from the date you lose your income.

More information on the Disaster Recovery Allowance, including eligibility criteria is available on the Department of Human Services website.

Personal Hardship Emergency Grants

South Australians directly affected by the Kangaroo Island fires can apply for one-off emergency grants to assist with immediate, temporary relief. The Personal Hardship Emergency Grants of up to $700 per family (or $280 per individual adult) can be used at the discretion of each recipient but are intended to pay for essential items such as food, toiletries, clothing and medication. This assistance is provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

For more information including how to apply please phone the Recovery Hotline on 1800 302 787 or visit an Emergency Relief Centre in SA.

Recovery grants for small business

A grant of up to $10,000 is available for eligible small businesses affected by the Kangaroo Island bushfires for costs associated with clean-up, restoration and rebuilding.

The grant is designed to assist with the immediate costs of beginning to rebuild and recover and is provided under the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

To learn more about eligibility criteria or to apply, visit the Supporting Business in South Australia website.

If you have any questions, contact the SA Department for Innovation and Skills on 1300 142 820 or email DIS.SmallBusiness@sa.gov.au

Red Cross Emergency Grants

Red Cross launched an emergency grants program on 23 December to support individuals and communities affected by severe bushfires across the country. The grants are available to people across the country whose primary place of residence (owner/occupied or rented) has been destroyed, or made uninhabitable or unfit to live in, as a result of a bushfire since 1 July 2019. Each household can apply for $2,000, with funds provided as a contribution to meet basic recovery needs.

The Emergency Grants Program is one component of a broader Red Cross Recovery Program which provides funds directly to people in communities impacted by a disaster to meet basic needs. The funds are being distributed as part of this program will be drawn from the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery fund (DRR) donated by the general public and corporate communities.

Please see the Red Cross website for information on how to apply.

VICTORIA:

Emergency financial assistance is available to eligible fire-affected community members.

Affected households can apply for all of these payments. Applying for one payment does not preclude households from applying for the others.

Printers with IR, HR or WH&S issues

  • Call Print & Visual Communication Association hotline on 1800 227 425.

Emergency Relief Assistance Payments

  • Relief payments are intended to help meet immediate needs, including emergency food, accommodation, clothing, medication and personal items.
  • Payments of up to $560 per adult and $280 per child (up to a maximum of $1960 per eligible household).
  • The payments are designed to help eligible people experiencing personal and extreme financial hardship due to the fires.
  • Go to https://www.emergency.vic.gov.au/relief/#relief_and_recovery_centres to check which relief centres are open. 
  • If you have relocated to Melbourne or other areas away from these relief centres you can call: 1800 961 054 (9am – 5pm, 7 days per week) for more information.

Relief payments are NOT available for:

  • to cover the costs of cleaning up fallen trees or branches in people's yards
  • to cover the cost of repairing fences from fallen trees. If a tree has fallen on your house, please call the SES or your local council for more information.
  • to people impacted by power outages. Contact your energy distributor if you have any questions.
  • business losses or compensation for the loss of income
  • the replacement of fencing
  • motor vehicle repairs or towing
  • paying insurance excess 

Emergency Re-establishment Payments

  • Emergency re-establishment assistance is available if your principal place of residence (your home) is uninhabitable for more than seven days because of an emergency.
  • Provides up to $42,250 per eligible household experiencing financial hardship, who have been affected by fire at their primary place of residence.
  • The grants will be available for clean-up, emergency accommodation, repairs, rebuilding (a principal place of residence), and replacing some damaged contents.
  • Re-establishment assistance is available to individuals or families who do not have building (home) insurance or contents insurance. 
  • https://services.dhhs.vic.gov.au/personal-hardship-assistance-program

Households should visit a relief centre, to discuss assistance options. 

Assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

 Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment

 Disaster Recovery Allowance

 Financial counselling

The Rural Financial Counselling Service is also available to farmers across all fire affected areas, offering free and independent financial support to primary producers and non-agriculture related small businesses. The service can be contacted on 1300 834 775.

Financial counsellors are professionals, regulated by federal legislation and employed by not for profit community organisations. They provide information, advice and advocacy support free of charge, assisting people in dealing with life situations involving debt and hardship, dealing with creditors, and stabilising finances. The National Debt Helpline is staffed by financial counsellors and can be contacted on 1800 007 007.

Insurance

If you have property or contents insurance you should contact your insurance company as soon as possible after the fire.

  • Ask your insurer for advice on actions you should take
  • Do not discard or throw away damaged items without first consulting your insurance company
  • Make a list of items that have been damaged and take photographs if possible
  • Keep receipts for any emergency repair work

For assistance with insurance contact the Insurance Council of Australia on 1800 734 621 (24 hour hotline). You can find information on lodging a claim following a disaster here: www.disasters.org.au.

For further details on insurance advice see Understand Insurance.   

 Replacing documents and identification

The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria will replace certificates that were lost in the recent bushfires, free of charge. You can call the Department of Justice and Community Safety on 03 5215 8500 and they will mail the forms to you.

If you've been affected by the recent fires VicRoads can:

  • refund your remaining registration without any admin fees for any fire damaged vehicles
  • replace vehicle and/or boat registration documents requred for insurance claims
  • replace your licence/learner permit/marine licence card for free.

For assistance, contact VicRoads on 13 11 71 or visit a VicRoads Customer Service Centre. Further information can be found at https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/licences/renew-replace-or-update/bushfire-relief-assistance 

Support for people with unpaid fines

Fines Victoria is providing assistance to people who have been impacted by the fires and have unpaid fines.

Contact Fines Victoria to discuss your options and the support available.

You can also arrange to pay fines by instalments or extension, or request a review if you believe a fine was unfairly issued or there is a valid reason why it should be withdrawn.

WEST AUSTRALIA:

Has not yet formally activated its disaster reflief.

Interest Rate Subsidy – WA Department of Fire & Emergency Services. drfawa@dfes.wa.gov.au

comments powered by Disqus