DISASTER RELIEF —
TROPICAL CYCLONE DAMIEN
122. Hon JACQUI BOYDELL to the minister representing the
Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to the recently announced
disaster relief funding to assist with the recovery effort after tropical
cyclone Damien in Karratha.
(1) Please table any correspondence received relating to this
matter from —
(a) the member for Pilbara; and
(b) the Premier.
(2) Will the
minister please confirm which categories of the disaster relief funding will be
provided to the affected areas?
(3) Will the
minister provide some clarification on the following statement from the
disaster relief website, which states, ''Assistance may be available for
the following measures (where appropriate) typically covered by the''
disaster relief funding?
(4) Does the
minister accept that this statement places undue and extra stress on people who
are already in vulnerable positions as they attempt to navigate and understand
their eligibility to receive funding?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) At the
request of the member for Pilbara, Mr Kevin Michel, the Minister for Emergency
Services visited Karratha and Dampier in the aftermath of tropical cyclone
Damien. Minister Logan and Mr Michel visited community members, local
government and emergency services personnel. Mr Michel advocated strongly for
every possible state government assistance to be extended to recovering Pilbara
communities. The minister continued to update the Premier throughout the
tropical cyclone. This will continue during the recovery.
(2) This
assistance is currently available to impacted individuals within the proclaimed
local governments, which include the Shire of Ashburton, City of Karratha, Town
of Port Hedland and Shire of Meekatharra, as of 20 February 2020. Local
governments in surrounding areas are being consulted to determine whether there
are any impacts that would result in their inclusion in this event.
(3) A range of
assistance measures are provided under the disaster recovery funding
arrangements WA, and not all assistance measures are available for every
disaster. The proclamation is made following preliminary assessments of damage;
and as the scale of the impact becomes available as the clean-up and more
detailed assessment of the event is undertaken. For example, category C is a community
recovery package that is intended to support communities when there has been a severe
impact. This includes assistance grants for primary producers. Not all events,
however, impact primary producers and, as a result, this assistance would not
be required. As a result, the proclamation needs to list all the possible
assistance measures; however, due to the varying scale and nature of events, it
is also important to note that these measures are available when appropriate.
As the severity of an event becomes clear, additional assistance measures may
be activated.
(4) It is
understood that recovery following a disaster is difficult. To support people
during this time, clear guidance and contact details are provided to assist
people to contact the correct agency to determine what support is available.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services' DRFAWA team continues to
liaise with local governments and agencies in impacted areas to guide them
through the application of the DRFAWA. The team provides individuals or
businesses with the necessary advice or appropriate contact details to access
more information on assistance measures that may be available.