Disaster Allowance for Far West

The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) is now available to support people whose income has been affected by the severe weather and ongoing power interruptions in the Broken Hill and Central Darling Local Government Areas, as well as the Unincorporated Far West.

The DRA is a short-term income support payment, payable up to the equivalent full payment rate of JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance. It can be paid to eligible people for up to 13 weeks after a declared disaster.

I have been in close contact with Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Jenny McAllister, about support for the Far West over the past few weeks. I know this payment will come as a great relief to many and I thank Minister McAllister for her support.

Impacted residents have until 28 April 2025 to make a claim. To check eligibility, visit: www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/natural-disaster.

Financial assistance for tertiary education

With HSC exams finishing up this week and university offers just around the corner, I thought it was timely to highlight the financial assistance available to people who wish to explore tertiary study through university or an apprenticeship.

The costs associated with attending tertiary education in another town or city is often the biggest barrier for students from regional, rural and remote Australia. The former Coalition Government recognised this and implemented a number of improvements to eligibility criteria to ensure more students from regional Australia could access tertiary education without having to face the financial barrier.

A range of assistance is available to students including Youth Allowance for students and Australian Apprentices, Austudy, ABSTUDY, the Student Start-up Loan, the Tertiary Assistance Payment and the Relocation Scholarship. Eligibility for each of these payments varies, so it is important to check the criteria before starting a claim.

For more information about financial assistance for tertiary students visit www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/education or call the youth and students line on 132 490.

Remote airstrip program opens

Organisations and community groups who manage airports and airstrips in remote parts of the Parkes electorate will be able to apply for funding to deliver critical upgrades from Monday 4 November.

Round 11 of the Remote Airstrip Upgrade (RAU) program will provide grants of between $5,000 and $4 million to cover 50 per cent of eligible costs, or up to 100 per cent for Indigenous-owned or operated aerodromes that meet certain requirements.

The RAU is a highly successful program which has funded many remote airstrips across the Parkes electorate since 2013. While it was disappointing that only one applicant from the electorate was successful in Round 10, I welcome the announcement of Round 11 to enhance the safety and accessibility of aerodromes in remote and very remote areas of Australia.

Round 11 of the RAU comes in addition to Round 4 of the Regional Airports Program (RAP), which is also currently open for applications.

For more information about Round 11 of the RAU and Round 4 of the RAP, visit: www.business.gov.au/grants-and-programs.

Have your say: Disability supports

The NDIS is here to stay, but not everyone with disability needs to access the NDIS for disability related support.

Foundational Supports will be additional supports for people with disability which will sit alongside the NDIS and other mainstream services in the community.

It’s never been more important for the views of rural and remote Australians with lived experience of disability to be counted – to have your say on the design and delivery of these supports, visit: www.engage.dss.gov.au/Foundational-Supports.