Flood victims deserve urgent assistance, not more bureaucracy
4th January, 2011
The Gillard Government must urgently clarify the rules on eligibility for Centrelink payments for flood victims after tough new eligibility criteria changes were apparently introduced for this disaster.The Acting Leader of the Opposition, Warren Truss, said this was a time when Queenslanders and other Australians hit hard by flood waters needed support and simplicity, not more bureaucracy and government short-sightedness.
Reports today add to the confusion, with the Prime Minister’s office telling one newspaper that the Acting Attorney-General has been asked to look into the changed Centrelink eligibility, yet declining to address the issue with another newspaper.
“There is considerable uncertainty in the flood hit regions I visited yesterday about the Centrelink payments for flood victims,” Mr Truss said.
“Payments of up to $1000 per adult and $400 per child were made in the floods of last March to residents who had been isolated for more than 24 hours or suffered utility failure of more than 48 hours.
“Now, as floodwaters engulf numerous cities and towns throughout Queensland, we are finding the payments are now only available to people seriously injured or to those who have suffered serious damage to their homes.”
Centrelink does not have the capacity to promptly assess the level of damage in people’s homes and it is plain for everyone to see that many of those seriously affected will fall outside the limited categories of eligibility under the new scheme.
Prime Minister Gillard said yesterday payments would flow from today but unless the changes to the criteria are reversed immediately not many flood victims will qualify.
“Quite simply, if people can’t get to their homes or have lost their livelihood, and with more rain forecast, they want help now – not just a pile of forms and changing rules,” Mr Truss said.
