To get this payment you must meet all of the following. You:
- were 16 or older at the time of the disaster
- are an Australian resident or meet other residence rules
- work or live in a declared Local Government Area
- lost some or all of your income as a direct result of the disaster
- earn less than the average Australian weekly income in the 13 weeks after this income loss.
You don’t need to have lost all your income to be eligible for this payment.
We use Australian Bureau of Statistics figures to tell us what the average weekly income is. The average weekly income before tax is:
- $1,838.60 before 1 January 2025
- $1,924.60 from 1 January 2025.
When you can’t get this payment
You can’t get DRA if you get any of the following income support payments during your claim period:
- Age Pension
- Austudy
- Carer Payment
- Disability Support Pension
- JobSeeker Payment
- Parenting Payment
- Special Benefit
- Youth Allowance
- a Service Pension, Income Support Supplement or veteran payment from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
You can read more about Service Pensions on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs website.
You also can’t get DRA if you get any of the following payments or allowances during your claim period:
- ABSTUDY Living Allowance
- Farm Household Allowance
- Parental Leave Pay
- Self-Employment Allowance.
If you’re getting Self-Employment Allowance, you can speak to your provider about pausing your payment. This is so you can claim DRA.
You can read more about Self-Employment Assistance on the Workforce Australia website.
If you’re aged between 16 and 21
If you’re aged between 16 and 21, you can’t get DRA if all of the following apply on 24 December 2024:
- you’re dependent on another person who isn’t your partner
- you’re not a parent
- your partner isn’t a parent
- you earned less than $6,404 before tax in the financial year the disaster has been declared.