Who can get it

You must meet eligibility rules to get Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP).

To get this payment, you must be all of the following:

Adversely affected means that you or an eligible child you care for must have been directly affected by the declared disaster. This includes one or more of the following:

You can only get AGDRP once for this disaster.

What these terms mean

For this payment, we use the following definitions.

Eligible payments

If you're under 16, you must get one of the following payments to be eligible for AGDRP:

Eligible child you care for

You’re the carer of an eligible child if on the first day you were affected by the declared disaster, either of the following apply:

If neither situation applies, you must be the principal carer of the child you're claiming for. This means that both of the following apply:

  • you have a legal responsibility for the day-to-day care, welfare and development of the child
  • the child's 15 or younger, and dependent on you on the first day you were affected by the declared disaster.

When you share the care of a child with your partner, only one of you can get AGDRP for the child.

Principal place of residence

Your principal place of residence is the main place where you have a right or licence to live. It doesn’t include holiday homes, investment properties, temporary stays with family or friends, detention facilities or prison.

If you have more than one principal place of residence, you’ll be asked to give details of each residence.

Major damage to your principal place of residence

Your principal place of residence has experienced major damage if, for example:

  • it’s been destroyed or must be demolished
  • it’s been declared structurally unsound
  • this disaster has exposed the interior to the elements
  • sewage has gotten inside it.

Examples of major damage to the interior of your principal place of residence are:

  • flooring or furniture needs refinishing or replacing
  • electrical items such as a refrigerator or washing machine have been damaged and need replacing
  • metal has begun to rust, pit and corrode and needs replacing.

Major damage to a major asset or assets

A major asset or assets you own must be located at your principal place of residence.

Your major assets have experienced major damage if:

  • they have become unusable or need to be replaced
  • a water tank is damaged and needs repairing or cleaning, or the water needs to be replaced.

The asset or assets must have a combined market value of $20,000 or more. This may include buildings, vehicles, caravans, water tanks or large-scale machinery.

Contact numbers available on this page.

Emergency information line

Call this line if you’re affected by a natural disaster and need help to claim a payment.

Natural disaster payment support

Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm.

There are other ways you may want to contact us.

Page last updated: 6 February 2025.
QC 80375