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Small businesses and councils affected by the bushfires can apply for a suite of financial assistance packages thanks to the NSW and Commonwealth Governments.
The financial support includes grants of up to $50,000 for small businesses directly affected by bushfire, up to $250,000 to Local Government Areas, a Bushfire Working Capital Loan of up to $50,000 and low interest loans of up to $500,000 to eligible small businesses, primary producers and not-for-profits in bushfire impacted council areas.
Federal Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said, thousands of small businesses have been impacted by the recent bushfires both in the disaster-declared areas and in surrounding areas.
“These financial support measures will provide much needed funds for affected small businesses in the early recovery phase to help them get back on their feet,” Minister Cash said.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Disaster Recovery John Barilaro said the bushfires had devastated entire communities.
“As we move into the recovery phase, communities are facing unprecedented challenges and there will be many difficult months ahead,” he said.
“These grants and loans will assist bushfire-affected communities to get back on their feet.”
Financial assistance includes:

• Grants of up to $50,000 are available for eligible small businesses and non-profit organisations with direct damage to their premises, equipment or stock from the bushfires and can help to pay for repairs, via Service NSW;
• Payments up to $250,000 to Local Government Areas impacted by bushfire for small scale local activities that will kick-start the social and economic recovery of their communities;
• Loans of up to $500,000 specifically designed to provide an immediate injection of money to help return and continue business operations by covering salaries or wages, rent, lease and rates, as well as purchase of goods and services, via NSW Rural Assistance Authority.

Funding is provided jointly from the NSW and Commonwealth Governments through Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said he encouraged small businesses to apply for the funding, which would assist in getting bushfire-affected communities up and running as soon as possible.
“Small enterprises are the lifeblood of their community and we want to do everything we can to support them during this time of recovery,” he said.
Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock said the bushfire recovery phase is also about supporting communities to come together and heal.
“Local councils are the backbones to their communities and we’re committed to doing all we can to help them as they start to heal and rebuild their communities.”
Small Business Grants
The Commonwealth Government announced on Monday, 20 January, a Small Business Bushfire Recovery Package that included recovery grants, concessional loans, a Small Business Financial Support Line, Local Economic Recovery Plans and tax relief. Those small businesses who have already accessed up to $15,000 under the existing Small Business Grants scheme, can now apply for additional funds, bringing the total available to $50,000.
The assistance is being provided through the joint Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements between states and territories and the Commonwealth Government.
The grant is being administered through Service NSW and is available to eligible, fire-affected small businesses within Category C declared Local Government Areas (LGAs) since 31 August 2019.
For more information on eligibility criteria and to register to apply for the grant, visit
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/register-small-business-bushfire-recovery-grant
Bushfire Community Resilience and Economic Recovery Fund
Councils will be offered payments of a minimum $100,000 and up to $250,000 for small scale local activities that will kick-start the social and economic recovery of their communities. This quick and flexible funding will be made available to eligible councils from early February 2020.
Councils can use funding straight away for events or initiatives that support local business and industry recovery, as well as community resilience and wellbeing.
Examples could include:

• local recovery support services for impacted small businesses;
• local industry recovery events;
• neighbourhood and community strengthening activities that focus on building capacity, community strengthening and resilience.

These Community Resilience and Economic Recovery Grants have been previously announced and are being provided through the joint Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements between states and territories and the Commonwealth Government.
Bushfire Working Capital and Recovery Loans
The Bushfire Working Capital Loan is up to $50,000 and is specifically designed to provide an immediate injection of money to help return and continue business operations by covering salaries or wages, rebuilding infrastructure and purchase of goods and services. Its terms are up to five years, with a two year interest free and repayment free period.
And the larger Bushfire Recovery Loan of up to $500,000 is over 10 years, with a two-year interest free and payment free period. It is available for significantly larger investments where required.
The loans are jointly funded by the State and Federal Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. Applications and details are on-line, via the NSW Rural Assistance Authority www.raa.nsw.gov.au.

The NSW Government will help regional and rural patients impacted by bushfires with their travel and accommodation costs when attending specialist medical treatments.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the NSW Government is looking at ways to support bushfire-affected communities with practical solutions to make life a little easier during an incredibly tough time.
“People in bushfire-affected areas have enough to worry about at the moment without the additional stress of finding extra money to travel long distances to see a specialist.”
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the criteria for the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS) will be broadened so patients impacted by bushfires can access the subsidy to help cover out-of-pocket costs.
“Some patients in regional and rural areas will have to travel a longer route or extend their stay due to road closures or poor weatherconditions, so this scheme will help ease some of the financial pressure,” Mr Hazzard said.
The IPTAAS provides subsidies for transport and accommodation expenses incurred when travelling at least 100km, or a cumulative distance of at least 200km in a week for specialist medical treatment.
Cancer Council NSW’s Director of Information and Support Services Annie Miller said the scheme would assist cancer patients unable to return home between treatments.
“This will make a significant difference to patients and their families having regular cancer treatments who haven’t been able to return home due to road closures or poor air quality and have been forced to spend more on accommodation and travel,” Ms Miller said.
Patients are encouraged to include additional information such as extenuating circumstances and tax invoices within their applications.Anyone experiencing financial hardship should contact IPTAAS to discuss payment options.
Investment in IPTAAS has more than doubled over the past seven years, from $12.2 million in 2011-12 to $25.9 million in 2018-19, helping more than 30,000 patients.
For more information about the IPTAAS scheme, call 1800 478 227 or go to: http://www.iptaas.health.nsw.gov.au/home

The NSW Government has today announced six months of council rates relief to ease the burden for anyone who has lost their home or small business in the recent bush fires.
Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Disaster Recovery John Barilaro and Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock said the funding is part of the NSW Government’s unwavering commitment to do all it can to help local communities recover and rebuild from the devastating bushfires.
“Bush fire affected communities will not have to pay rates on a home which has been lost in the fires,” Mr Barilaro said.
“The last thing our communities need right now is more financial stress, which is why the NSW Government is doing everything to ease the burden by funding council rates and picking up the bill for the clean-up, at no cost to owners.
“Regional communities, emergency services, volunteers and our farmers have been outstanding throughout the fires, and we need to be as vigilant in recovery as they are in the face of disaster,” he said.
Mrs Hancock said the NSW Government will cover the full cost of council rates for the third and fourth quarters of this financial year for residents and farmers who have lost their homes, and business owners whose properties have been destroyed beyond repair by bushfires.
“The impact of the bushfires is truly unprecedented with the tragic loss of more than 2,400 homes in NSW,” Mrs Hancock said.
“It is simply unfair to expect somebody to go through the heartbreak of losing their home and then expect them to pay rates on a property they can no longer live in.
“That’s why the Government will fund council rates relief for anyone who has lost their home or small business in the bushfire crisis.”
Affected residents that have lost their homes and small businesses will soon be able to take their council rates notice to a Service NSW centre and the Government will cover the cost. Anyone who has already paid their rates will receive a refund.
“The NSW Government is committed to cutting red tape and reducing the financial burden for individuals who have lost their homes,” Mrs Hancock said.
“We stand ready to do all we can to help bushfire-affected communities so they can recover and rebuild as quickly as possible.”

The NSW Government will move to suspend the ordinary business of Parliament for the week, when it returns on Tuesday, to pay tribute to the victims of the devastating bushfires.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian will move a Condolence Motion to allow each Member of Parliament to express their deepest sympathies to the families, loved ones and communities of those who have died and been directly impacted by the devastation.
“The scale of this bushfire season in NSW is unprecedented and the impact has been catastrophic with 2,400 homes destroyed, 10,000 buildings impacted and more than 5 million hectares burnt,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“But nothing is more tragic than the loss of life. We know the trauma is widespread as people come to terms with the extent of the devastation.
“This is the largest natural disaster in our State’s living memory so it is fitting that the NSW Parliament takes the time to reflect on this tragedy while also acknowledging the ongoing threat the fires pose.”
A State Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, 23 February at Qudos Bank Arena to acknowledge the tragic loss of life.
“We know members of the public from across NSW will also want to recognise the lives lost, the sacrifices made and to think of those directly impacted by the fires.
“There will be a separate opportunity for us to formally thank our volunteers and emergency services workers in the near future.”

A new, $11.5 million world-class birth unit twice the size of the previous facility has opened at St George Hospital, providing local women with the best possible care close to home.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard, joined by the Member for Oatley Mark Coure, Parliamentary Secretary for Families, Disability and Emergency Services Melanie Gibbons and Member for Miranda Eleni Petinos, today officially opened the unit and met some of its first newborns.
“This modern, state-of-the-art unit has been carefully designed with thoughtful consideration of the needs of women during childbirth, featuring the very latest technology and equipment for maternity care,” Mr Hazzard said.
“The NSW Government’s $11.5 million upgrade doubles the size of St George Hospital’s previous birth facilities so that more women in the local community can access world-class birth facilities and care close to home.”
The upgrade provides eight new birth rooms with deep baths for women in labour, two actue observation rooms and new neonatal monitoring technology.
Mr Coure said the unit is now very close to the operating theatres, two of which were refurbished as part of the upgrade.
“The NSW Government is delivering on its commitment to provide world-class healthcare to the people of NSW and this new birth unit is great news for families of the St George region and beyond,” Mr Coure said.
Ms Gibbons said the birth unit is also co-located to a separate new Pregnancy Assessment Unit, with its own waiting area and consulting room, providing extra support to the birth unit.
“This new birth unit will provide exceptional care to the some 2,300 women who give birth at the hospital each year and meet the growing needs of our local community.”
Ms Petinos said: “This means local mums and their newborns will receive more timely care and have the best possible experience at this very important stage of their lives.”
South Eastern Sydney Local Health District will also benefit from the NSW Government’s $2.8 billion commitment to recruit a record 8,300 frontline health staff over the next term, including 5,000 additional nurses and midwives.