The Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, has written to Mayor Mark Troy and Coffs Mayor Keith Rhoades asking them to supply information about any significant gaps in assistance or insurance coverage arising from damage sustained as a result of the floods.

Assistance already provided under the Natural Disaster Recovery Relief Arrangements (NDRRA) will be taken into account.

The Minister for Community Services, Jenny Macklin and Mr McClelland met the region’s Mayors on 19 August to discuss the relief and recovery efforts following the floods in March and April 2009.

At this meeting, they agreed to provide the Attorney-General with further details of possible gaps in assistance.

Coffs Harbour and Bellingen Councils are now surveying local residents affected by the floods, to gather information about their particular circumstances, including the assistance they have received through NDRRA and insurance and the ongoing consequences of the floods.

If gaps are identified, the Australian Government will work with State and Local Governments and the flood-affected communities on options for future action.

Details of the Australian Government’s agreement to work with the Coffs Harbour and Bellingen Councils and local residents are outlined in the response to a petition signed by local residents.

People in the region have received NDRRA assistance in the form of personal hardship and distress payments of around $590,000, and small business and primary producers received more than $2 million in clean up and recovery grants.

This included funding for immediate hardship payments, reimbursement for essential household items and grants for repairs to homes.

Concessional loans for small businesses, primary producers and voluntary not-for-profit organisations, as well as road and rail freight subsidies and clean-up and recovery grants were also available.

NDRRA measures are delivered by the States and Territories, and the Commonwealth reimburses the State or Territory Government 50 or 75 per cent of expenditure on eligible items.