Kimberley floods: Albanese announces money, counselling for ravaged region

People caught in the flooding in the Kimberley region can get financial support, including money to help replace household goods and fix homes, but will also be offered counselling as part of their recovery from the devastation.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Mark McGowan are touring the flood-affected area on Monday, along with Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt, his WA counterpart Stephen Dawson and Broome-based Labor senator Pat Dodson.

Disaster recovery assistance is now available to people in the shires of Derby-West Kimberley, Broome, Wyndham-East Kimberley and Halls Creek, through jointly funded Federal and State measures.

That support needs to be not just financial, of course, but we need to bear in mind the need for counselling and support as well.

This includes emergency assistance, temporary living allowances, and grants of up to $10,000 for housing repair and to replace household items. A further support package for farmers is anticipated once the extent of stock losses is known.

Mr Albanese said the floods had had a devastating impact and “we’re seeing far too much of it” with natural disasters around the country.

He promised all assistance needed will be given to help people recover from the disaster.

“That support needs to be not just financial, of course, but we need to bear in mind the need for counselling and support as well,” he told radio on Monday.

“People will be devastated by the experience that they’ve gone through in recent days.

“My Government is committed to providing whatever support that we can in partnership with the WA Government but also local government, working with communities to make sure that the rebuilding occurs as quickly as possible.”

He was particularly concerned to make sure support also reaches the smaller communities with mainly indigenous populations that have been completely isolated by floodwaters.

Already more than 100 Defence personnel are in the region helping recovery efforts, along with two Spartan and a Hercules transport planes. Another three helicopters are on their way over from Townsville.

Mr Albanese also pledged significant funding to rebuild infrastructure. The cost of repairs to highways and bridges is unknown as yet, but he expected it to be “a very large figure”.