New and extended assistance measures to help bushfire impacted NQ communities

Additional bushfire support has been activated for Cook, Mareeba and Tablelands through the Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

The three councils can use this new DRFA assistance to cover the extraordinary expenses associated with disaster response and community recovery.

This includes things like firefighting operations, incident management, and the establishment of control centres.

In addition, bushfire-affected residents in the Mareeba localities of Arriga, Chewko, Dimbulah, Glen Russell, Mutchilba and Paddys Green can now also access financial support through the jointly-funded Personal Hardship Assistance Scheme.

Other parts of Mareeba Shire and Tablelands were first announced for PHAS on 3 November 2023.

Personal Hardship Assistance provides $180 for individuals and up to $900 for a family of five or more to cover the costs of essentials like food, clothing and medicine.

Cook, Mareeba and Tablelands have battled a number of blazes in October and November, with community recovery ongoing.

The Australian and Queensland Governments will continue working together to provide further disaster assistance as needed.