Financial assistance
The Australian Government may provide financial assistance to states and territories to support prevention and preparedness activities.
The Australian Government may provide financial assistance to states and territories for eligible response, recovery and resilience activities through programs such as the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
The Australian Government may directly support eligible individuals through programs such as the:
- Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP)10
- Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA)11
- Australian Victim of Terrorism Overseas Payment (AVTOP).12
Non-financial assistance
The Australian Government may provide non-financial assistance to states and territories to support preparedness activities, including planning advice and crisis management exercises.
The Australian Government may receive requests for or offer non-financial assistance to affected countries, states and/or territories.
Australian Government agencies may provide specific capabilities from within their portfolio to assist with a crisis response. Where possible, this assistance should be facilitated through Australian Government national plans.
International assistance
The Australian Government has the capacity to rapidly deploy humanitarian assistance to countries when they ask for help during crises. Australia’s humanitarian assistance is led by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and focuses on helping communities and governments prepare for, and respond to, disasters.
Where a foreign government requests, or is offered, Australian assistance, the deciding minister is responsible for the costs incurred, including if the minister has agreed to the deployment of state and territory resources. This is the case unless other arrangements are established or specified in an Australian Government national plan listed in Appendix A.