The New South Wales and federal governments have announced a range of measures, including one-off payments and increased allowances, to inject cash into the pockets of people hit by the floods in the state's north.
Premier Dominic Perrottet announced that families with school-aged children in seven flood-affected Local Government Areas will receive $500 per child to assist with the cost of replacing school supplies.
Teachers will also be eligible to receive $1,000 to help replace teaching supplies as part of the $67 million package.
Accompanying the Premier on a visit to Wardell, south of Ballina, Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the state government was still finalising how the payments would be made and what expenses would be covered.
Ms Mitchell said the cash for families may come in the form of reimbursements for costs already paid or as vouchers to businesses to help replace school uniforms, bags and supplies.
She said the cash could also be given directly to schools to cover the costs of excursions and extracurricular activities.
"I expect there will be a localised approach to this," Ms Mitchell said.
"We have staff, we have students who have literally lost everything.
"Some have lost everything at home and at school, and that's why we want to work really closely with our principals as we roll our packages out."
Trainees and apprentices will also be eligible for $500 grants to replace their trade supplies.
Grants of $30,000 will be available for early childhood services that have not been eligible for small business or federal government support already on offer.
While some schools in the region remain closed due to flood damage, Mr Perrottet said in-person learning remained a priority.
"Our kids, during this pandemic, many have lost so many hours in terms of face-to-face learning and we can't underestimate the impact that will have," Mr Perrottet said.
"We've got to be putting as much as we can in terms of resourcing to make sure our kids get the best education because that's going to set us up for future success."
Federal cash boost
Local federal Nationals MP Kevin Hogan said an ongoing allowance for people affected by the region's floods was set to double.
The Disaster Recovery Allowance provides an ongoing payment for 13 weeks for people whose income has been affected by a disaster.
Mr Hogan has previously lobbied for a JobKeeper-style payment to support flood-affected businesses and employees.
He said the Disaster Recovery Allowance would increase to about $700 a week from this Friday, roughly equivalent to a JobKeeper amount.
"JobKeeper was much broader — this is a targeted payment to people who can't go to work because their business is not open," he said.
"I thought it was very important that amount be increased, because it was going to go on for a longer time than normal.
Mr Hogan said the federal government was also prepared to assist the NSW government with the $20,000 home repairs scheme that was announced yesterday.
The federal government was criticised during the announcement of the scheme for not contributing.
Mr Hogan said he had been assured the Commonwealth was prepared to chip in.
"I got a commitment out of the Prime Minister last week that we would partner in [the Back Home grant scheme], so those discussions are ongoing," he said.
"I know there’s an offer on the table to the states that we would partner them in that."
The announcement follows NSW Liberal MP Catherine Cusack's accusation that Prime Minister Scott Morrison had been playing politics with disaster relief funding for flood victims.
Ms Cusack previously announced her resignation from parliament over her frustration with flood relief funding, which she said had led to people in crisis being "categorised according to politics".
The Prime Minister's Office has been contacted for a response.
Teacher shortages an ongoing concern
Mr Perrottet said the state government was continuing to tackle staff shortages in the education, healthcare and trade sectors.
He said the state's record-low unemployment rate was "hiding the fact" that were labour shortages "across the board".
The state government previously announced that teacher numbers at 33 flood-affected schools on the North Coast would be locked in for the rest of the year, regardless of enrolment numbers.
Student numbers typically dictate how many staff each school is eligible for, but enrolments across the region are fluctuating because many families have been forced to move while they rebuild their homes.
