Components

Disaster Assistance (Essential Working Capital) Loan

Disaster Assistance (Essential Working Capital) Loans are available to assist primary producers, small businesses and non-profit organisations with essential working capital for expenses.

Female farmer looking into distance of dry field

Loan features

Loan amount Maximum of $100,000
Loan term Up to 10 years
Interest rate View the relevant interest rates for disaster events on the Interest rate page
Repayments If needed, up to two years interest only may be available
Security A loan under the scheme must be secured by a mortgage of land and other assets satisfactory to QRIDA.
Fees No establishment fees, no account maintenance fees and no fees for early payout.

What assistance is available? 

Concessional loans are provided to assist you with essential working capital for expenses such as: 

  • paying salaries or wages 
  • paying creditors 
  • paying rent or rates 
  • buying goods, including for example, fuel essential to carry on the primary production enterprise 
  • buying fodder or water for livestock or produce 
  • transporting livestock or produce.

Defined disaster area

The Minister for Fire and Emergency Services has activated disaster assistance for primary producers for the following events:

Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, associated rainfall and flooding, 25 January – 26 February 2024 

  • Boulia Shire Council

  • Burdekin Shire Council

  • Burke Shire Council

  • Charters Towers Regional Council

  • City of Moreton Bay

  • Cloncurry Shire Council

  • Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council

  • Etheridge Shire Council

  • Lockyer Valley Regional Council

  • McKinlay Shire Council

  • Mount Isa City Council

  • Richmond Shire Council

  • Townsville City Council

  • Western Downs Regional Council

  • Winton Shire Council

Applications close 31 December 2025.

South Queensland Severe Storms and Rainfall, 24 December 2023 - 3 January 2024

  • City of Gold Coast Council

  • Logan City Council

  • Scenic Rim Regional Council

Applications close 31 December 2025.

Tropical Cyclone Jasper, associated rainfall and flooding, 13 - 28 December 2023

  • Cairns Regional Council

  • Cassowary Coast Regional Council

  • Cook Shire Council

  • Douglas Shire Council

  • Hinchinbrook Shire Council

  • Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council

  • Mareeba Shire Council

  • Tablelands Regional Council

  • Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council

  • Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council

Applications close 31 December 2025.

Northern Queensland Bushfires, 18 October - 8 December 2023

  • Cook Shire Council

  • Mareeba Shire Council

  • Tablelands Regional Council

Applications close 31 December 2025.

Southern Queensland Fires, 8 September - 7 November 2023

To be eligible for assistance your property must be located in one of the defined disaster areas:

  • Bundaberg Regional Council
  • Central Highlands Regional Council
  • Gladstone Regional Council
  • Maranoa Regional Council
  • North Burnett Regional Council 
  • South Burnett Regional Council
  • Southern Downs Regional Council
  • Toowoomba Regional Council
  • Western Downs Regional Council

Applications close 31 December 2025.

Northern and Central Queensland Monsoon and Flooding, 20 December 2022 - 30 April 2023

To be eligible for assistance your property must be located in one of the defined disaster areas:

  • Boulia Shire Council
  • Burke Shire Council
  • Carpentaria Shire Council
  • Cloncurry Shire Council
  • Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council 
  • Mornington Shire Council
  • Mount Isa City Council

Applications close 31 December 2024.

QRIDA administers financial assistance to disaster affected primary producers, businesses and non-profit organisations under the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Apply now

To email your application, please attach documents as a pdf, jpeg, png, doc or excel. Please do not send links. If the file is too large, please send in multiple emails or as a zip file attachment.

If mailing your application, please do not include original documents as we are unable to return them.

Frequently asked questions

View all FAQs

Yes, if your insurance claim is being delayed, you can apply for a loan to reinstate your business before your claim is finalised. If any expenses included in your loan are later recovered from insurance, QRIDA will require these amounts be repaid to your loan.

A Disaster Assistance Loan of up to $250,000 is available to assist primary production businesses who have experienced direct damage as a result of the disaster event. This loan can be utilised to fund repair and reinstatement costs for your business, and to meet normal operating expenses that the business is unable to meet due to the impact of the disaster event (e.g. lease payments, property rates, creditors).

An Essential Working Capital (EWC) Loan of up to $100,000 is available to assist primary production businesses who have not experienced direct damageas a result of the disaster event but have experienced a negative impact on their normal business cashflow and are consequently unable to meet normal operating expenses (e.g. lease payments, property rates, wages, creditors). For example, a primary production businesses may be eligible for an EWC Loan if their farms were not physically impacted by the disaster event however the business suffered a significant loss of income throughout the disaster period. The business may not be able to meet normal operating expenses within its existing credit limits. These requirements over and above your existing credit limits can be met by the EWC loan.

Yes, the cashflow budget template provided by QRIDA is not mandatory. If you have your own cashflow budget template then you are able to provide this to QRIDA as part of your loan application. However, please note that an itemised monthly cashflow is required for all applications, preferably in a financial year (July to June) format.

Primary producer means:

  • a sole trader who spends the majority of their labour on, and derives the majority of their income from a primary production enterprise; or
  • in relation to a partnership, company or trust that carries on a primary production enterprise, the partners in the partnership, shareholders in the company or beneficiaries of the trust who spend the majority of their labour on, and derive the majority of their income from, the primary production enterprise. 

In order to give you the best chance of success, QRIDA needs to understand the historical performance of your business, your current position and your plan moving forward. Without this information, QRIDA would be unable to determine the level of assistance you need and your prospects of returning to a viable business with the assistance provided. 

Exceptional Disaster Assistance Loans, Disaster Assistance Loans or Extraordinary Bushfire Assistance Loans are available to the primary production business entity and not to each farm making up the business.

Freecall 1800 623 946 for assistance with your loan application. Alternatively, your accountant, bank or financial or business advisor may also be able to assist with your application also.

QRIDA assesses applications based on the future viability of the business with the assistance provided. Security is the second consideration. Preferably security is available over landed assets, however, security over other business assets may be acceptable.

Loan features 

Loan amount Maximum of $100,000
Loan term Up to 10 years
Interest rate View the relevant interest rates for disaster events on the Interest rate page
Repayments If needed, up to two years interest only may be available.
Security A loan under the scheme must be secured by a mortgage of land and other assets satisfactory to QRIDA.
Fees No establishment fees, no account maintenance fees and no fees for early payout.

What assistance is available? 

Concessional loans are provided to assist you with essential working capital for expenses such as: 

  • paying salaries or wages 
  • paying creditors 
  • paying rent or rates 
  • buying goods, including for example, fuel essential to carry-on the small business.

Defined disaster areas

The Minister for Fire and Emergency Services has activated disaster assistance for:

South Queensland Severe Storms and Rainfall, 24 December 2023 - 3 January 2024

  • City of Gold Coast Council

  • Logan City Council

  • Scenic Rim Regional Council

Applications close 31 December 2025.

Tropical Cyclone Jasper, associated rainfall and flooding, 13 - 28 December 2023

  • Cairns Regional Council

  • Cassowary Coast Regional Council

  • Cook Shire Council

  • Douglas Shire Council

  • Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council

  • Mareeba Shire Council

  • Tablelands Regional Council

  • Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council

  • Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council

Applications close 31 December 2025.

Southern Queensland Fires, 8 September - 7 November 2023

To be eligible for assistance your property must be located in one of the defined disaster areas:

  • Western Downs Regional Council

Applications close 31 December 2025.

Northern and Central Queensland Monsoon and Flooding, 20 December 2022 - 30 April 2023

To be eligible for assistance your property must be located in one of the defined disaster areas:

  • Boulia Shire Council
  • Burke Shire Council
  • Carpentaria Shire Council
  • Cloncurry Shire Council
  • Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council 
  • Mornington Shire Council
  • Mount Isa City Council

Applications close 31 December 2024.

QRIDA administers financial assistance to disaster affected primary producers, businesses and non-profit organisations under the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Apply now

To email your application, please attach documents as a pdf, jpeg, png, doc or excel. Please do not send links. If the file is too large, please send in multiple emails or as a zip file attachment.

If mailing your application, please do not include original documents as we are unable to return them.

Frequently asked questions

View all FAQs

A Disaster Assistance Loan of up to $250,000 is available to assist primary production businesses who have experienced direct damage as a result of the disaster event. This loan can be utilised to fund repair and reinstatement costs for your business, and to meet normal operating expenses that the business is unable to meet due to the impact of the disaster event (e.g. lease payments, property rates, creditors).

An Essential Working Capital (EWC) Loan of up to $100,000 is available to assist primary production businesses who have not experienced direct damageas a result of the disaster event but have experienced a negative impact on their normal business cashflow and are consequently unable to meet normal operating expenses (e.g. lease payments, property rates, wages, creditors). For example, a primary production businesses may be eligible for an EWC Loan if their farms were not physically impacted by the disaster event however the business suffered a significant loss of income throughout the disaster period. The business may not be able to meet normal operating expenses within its existing credit limits. These requirements over and above your existing credit limits can be met by the EWC loan.

Freecall 1800 623 946 for assistance with your loan application. Alternatively, your accountant, bank or financial or business advisor may also be able to assist with your application also.

QRIDA assesses applications based on the future viability of the business with the assistance provided. Security is the second consideration. Preferably security is available over landed assets, however, security over other business assets may be acceptable.

Yes, the cashflow budget template provided by QRIDA is not mandatory. If you have your own cashflow budget template then you are able to provide this to QRIDA as part of your loan application. However, please note that an itemised monthly cashflow is required for all applications, preferably in a financial year (July to June) format.

You are unable to claim the same direct damage expenses via both the Grant and Loan Schemes. However, if the total of your recovery expenditure has exceeded the amount of assistance available via these Schemes, then you can seek loan assistance for the expenses that were not covered by the schemes.

In order to give you the best chance of success, QRIDA needs to understand the historical performance of your business, your current position and your plan moving forward. Without this information, QRIDA would be unable to determine the level of assistance you need and your prospects of returning to a viable business with the assistance provided. 

Yes, if your insurance claim is being delayed, you can apply for a loan to reinstate your business before your claim is finalised. If any expenses included in your loan are later recovered from insurance, QRIDA will require these amounts be repaid to your loan.

No, reduced profit is not an eligible purpose under the Extraordinary Bushfire Assistance Loan. 

Loan features

Loan amount Maximum of $100,000
Loan term Up to 10 years
Interest rate View the relevant interest rates for disaster events on the Interest rate page
Repayments If needed, up to two years interest only may be available.
Security A loan under the scheme must be secured by a mortgage of land and other assets satisfactory to QRIDA.
Fees No establishment fees, no account maintenance fees and no fees for early payout.

What assistance is available?

Concessional loans are provided to assist you with essential working capital for expenses such as: 

  • paying salaries or wages 
  • paying creditors 
  • paying rent or rates 
  • buying goods, including for example, fuel essential to carry-on the non-profit activities.

Defined disaster areas

The Minister for Fire and Emergency Services has activated disaster assistance for:

South Queensland Severe Storms and Rainfall, 24 December 2023 - 3 January 2024

  • City of Gold Coast Council

  • Logan City Council

  • Scenic Rim Regional Council

Applications close 31 December 2025.

Tropical Cyclone Jasper, associated rainfall and flooding, 13 - 28 December 2023

  • Cairns Regional Council

  • Cassowary Coast Regional Council

  • Cook Shire Council

  • Douglas Shire Council

  • Mareeba Shire Council

  • Tablelands Regional Council

  • Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council

  • Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council

Applications close 31 December 2025.

Northern and Central Queensland Monsoon and Flooding, 20 December 2022 - 30 April 2023

To be eligible for assistance your property must be located in one of the defined disaster areas:

  • Boulia Shire Council
  • Burke Shire Council
  • Carpentaria Shire Council
  • Cloncurry Shire Council
  • Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council 
  • Mornington Shire Council
  • Mount Isa City Council

Applications close 31 December 2024.

QRIDA administers financial assistance to disaster affected primary producers, businesses and non-profit organisations under the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Apply now

To email your application, please attach documents as a pdf, jpeg, png, doc or excel. Please do not send links. If the file is too large, please send in multiple emails or as a zip file attachment.

If mailing your application, please do not include original documents as we are unable to return them.

Frequently asked questions

View all FAQs

Yes, if your insurance claim is being delayed, you can apply for a loan to reinstate your business before your claim is finalised. If any expenses included in your loan are later recovered from insurance, QRIDA will require these amounts be repaid to your loan.

A Disaster Assistance Loan of up to $250,000 is available to assist primary production businesses who have experienced direct damage as a result of the disaster event. This loan can be utilised to fund repair and reinstatement costs for your business, and to meet normal operating expenses that the business is unable to meet due to the impact of the disaster event (e.g. lease payments, property rates, creditors).

An Essential Working Capital (EWC) Loan of up to $100,000 is available to assist primary production businesses who have not experienced direct damageas a result of the disaster event but have experienced a negative impact on their normal business cashflow and are consequently unable to meet normal operating expenses (e.g. lease payments, property rates, wages, creditors). For example, a primary production businesses may be eligible for an EWC Loan if their farms were not physically impacted by the disaster event however the business suffered a significant loss of income throughout the disaster period. The business may not be able to meet normal operating expenses within its existing credit limits. These requirements over and above your existing credit limits can be met by the EWC loan.

Yes, the cashflow budget template provided by QRIDA is not mandatory. If you have your own cashflow budget template then you are able to provide this to QRIDA as part of your loan application. However, please note that an itemised monthly cashflow is required for all applications, preferably in a financial year (July to June) format.

Primary producer means:

  • a sole trader who spends the majority of their labour on, and derives the majority of their income from a primary production enterprise; or
  • in relation to a partnership, company or trust that carries on a primary production enterprise, the partners in the partnership, shareholders in the company or beneficiaries of the trust who spend the majority of their labour on, and derive the majority of their income from, the primary production enterprise. 

In order to give you the best chance of success, QRIDA needs to understand the historical performance of your business, your current position and your plan moving forward. Without this information, QRIDA would be unable to determine the level of assistance you need and your prospects of returning to a viable business with the assistance provided. 

You are unable to claim the same direct damage expenses via both the Grant and Loan Schemes. However, if the total of your recovery expenditure has exceeded the amount of assistance available via these Schemes, then you can seek loan assistance for the expenses that were not covered by the schemes.

QRIDA assesses applications based on the future viability of the business with the assistance provided. Security is the second consideration. Preferably security is available over landed assets, however, security over other business assets may be acceptable.

Primary producer Business Non-profit organisation
Loan
Northern and Central Queensland Monsoon and Flooding, 20 December 2022 - 30 April 2023 Southern Queensland fires, 8 September - 7 November 2023 Northern Queensland Bushfires, commencing 18 October 2023 Tropical Cyclone Jasper, associated rainfall and flooding, 13 - 28 December 2023 South East Queensland Severe Storms and Rainfall, 24 December 2023 - 3 January 2024 Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, associated rainfall and flooding 25 January – 26 February 2024

Last updated: 08 March 2024