Support for local councils after a disaster

Exemption from the waste levy 

Following a natural disaster, councils can request an exemption from the waste levy by contacting the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

Assistance is only provided to eligible local councils following the declaration of a natural disaster by the NSW Government.

The waste must be the result of a natural disaster within an area listed by the natural disaster declaration.

To request an exemption visit the EPA website or email waste.levydata@epa.nsw.gov.au.  

Restoring essential assets

Local councils can find information on how to restore essential public assets that have been damaged due to a natural disaster by contacting the NSW Reconstruction Authority at:ReconstructionCoordination@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au 

Find more information about how disaster assistance functions and is funded:

• NSW Natural Disaster Essential Public Asset Restoration Guidelines (PDF 1.41MB)*
• the Australian Government's Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements
• NSW Disaster Assistance Guidelines 2021 (PDF 871.81KB).

*Where the NSW Natural Disaster Essential Public Asset Restoration Guidelines 2018 makes reference to an “administering agency”, please consider this to be the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) until a new set of guidelines is published.  From 1 October 2025, RA is the sole NSW Government agency that administers and assesses claims for restoration of essential public assets.