This grant supports the recovery of eligible rural landholders and aquaculture producers affected by the NSW East Coast severe weather from 18 May 2025.
Key information
- Status: Open
- Grant amount: Up to $10,000
- Application opened: 4 June 2025
- Application closes: 4 December 2025, 4:00 pm
Program objective
The objectives of the Program are to alleviate personal and financial distress and assist eligible rural landholders who have suffered direct damage to their assets due to an eligible disaster but are ineligible for a Natural Disaster Relief Grant.
The required outcomes of the Program are that eligible rural landholders receive financial assistance to alleviate personal and financial distress after suffering direct damage to their assets due to an eligible disaster.
The scope and types of initiatives the grant opportunity aims at include clean up and repair of buildings, disposing of damaged materials, crops, plants and fields, and helping injured livestock.
Rural landholders in the defined disaster areas (LGAs) listed in the Program Guidelines on the NSW Rural Assistance Authority website may be eligible for the grant.
This program is administered by Rural Assistance Authority.
This program is funded by NSW Reconstruction Authority.
Eligibility
Who can apply
To be eligible for the Rural Landholder Grant, you must meet the eligibility requirements set out in the Program Guidelines and summarised below:
- you are a rural landholder with property of at least 10 hectares, or you hold a Class A Aquaculture Permit authorising an aquaculture lease area of at least 1 hectare
- you have a primary production enterprise with an Australian Business Number (ABN) that was active at the time of the event
- the enterprise is located in an LGA declared under AGRN 1212 and suffered direct damage as a result of the disaster event
- you earn at least $20,000 in gross annual income from primary production
- you do not earn more than $250,000 in combined gross off-farm income as individuals, directors, or shareholders
- you were engaged in carrying on the primary production enterprise when affected by this event
- you intend to re-establish or continue operations within the same LGA
- you do not have gross off-farm assets exceeding $5 million
- your primary production enterprise is not a public company
- you are not eligible for the Natural Disaster Relief Grant.
Types of projects funded under this grant
Grant funds can be used for clean up and recovery expenses, including:
- removal of debris, damaged materials, and deceased livestock
- livestock health maintenance
- repair or replacement of fodder, fencing, and essential water infrastructure
- testing water and soil quality.
What your application needs to include
Applicants will need to complete the online application form and provide the following:
- the most recent year of the applying primary production enterprise’s tax returns, balance sheets and financial statements (including profit and loss statements, stock trading account and depreciation schedules)
- the most recent year of individual tax returns of all members of the primary production enterprise
Note: Tax Assessment Notices are not acceptable.
Note: Remove or redact tax file numbers before submission. - the most recent year of tax returns and financial statements for all related business entities that individual members of the primary production enterprise are involved in, if applicable
- current LGA (council) rates notice(s) and, if available, Local Land Service (LLS) rates for the property(s) where the damage occurred and the work is to be completed
- if applicable, a copy of the Class A Aquaculture Permit under the Fisheries Management Act 1984
- landowner consent if you do not own the land
Note: If the property(s) is leased, a lease covering the property(s) outlining the tenant’s responsibilities is required. - current relevant insurance policy relating to your primary production enterprise, if applicable
Note: Cover notes are excluded. - evidence of the direct damage on your property (at least one and no more than 5 photographs evidencing direct damage)
- confirmation of the primary production enterprise’s bank details, such as the front page of a bank statement showing the account name, BSB, and account number.
Ensure that your documents are scanned individually, as they will need to be uploaded to specific sections throughout the form. Please note that the online form has file size restrictions (approx. 20MB total). For each attachment, please ensure the file size is 2.5MB or less to avoid submission issues.
You can download the full guidelines:
Please refer to the NSW Rural Assistance Authority website for further details.
You can also refer to our Application Tips webpage for clarification regarding the types of documentation required to evidence direct damages.
Prepare your application with this checklist
Before applying you should:
- check that your LGA is eligible for this grant
- download and read the Program Guidelines including the terms and conditions - please note that the guidelines detail eligibility criteria and what you can and cannot apply for
- prepare your supporting documentation, including photographs.
Start the application
Applications for this grant are available via the NSW Rural Assistance Authority website.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: NSW Rural Assistance Authority
The NSW Rural Assistance Authority processes applications in the order they are received and will notify you of your application outcome as soon as possible.
If approved, you can claim payment of up to $10,000 by submitting valid tax invoices and proof of payment for eligible expenses. If you previously provided these documents to verify eligibility in your initial application, you will need to resubmit them as a claim after approval.
Once your application is approved, the RAA will provide detailed information on the claims process.
Support and contact
Website: www.raa.nsw.gov.au
Phone number: 1800 678 593 (free call)
Email: rural.assist@raa.nsw.gov.au
Program evaluation
The Rural Landholder Grant for AGRN 1212 - NSW East Coast Severe Weather will be evaluated as part of a package of programs delivered under the AGRN 1212 - NSW East Coast Severe Weather.
Further information about program evaluation is provided in the Program Guidelines.