Dear Neighbour,

I want to thank each and every one of you for helping create such an incredible community. We supported neighbours, friends and vulnerable residents both in preparation and in the aftermath across the ward.  

I want to thank local community groups West End Community Association (WECA), Resilient Kurilpa, Community Plus, KP Transport Action Group, Kurilpa Futures and P&Cs across the ward. For their work in being invaluable sources of communication and support.

I want to particularly highlight that when the State Government and Council failed to protect our most vulnerable residents, those sleeping rough or needing refuge, Micah Project and Emmanuel Mission stepped up with care and compassion. Thank you!

I want to thank community members who supported both these organisations, through the steady stream of donations and time. 

While we escaped the worst possible outcome, there are still residents across the ward who are without power or with cleanups ahead. Please have a chat with your neighbours and see if anyone needs a helping hand. Of course, reach out to me also if you need a hand!!

I really hope my special cyclone newsletters have been helpful, but I am sure you’ve heard enough from me for now. After this newsletter, I will return to regular scheduled broadcasts (monthly newsletter  updates).

Special Kerbside Collection

Council is offering a special kerbside collection for homes affected by ex-Cyclone Alfred. This service is available for hard rubbish that has been damaged by flooding, rain, or wind during the recent weather event. If you have items that need to be collected, please contact my office as soon as possible with your address details – street number, street name, and suburb – so we can arrange for the collection.

Please note that the kerbside collection will take place on Monday, 17th of March, so it's important to contact us promptly to ensure your items are included in this special collection. I will be sending the Council a list of streets at midday on Friday.

I apologise for the urgency - I was only informed this afternoon of the process to ensure Kerbside collection occurs. 

I’ve already been made aware that the following streets within the Gabba Ward need kerbside collection:

• Drury St, West End
• Cornwall St, Woolloongabba
• Pearson St, Kangaroo Point

How to safely dispose of sandbags

Reminder, empty sandbags should be placed in the general waste bin. Do not empty sand or place full sandbags in your general waste bin. 

Some ideas for how you can dispose of sand within sandbags locally:

• Reach out and potentially donate to a local community garden, sand can help improve drainage and prevent soil compaction 
• Reach out and potentially donate to a local sporting team to use on their field (it can improve sand, drainage, aeration, and soil structure)
• Add sand to your lawn, it can be used as top dressing, can improve drainage and leveling. 

Important: Sandbags that have come into contact with floodwaters or are no longer required can be disposed of at one of Council’s four resource recovery centres. However, this is not a free service. More info available here.

QLD State Government Assistance

The QLD State Government has confirmed that all suburbs across the Brisbane LGA will be eligible for disaster relief grants and payments. 

The payments that have been activated at a QLD State Government level are:

• Emergency Hardship assistance grant - for help with essential needs, food, medication, clothing and temporary accommodation. $180 for individuals up to $900 for families of 5 or more.
• Essential Services Hardship Assistance - for help with essential services such as power, gas, water, and sewage. This grant is only active after 5 days without services.
• Essential Household Contents Grant - for help to replace essential lost household contents, such as bed linen and white goods. (Note: There are strict assessment requirements for this grant).
• Essential Services Safety and Reconnection Scheme - to help with safety inspections and repairs to reconnect essential services, e.g. gas, water, electricity and sewage. (Note: There are strict assessment requirements for this grant).
• Structural Assistance Grant - help with structural repairs or contribution towards replacement of dwelling. (Note: There are strict assessment requirements for this grant).

To find out more about which QLD State Government grants are available to you, please go here.

There is also the Sport and Recreation Disaster Recovery Program which provides up to $5,000 (ex GST) for not-for-profit sport & recreation organisations to re-establish their facilities & activities.

Federal government financial assistance

Eligible Brisbane residents can now claim the Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) through Centrelink.

The DRA is a short-term income support payment which can be paid to those who can demonstrate that their income has been directly affected by the cyclone or flooding. To be eligible for the Disaster Recovery Allowance, your income must have fallen below the average Australian weekly income as a result of the cyclone or flooding.

The easiest way to claim the DRA is online through myGov. You can also claim via Centrelink’s Emergency information line - 180 22 66, Monday to Friday 8 am - 5 pm.

More information on how to claim is available here.

Our federal MP Max Chandler-Mather has urged the Federal government to activate the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) as a matter of urgency. Max has also called for this payment to be doubled, to help struggling individuals and families across the impacted region.

Parking Enforcement is back

Council resumed its usual parking enforcement activities from Wednesday this week. Please reach out to my office if you received a parking fine between Wednesday 5 March to Tuesday 11 March and we will support you to dispute it.

Temporary waste hubs

Brisbane City Council has established over 190 temporary waste bin sites across the city. Please use this map to find your closest waste hub. 

Residents who have missed their usual bin collection day or have spoiled food as a result of power loss are urged to use these locations as a matter of priority. Council will be monitoring each location and placing new bins as needed.

Buses and trains back - ferries still suspended

All Brisbane buses and trains are now running on a full weekday timetable. Ferries are still suspended due to debris on the Brisbane River. You can track what services have outages on the Translink website.

Story Bridge Footpath Closures

The Story Bridge footpaths have been closed while Council does a structural assessment of the structures. The footpaths were added onto the bridge after the bridge was built, which is why the road opened before the footpaths.

I am advocating for the investigation to be expedited. The Story Bridge is a key pedestrian and cycling corridor so it should be a top priority for Council.

Free disaster legal advice

For the next couple of weeks, Caxton Legal Centre is offering a disaster rapid response service for people impacted by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Things they can help with include:

• property damage
• Insurance
• Utilities
• domestic family violence & mistreatment of older people
• work issues
• financial hardship
• trees & fences
• government service access
• Discrimination

Please call 1800 407 506 or 3214 6333 for the Disaster Legal Helpline. For seniors, please call 1800 954 494 or (07) 3187 7187.

Legal Aid Queensland is also providing free legal help to anyone affected by the flooding and severe weather. Legal problems stemming from the disaster might include:

• insurance claim issues or refusals
• temporary housing issues 
• financial hardship 
• family law issues 
• other legal problems caused by a disaster

Call Legal Aid Queensland’s Disaster Legal Hotline on 1300 527 700 or check out the resources online. 

In thanks and gratitude,
Trina