The Premier’s Natural Disaster Recovery Fund

Small Businesses

To be an eligible small business, the following criteria must be met: 

• held a valid and active ABN at the time of the event. 

• was operating and located primarily within the Local Government Areas of Exmouth, Ashburton, Carnarvon, Shark Bay, Upper Gascoyne or Murchison during the time of the disaster. 

• has no more than 20 FTE employees. 

• provides a direct service to the local community. 

• The place of business is not already the subject of an existing application for Impacted Entities for this disaster through the Fund.   

The following assessment criteria will be used:

• place of operation has been impacted by the disaster.

• business has premises, material or property that requires cleaning or immediate repairs to continue operating (as a direct result of the disaster), and / or

• business needs (as a direct result of the disaster) to hire or replace equipment to continue operating.

Community Service Organisations

To be an eligible community service organisation, the following criteria must be met: 

• holds charitable or not for profit status. 

• was operating and located primarily within the Local Government Areas of Exmouth, Ashburton, Carnarvon, Shark Bay, Upper Gascoyne or Murchison during the time of the disaster. 

• provides a direct service to the local community. 

• The premise is not already the subject of an existing application for Impacted Entities for this disaster through the Fund. 

The following assessment criteria will be used:

• place of operation has been impacted by the disaster

• community service organisation has premises, material or property that requires cleaning or immediate repairs to continue operating (as a direct result of the disaster), and / or

• organisation needs (as a direct result of the disaster) to hire or replace equipment to continue operating

Applicants may be eligible for a payment of $5,000.

All applicants to the Premier’s Natural Disaster Recovery Fund are only eligible to apply once per round, unless your business or community service has multiple locations that have been impacted by this disaster. You may be eligible for a payment for each location. You will need to submit a separate application for each location. 

Applications open Sunday 12^th April 2026.

The Local Government Areas of Exmouth, Ashburton, Carnarvon, Shark Bay, Upper Gascoyne or Murchison.

If your business or community service has multiple locations that have been impacted by this disaster, you may be eligible for a payment for each location. You will need to submit a separate application for each location. 

If your business or community service has multiple locations that have been impacted by this disaster, you may be eligible for a payment for each location. You will need to submit a separate application for each location. 

The Premier’s Natural Disaster Recovery Fund is separate to the Cyclone Narelle Tourism Business Support Package that was recently announced by the State Government. The Business Support Package is being administered by Tourism WA. Small businesses may be eligible to apply for both, and receiving a payment from the Premier’s Natural Disaster Recovery Fund does not make you ineligible for the Business Support Package.

The Premier’s Natural Disaster Recovery Fund (the Fund) is a collaboration between Lotterywest, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Department of Fire Emergency Services, Department of Communities, the Australian Red Cross (Red Cross) and the Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS) on behalf of the Western Australian State Government.  

The Fund will provide financial support to eligible individuals, households, local small businesses and community groups facing ongoing disruption and losses as they recover from natural disasters. The Fund will help bridge the gap of existing support mechanisms funded through Local, State and Commonwealth Government allocations, by tailoring support to the needs of the specific community and assessing applications and allocating funds in a timely manner. 

The Premier’s Natural Disaster Recovery Fund (Impacted Entities) payments are available to support local small businesses and community organisations whose place of business was damaged by Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle and Associated Flooding. The payment is intended to contribute to the costs associated with stabilising property to allow for continued operation.  

The Premier’s Natural Disaster Recovery Fund is not intended to cover lost income.

When applying to the Fund, you will be required to provide a brief description of how the funding will be spent. Possible answers include (but are not limited to) equipment and materials to undertake clean-up; carting away damaged goods and material, including cost of disposal; payment for trades people to conduct safety inspections; essential repairs to premises and internal fittings (e.g. floor covering, electrical rewiring, shelving); purchase or hire/lease costs for equipment essential to the immediate resumption of trading; replacement of stock which is essential to the immediate resumption of trading. 

A locally relevant entity that exists to serve and engage with the local community. This could be a formal not-for-profit, a grassroots organisation or an informal volunteer network that has systems for managing activities and communications effectively and an established governance structure.  

A commercial organisation that holds a valid and active ABN at the time of the event and employs fewer than 20 full time equivalent staff. That is, the sum total of all standard hours worked by all employees (whether full-time or part-time) is less than the number of standard hours which would be worked by 20 full time employees, as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

WACOSS will administer the Premier’s Natural Disaster Recovery Fund payments to community organisations and local small businesses. You can contact WACOSS by: 

Email: [email protected] 

Phone: 0492 889 432 

Please visit the Red Cross page here: https://www.redcross.org.au/recoveryfundwa/ 

You may be eligible for both components of the Premier’s Natural Disaster Recovery Fund. You will need to submit a separate application to Australian Red Cross for the household, and to WACOSS for the small business or community service. 

Visit the Department of Fire and Emergency Services Recovery page here: Cyclone Narelle Recovery – Emergency WA Warnings & Incidents 

An applicant who is dissatisfied with WACOSS’ handling of an application may lodge a complaint by emailing: [email protected] 

The complaint will be considered internally by a WACOSS officer who is independent from the original process. The applicant will receive a response from WACOSS within 3 business days. 

The grant is open to all small businesses that meet the eligibility requirements, including sole traders. 

To be eligible for the Fund, a small business must have no more than 20 employees at the time of the application submission. That is, the sum total of all standard hours worked by all employees (whether full-time or part-time) is less than the number of standard hours which would be worked by 20 full time employees, as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

To assist in validating the eligibility of the application, including providing evidence that the business was trading at the time of Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle, and to protect the program from fraud, it is important that we receive an unredacted copy of a recent bank statement. The account information on the bank statement must be that of the small business or community service organisation applying. 

If your application is successful, you will be notified by email. The grant payment will be paid directly into your business or organisation account within 10 business days, as provided in your application.  

If WACOSS determines, following a review of the scheme, that: 

• the applicant did not at the time of making of the application, or at the time of payment, satisfy the Eligibility Criteria under the Scheme 

• there is insufficient evidence to verify that the applicant satisfied the Eligibility Criteria for a payment under the Scheme at the time of making of the application or at the time of payment; or 

• the applicant made or provided any incomplete, false, misleading or deceptive representation or information. 

WACOSS may in writing require the applicant to repay any payment or part thereof paid to the applicant within 30 days and the applicant must pay to WACOSS that required amount together with all costs incurred by the WACOSS arising from, or in connection with, recovery of that required amount. The obligation for an Applicant to repay a required amount to the WACOSS represents a debt due and payable by the Applicant to the WACOSS. 

Applicants are advised that funding received from the fund may have taxation implications. If you have any concerns you should seek independent taxation and financial advice from a suitably qualified professional before submitting your application. 

In addition to your application answers, small business applicants will need to upload the following evidence:

• Evidence of number of full-time equivalent employees.
• A recent bank account statement for the business.
• Evidence the business was trading prior to the disaster event.
• If the person completing the application is not the Senior Leader of the business, a letter from the Senior Leader granting the appropriate authority will be required. Please see template here.
• Photographs demonstrating the physical damage to the business premises or property caused by the disaster event.

In addition to your application answers, community service organisation applicants will need to upload the following evidence:

• Photographs demonstrating the physical damage to the organisation premises or property caused by the disaster event.

• A recent bank account statement for the organisation.

• Evidence the organisation was operating prior to the disaster event.

• If the person completing the application is not the Senior Leader of the organisation, a letter from the Senior Leader granting the appropriate authority will be required. Please see template here.

• Evidence of your not-for-profit status.

Yes, you must use the SmartyGrants portal to apply for the Fund. 

Further assistance with SmartyGrants can be found at the SmartyGrants Applicant FAQs page. 

If you have access requirements, please reach out using the below contact information so we can support you.  

Email: [email protected] 

Phone: 0492 889 432 

Make sure you have saved and appropriately named copies of all supporting documents required for your application. The maximum file size allowed is 25MB per file. There is no restriction to the number of files you may upload as evidence in support of your application. Documents can be provided in PDF, JPG or PNG formats. Documents will not be accepted if they are redacted or in any way designed to mislead. Please note that excel spreadsheets and hand-written ledgers are not accepted. 

At the appropriate stage in the application process, via the SmartyGrants website, you will be prompted to upload the required documents from your device. It is recommended you do this from a desktop device rather than a mobile phone.  

Yes. When you start a submission to the Fund you will receive an email including your submission number. To view and continue your submission you may log in at https://wacoss.smartygrants.com.au/applicant/login. 

You may log in to your SmartyGrants account at any time to view and download your submission. Visit https://wacoss.smartygrants.com.au/applicant/login and click ‘My Submissions’. 

Once you have submitted your application, it cannot be amended unless the form is reopened by WACOSS. Please contact us on the below details if you wish to make an amendment to your application. 

Email: [email protected] 

Phone: 0492 889 432 

Once submitted, you will receive an email from SmartyGrants confirming your submission has been received. It will also include a copy of your submission as an attachment. 

You may log in to your SmartyGrants account at any time to view and download your submission. Visit https://wacoss.smartygrants.com.au/applicant/login and click ‘My Submissions’. 

You have the ability to delete in-progress applications only. To do this, log in to your SmartyGrants account at https://wacoss.smartygrants.com.au/applicant/login and click ‘My Submissions’. 

Applications with a submitted status cannot be deleted through SmartyGrants. You will need to contact WACOSS directly via the below details. 

Email: [email protected] 

Phone: 0492 889 432 

After an application is withdrawn, you may request to reinstate it by contacting WACOSS again on the above details. 

To avoid delays or missed opportunities, we strongly encourage applicants to ensure their submission is complete and accurate the first time, including all relevant supporting information. 

It is the applicant’s responsibility to read the Fund guidelines and application form closely, and to answer all questions completely and correctly. If we find an error or something missing, we may ask you for clarification or more information. 

WACOSS will administer the Premier’s Natural Disaster Recovery Fund payment to community organisations and local small businesses. You can contact WACOSS by: 

Email: [email protected] 

Phone: 0492 889 432 

Please be assured we are working hard to assess applications and thank you for your patience. 

You will be contacted by a member of our team if any additional information is required, or to be notified whether your application has been approved or declined.  

We will respond to any enquiries within 3 business days.

If your application is successful, you will be notified by email. 

If your application is unsuccessful, you will be notified by email. 

An applicant can appeal the funding decision within 30 days of notification that their application was unsuccessful. In doing so, the applicant is required to set out clearly why they believe the decision to decline their application is incorrect. The review will be undertaken by an officer independent of the original assessment. Appeals should be directed to: [email protected]