We’ve extended the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) period of emergency in parts of Far North Queensland affected by Tropical Cyclone Jasper and subsequent flooding.
The period of emergency now applies from 12 December 2023 to 12 January 2024 in these 5 local government areas:
- Cairns Regional Council
- Cassowary Coast Regional Council
- Cook Shire Council
- Douglas Shire Council
- Tablelands Regional Council.
We continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as required.
Support during the emergency
The following support is available in affected regions during the period of emergency:
- you can continue to get CCS if your service closes as a direct result of the emergency
- you can waive the gap fee if a child doesn’t attend, or your service is closed, during the emergency
- families will get unlimited allowable absences for the duration of the period of emergency.
Read more about support during a period of emergency.
Support after the emergency
The following support may help you recover after an emergency:
- you may be eligible for a Community Child Care Fund special circumstances grant if the emergency threatens your service’s ability to stay open after the event, and you have already accessed other disaster support
- families may be able to access additional absences if they’ve exhausted their allowable absences
- families may be eligible for Additional Child Care Subsidy if they experience temporary financial hardship due to an emergency that happened in the last 6 months.
Read more about support after a period of emergency.
Other disaster support
You may be eligible for other government disaster support:
- The Australian Government provides help for people affected by natural disasters. Learn more on the Services Australia website.
- Your state or territory government may provide additional support in the event of a natural disaster. Find out more at qld.gov.au.