Anthony Albanese has praised "seamless" cooperation with the NSW government as he announced the latest tranche of relief for flood-ravaged residents.
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Australia's largest state is again reeling from devastating flooding - the third such crisis in just two years - with more than 85,000 residents told to evacuate or prepare to leave last week as large parts of Greater Sydney and the Hunter region were engulfed.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday joined NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet to confirm flood payments - already totalling $514 million - will be expanded to cover extra small businesses, local government areas, and primary producers.
And after flood payments became a friction point between the former federal Coalition and NSW governments, Mr Albanese was keen to stress a close working relationship with his state counterpart since replacing Scott Morrison as Prime Minister.
"I'm very pleased that we've had complete cooperation and a seamless relationship between the national government and the NSW government," he said.
"That's what the people of NSW and indeed the people of Australia want to see: governments working together in the interests of the people who we're honoured to represent."
Primary producers will also be eligible for up to $75,000 in recovery grants, with the Commonwealth to cover half the estimated total cost of $55 million. Small businesses will receive grants of up to $50,000, also split between the federal and state government.
Another eight local government areas declared disaster zones will be able to apply for $1 million recovery grants, which Mr Albanese said was "absolutely necessary in order for people to get through what has been an extremely difficult time".
The funding will also include $80 million for an immediate clean-up, which new Labor MP Dan Repacholi, whose electorate of Hunter has been devastated by its third recent flood, said was the immediate priority.
Mr Repacholi told The Canberra Times a number of owners could not fully assess the cost to their business until the clean-up was completed.
"A lot of the primary producers have just finished getting all the fences sorted and having that all done and now they've been hit again," he told The Canberra Times.
Mr Repacholi revealed the latest crisis had prompted a number to consider leaving the area.
"Some of them have said that they can't handle this, and don't want to do it again. Then others have said that they're just going to get on board with it and just do it all again," he said.
Mr Perrottet said it was impossible to put a total figure on the new funding, which would be determined by demand.
Mr Albanese said the priority was ensuring payments were made quickly to those who had "lost everything", but confirmed payments will be retrospectively audited for instances of fraud.
"Whether it's through COVID payments or disaster payments, there are always people who fraudulently put registrations and applications in who are not eligible and that is disgraceful. And if you do that, we will catch you out," Mr Perrottet said.
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The NSW Premier last week said describing recent flood crises as "one-in-100-year" events had become redundant, given their increasing frequency.
Mr Perrottet said he expected to receive the findings of an independent review into the 2021 NSW flood crisis by the end of the month.
"You can't keep doing the same things the same way and expect a different outcome," he said.
"We need to make sure that we can stand here as leaders in a circumstance where an event like this happens in the future - which it will inevitably will - [and say] we have done everything we can to make sure we don't make the mistakes of the past."