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October 2022 Victorian floods commencing (AGRN 1037) - DRFA information

More DRFA information

Important

Information on this page is for delivery agencies (local councils, catchment management authorities and state agencies).

If you are an individual seeking information and support after the recent bushfires, please go to:

January 2026 Victorian bushfires.

On this page

This page provides information about assistance available under the DRFA for the Victorian floods in October 2022 (AGRN 1037).

If you require further assistance, please contact the Natural Disaster Financial Assistance (NDFA) team via ndfa@justice.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window)

Last updated: 13 January 2026.

Support documents you may need to refer:

Guideline 1 - Claims and eligibility for essential public assets - February 2026 Word 21.15 MB (opens in a new window)

Guideline 3 - Claims and eligibility for early relief and recovery activities and counter disaster operations - February 2026 Word 670.65 KB (opens in a new window)

Fact sheet 1 - Claims and eligibility for essential public assets - February 2025 Word 98.56 KB (opens in a new window)

Councils can now claim costs associated with the use of day labour under the Victorian DRFA

For eligible DRFA events occurring from 6 October 2022, in addition to the previously eligible expenditure relating to overtime and external plant hire, a delivery agency can now also claim the normal hours salary and wages for staff (known as day labour) and delivery agency-owned plant and equipment costs that are directly engaged in the delivery of eligible Emergency Works or Immediate Reconstruction Works activities.

Eligible expenditure for day labour

Direct salary and wages (including overtime) for physical work activities undertaken and associated salary on-costs. Eligible physical works activities includes direct labour, supervision and project management of the works, over the period that the eligible works were undertaken.

Plant and equipment costs pro-rated for the period of that the eligible activities were undertaken:

Ineligible expenditure

Evidence required to claim day labour eligible expenses

In addition to the existing Category B requirements for Emergency Works and Immediate Reconstruction works, listed below is the supporting documentation that will be required. All direct costs must be claimed on a per asset basis:

The delivery agency is able to claim day labour expenses incurred for Emergency works in the V Form B-EW claim form and for Immediate works in the V Form C-IR claim form.

Delivery agencies are to engage with their assigned assessor when preparing a day labour claim to agree on the methodology and rates before submitting the claim for assessment.

List of local councils notified for assistance under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA)

There are 63 local government areas and one alpine resort that have been particularly impacted by the storm and flood event. Those notified for assistance under the DFRA are:

Note: Additional LGAs may be added to the Commonwealth notification as LGAs advise of impacts.

October 2022 Flood Recovery clean-up program

The Victorian Government has announced that they are providing $150 million towards a coordinated clean-up program for the hardest hit areas of the October floods.

The clean-up program will assess damage to structures and provide detailed assessment reports. This program also offers the option of demolition for eligible structures that are damaged beyond repair.

Johns Lyng Group is the lead contractor for the clean-up program in partnerships with local councils. They will work to remove debris and hazards from nature strips, and collect rubbish in affected areas.

For more information or to register, please visit the Emergency Recovery Victoria website or call Emergency Recovery Victoria on 1800 560 760(opens in a new window)

To support councils in managing the flood related debris our Clean-up of debris page outlines what elements of flood clean up can be claimed through the normal Category A and B DRFA process and what elements are able to be claimed under the recently announced October 2022 Flood Recovery Clean-up program.

The Council Flood Support Fund has also been established as an initial measure to provide immediate payments to local government areas that have experienced the most significant flood damage. Please visit the Council Flood Support Fund(opens in a new window) website for more details.

Required DRFA supporting documentation

What supporting documentation will be needed if using contract building surveyors and/or environmental health officers to complete secondary impact assessments?

Invoices provided to councils by contractors will need to clearly state that the work undertaken relates to " Victorian Floods commencing 06 October 2022 (AGRN 1037)" and outline that the work is associated with completing damage assessments on private properties.

The claim will need to include:

Invoices for works conducted up until 30 June 2023 will need to be lodged by 31 July 2023.

For more information on damage assessments please refer to:

For more information on supporting documentation required for contractors please see refer to:

What pre-condition evidence will a council need to provide?

Pre-disaster condition supporting documentation is required to establish a basis that the damage sustained was a direct result of an eligible event.

No pre-disaster condition assessment is required when submitting an emergency works claim.

For Immediate and Reconstruction works the pre-disaster condition of an essential public asset can be demonstrated through one or more of the following means:

For more information, please see Damage Assessments for Essential Public Assets in Victorian DRFA Guideline 1.

What can a council do if the area they are photographing is remote and there is limited GPS capability to capture metadata?

Photographic supporting documentation is required to support a councils DRFA claim and show the extent of the damage to an eligible asset. Ideally a photo or video will include geospatial metadata of longitude, latitude and the date taken, as this is considered the strongest form of evidence to demonstrate post-disaster damage.

If the geospatial metadata can not be embedded in the photo, the council is to raise this concern with their assessor from Regional Roads Victoria who can verify the location of the damaged asset during a site visit. Photos will still be required with the location identified. The Department of Transport Assessor will verify this location during claim assessment and recommendation.

When taking post-disaster photos, it is important to consider:

What to avoid:

For more information on photo requirements, please see Damage Assessments for Essential Public Assets in Victorian DRFA Guideline 1.

Council resourcing

How can a council seek approval for a Flood Recovery Support Officer Position Description to assist with undertaking eligible activities under Categories A and B?

The process for a council to seek approval for an additional position to assist with eligible activities under the DRFA is to contact their Department of Transport assessor, who will review the request and provide recommendations back to the NDFA team for approval of the role and activities.

Each activity to be included in this role will need to tie back to an eligible activity under Category A and/or B, for example:

For further information, please refer to:

What will a council need to provide if they have shared staff with another impacted council?

Use of other council’s staff to assist with relief and recovery activities

A disaster affected council (Council 1) can use the workforce of another non-disaster affected council (Council 2) in the same way they would engage an external contractor to undertake eligible DRFA works, on the following basis:

Should a council use other non-disaster affected council staff to assist with eligible relief and recovery activities following a DRFA disaster:

  1. The impacted Council 1 should provide a purchase order and engagement agreement from Council 1 to Council 2, that is, an email trail requesting or agreeing to provide additional staff on particular dates for an eligible activity, for example, manning a relief centre.
  2. Council 2 should provide the corresponding invoice to Council 1 for services provided and include supporting documentation outlining the dates, and the activities undertaken by those particular staff.

For further information, refer to Victorian DRFA Guideline 3.

Note: a non-disaster council may also only be minorly impacted by these Victoria floods commencing 6 October 2022 and may have capacity to assist a more severely impacted council.

Can council staff claim expenses incurred while travelling to and from recovery centres (and other sites) with their private vehicles to assist with emergency works?

Private vehicle usage is eligible to be claimed under the DRFA.

Supporting documentation is required, such as:

For more information, refer to Victorian DRFA Guideline 3.

Can council seek reimbursement for costs associated with the purchase of road closure signs if they are unable to be hired?

If equipment such as road closure signs (for example, “water over roads”) are unable to be hired and are required to be purchased, impacted councils may claim the cost of the purchase as an eligible expense so long as the purchase amount is less than that of the hire cost.

Appropriate evidence would need to be provided to demonstrate this is the most cost effective solution. If the purchase cost is more than the hire cost, the impacted council is able to claim equivalent hire costs for the equipment including operational costs if not covered by the hiring arrangement. If that equipment is issued in subsequent DRFA notified disasters, operating costs (for example, fuel, transportation) will be considered as eligible expenses.

DRFA allowable time limits

What is the process if a council has identified that they are unable to complete emergency or immediate works required within the 3 month time period allowed?

A council will need to discuss with their Assigned Assessor from Department of Transport if they are concerned whether the works required will not be completed within the 3 month period post access to the asset.

Step 1

An asset is determined as accessible when:

Step 2

The council in consultation with their assessor are to complete a Request for an Extension of time period for Emergency and Immediate Works form 2 weeks prior to the end of the allowable time period.

Step 3

The NDFA team will review the extension of time request and discuss the outcome with the assessor who will discuss the outcome with the council.

For more information, please refer to Emergency Works, Immediate Reconstruction works and Essential Public Assets Reconstruction work in Victorian DRFA Guideline 1.

Fallen or damaged trees

How can councils claim contractor costs to manage residential trees that are threatening to fall on properties?

Councils are required to provide supporting documentation that can clearly demonstrate how the debris is impacting the household’s ability to return to live in their home. Supporting documentation must be provided for each residential property where works are to be carried out.

Supporting documentation could include:

Where photos or information on the actual property address is not available, documentation could include:

For more information, refer to Victorian DRFA Guideline 3.

The diagram below shows:

The above diagram refers to the clean-up works undertaken by councils. However, for areas where a state coordinated clean-up has been announced to collect flood debris and waste from kerbsides (nature strips) or nominated locations, impacted residents are being advised to contact their local council to request waste collection assistance.

Waste may include:

For more information on the Flood Clean-Up Program, please visit the Emergency Recovery Victoria website.

What can council include in their DRFA claim if a gum tree is damaged but has not fallen down?

As the tree is still standing, the council will need to demonstrate that the tree:

An arborist assessment and report is required to identify the address, hazard, cause, risk and recommended treatment. Photos of the tree and its likely impact on property if it were to fall should be included.

Once the above requirements are met, council can engage a contractor to remove the trees and seek to claim reimbursement through the DRFA.

For more information, refer to Victorian DRFA Guideline 3.

What can council do if there is a tree that has fallen into private land?

Some costs for removal of debris and temporary repairs to dwellings are eligible under DRFA, providing the following can be demonstrated:

The following are not eligible under DRFA:

For more information, refer to Victorian DRFA Guideline 3.

Replacement of fencing on a road reserve is not considered an eligible cost under the DRFA.

For more information about removal of trees please refer to the question below.

For further information about assets that are not eligible under the DRFA, please refer to the Emergency Works section in Victorian DRFA Guideline 1.

Which flood and storm damaged trees on a road are eligible to be included?

Councils can claim costs associated with the removal of trees from eligible roads if:

Eligible roads include:

Ineligible roads include:

The diagram below shows how a council can determine if a fallen tree is impacting on an essential public asset. The diagram shows:

For more information on the types of emergency works, please refer to the Emergency Works section in Victorian DRFA Guideline 1.

For further details on eligible and ineligible assets, please refer to Definition of Essential Public Assets in Victorian DRFA Guideline 1.

Can a council claim for clearing fire access tracks?

Fire access trails or fire access tracks are ineligible for any type of works under the DRFA.

Please refer to Definition of Essential Public Assets in Victorian DRFA Guideline 1 for examples of assets that are not eligible.

What happens if a subsequent weather event causes further damage to the area before the council can finish the clean up?

The NDFA team will review situation reports to determine if the 2 events are linked under the same weather system and whether or not they will be combined under one Australian Government Reference Number (AGRN).

The NDFA team will provide updates to councils and Department of Transport as this work progresses.

Removal of debris on impacted residential properties including flood waste collection points/landfills

To support councils in managing the flood related debris our Clean-up of debris page outlines what elements of flood clean up can be claimed through the normal Category A and B DRFA process and what elements are able to be claimed under the recently announced October 2022 Flood Recovery Clean-up program.

The Council Flood Support Fund has also been established as an initial measure to provide immediate payments to local government areas that have experienced the most significant flood damage. Please visit the Council Flood Support Fund(opens in a new window) website for more details.

On 18 October 2022, the Environment Protection Agency announced that there will be no waste levy or gate fees at landfills accepting flood-affected waste from impacted local government areas until 31 December 2022.

Councils are able to offer a free flood waste collection point at their local Waste Centre and claim their costs under Category A of the DRFA (the net cost of the EPA waste levy/gate fee charge at these waste collection points), but the Council will need to be able to demonstrate that the debris being claimed for are directly associated to the floods as opposed to normal collection of household and/or green waste from residents.

When lodging a claim councils need to record the actual address (at minimum street level address) from which the debris came from in an impacted local government are.

If councils have not recorded sufficient details councils will need to work with their Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) assessor to determine an apportionment approach.

Apportionment takes into account, normal household debris or flood related debris coming from other areas within the impacted local government area. This would involve evidence demonstrating the land use of the affected area (% of the township/community that is residential, parks/gardens/reserves or commercial).

The % relating to parks/gardens/reserves or commercial is not eligible under Category A of the DRFA and will be considered ineligible for reimbursement. The claim is only to be for the direct cost incurred and not capture any indirect costs and margins.

Councils will need to provide:

Councils are required to provide the following supporting documentation when seeking reimbursement for costs associated with the removal of debris from within the residential footprint of impacted private properties:

Where council staff have undertaken the clean-up works, councils should provide approved timesheets/payroll reports/email trails that details the role and location of the employee undertaking these clean up works relating to the overtime being claimed for that employee.

Should flood mapping be unavailable, other information can be used including but not limited to the following:

For areas where a state coordinated clean-up has been announced to collect flood debris and waste from kerbsides (nature strips) or nominated locations, impacted residents are advised to contact their local council to request waste collection assistance.

Waste may include:

For more information on the Flood Clean-Up Program, please visit the Emergency Recovery Victoria website.

Can a council claim costs associated with a skip placed on an impacted street for residents to place their flood debris into?

Yes, councils can seek reimbursement where they choose to provide a skip service on impacted streets so that impacted households can place their flood debris into. This includes a council engaged contractor undertake the works on private properties, or a council using their existing kerbside contractors to collect the additional flood debris on nature strips.

Councils are required to provide the following supporting documentation when seeking reimbursement for these costs including:

Where councils are using existing their kerbside contractors for additional services to collect flood debris in impacted areas, councils will need to provide the following supporting documentation when seeking reimbursement for these costs:

For areas where a state coordinated clean-up has been announced to collect flood debris and waste from kerbsides (nature strips) or nominated locations, impacted residents should contact their local council to request waste collection assistance.

Waste may include:

For more information on the Flood Clean-Up Program, please visit the Emergency Recovery Victoria website.

Relief and recovery

Can councils provide food to community members through their community houses, community hubs or drop-in centres? How long can a council continue to provide this service?

The costs of food is eligible to be claimed under Category A for the establishment of a relief and or recovery centre.

Impacted councils can choose to use a community house, community hub or drop-in centre in the same function as a relief and recovery centre.

The DRFA claim will need to be supported with the following supporting documentation:

For more information, refer to Relief and Recovery Expenditure in Victorian DRFA Guideline 3.

A council has been holding a community debrief in a relief hub which may or may not transition to a recovery hub. Is this activity eligible?

A community relief hub is considered to be operating as a recovery centre and eligible costs will be able to be claimed under Category A of the DRFA however, please note that not all impacted councils will need a community relief hub or recovery centre to be established.

For more information, please refer to Relief and Recovery Expenditure in Victorian DRFA Guideline 3.

As the damage has occurred as a direct result of providing emergency assistance to impacted individuals (via the operation of community hubs and drop-in centres which are acting as relief centres), this is eligible as a counter disaster operation under Category A of the DRFA.

For more information, refer to Relief and Recovery Expenditure in Victorian DRFA Guideline 3.

Other

Can council organise a specialised pump truck or purchase portable generators to support residents with maintaining their septic systems that have been flooded in the event?

Cleaning and refilling residential septic tanks to make them operational, is eligible under Category A: Counter Disaster Operation of the DRFA, therefore the Council can hire or externally contract in resources for this activity.

The purchase of equipment is ineligible under the DRFA. However, where equipment (such as emergency generators) are required to be purchased as they are unable to be hired, and the purchase amount is less than that of the hire cost, impacted councils may claim the cost of the purchase as an eligible expense.

Appropriate evidence would need to be provided to demonstrate this is the most cost effective solution. If the purchase cost is more than the hire cost, the impacted council is able to claim equivalent hire costs for the equipment including operational costs if not covered by the hiring arrangement. If that equipment is issued in subsequent DRFA notified disasters, operating costs (fuel, transportation) will be considered as eligible expenses.

Impacted residents may be eligible to apply for an emergency generator. For more information visit the Victorian Energy website

For further information, refer to Counter Disaster Operations in Victorian DRFA Guideline 3.

Can councils claim costs associated with sandbagging and/or the construction of portable levees/ flood barriers to prevent inundation of residential properties or a central business district under Categories A and B of the DRFA?

Yes, Councils can claim costs associated with sandbagging and/or the construction of portable levees/flood barriers to prevent inundation of residential properties under Category A: Counter Disaster Operations of the DRFA. Decommissioning costs are also eligible for reimbursement.

Councils can also claim costs associated with sandbagging (including the hiring of machines to fill sandbags necessary to prevent damage to communities, such as, to protect residential areas, public schools and public hospitals) and/or the construction/decommissioning of portable levees/ flood barriers to prevent inundation of central business districts or parts of towns under Category B: Counter Disaster Operations of the DRFA.

Supporting documentation could include:

For more information, refer to Victorian DRFA Guideline 3.

Is there any assistance available for councils to claim costs not covered under the DRFA?

Yes, support has been made available by Local Government Victoria under a Council Flood Support Fund(opens in a new window) to provide immediate payments of $500,000 to impacted local government areas that have experienced the most profound flood damage.

This funding will ensure those councils have the immediate funding they need to start clean-up activities, and importantly help restore local facilities and services that are the lifeblood of regional communities, like sports clubs and community centres.

Clean-up activities supported through the fund include the collection and removal of debris deposited on council parks, reserves and community assets, transportation costs, staffing and restoration of community services.

Councils should refer to the Local Government Victoria website(opens in a new window) for more information.

How can council notify Emergency Management Victoria that they have been impacted by the recent storm event?

Complete the Notification of an Event form for the event ‘Victorian Floods commencing 06 October 2022'

Submit the form by emailing it to ndfa@justice.vic.gov.au (opens in a new window) as soon as possible.

Safety & emergencies

Updated 15 January 2026

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