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Frequently asked questions

Primary producer means:

• a sole trader who spends the majority of their labour on, and derives the majority of their income from a primary production enterprise; or
• in relation to a partnership, company or trust that carries on a primary production enterprise, the partners in the partnership, shareholders in the company or beneficiaries of the trust who spend the majority of their labour on, and derive the majority of their income from, the primary production enterprise. 

Yes, if your insurance claim is being delayed, you can apply for a loan to reinstate your business before your claim is finalised. If any expenses included in your loan are later recovered from insurance, QRIDA will require these amounts be repaid to your loan.

No, reduced profit is not an eligible purpose under the Disaster Assistance Loan. 

You are unable to claim the same direct damage expenses via both the Grant and Loan Schemes. However, if the total of your recovery expenditure has exceeded the amount of assistance available via these Schemes, then you can seek loan assistance for the expenses that were not covered by the schemes.

Yes, the cashflow budget template provided by QRIDA is not mandatory. If you have your own cashflow budget template then you are able to provide this to QRIDA as part of your loan application. However, please note that an itemised monthly cashflow is required for all applications, preferably in a financial year (July to June) format.

QRIDA assesses applications based on the future viability of the business with the assistance provided. Security is the second consideration. Preferably security is available over landed assets, however, security over other business assets may be acceptable.

Call QRIDA on 1800 623 946 for assistance with your loan application. Alternatively, your accountant, bank or financial or business advisor may also be able to assist with your application also.

In order to give you the best chance of success, QRIDA needs to understand the historical performance of your business, your current position and your plan moving forward. Without this information, QRIDA would be unable to determine the level of assistance you need and your prospects of returning to a viable business with the assistance provided. 

QRIDA is committed to ensuring due administrative processes are undertaken with the decisioning of applications for Government assistance.

When making decisions on applications, as well as the internal review of a decision, QRIDA follows the QRIDA Decision-Making Policy and Procedure.

You can view this Policy and Procedure on the Reviewing a decision page.

The definition of primary production enterprise has been expanded under the joint Commonwealth-Queensland Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Primary production enterprise now includes businesses that support primary production, thus the income from those services that support primary production such as harvesting and mustering services. 

Other examples include classifications under Australian New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) Division A, Subdivision 05 Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Support Services such as: shearing business, mustering business, silage baling business, farm irrigation services, timber plantation maintenance services.

Income from these types of support services will now be considered primary production income for the purposes of determining eligibility as a primary producer under DRFA schemes. See separate FAQ for the definition of a primary producer under DRFA guidelines.

This change has been applied retrospectively to Queensland's 2025 disaster events and going forward for any future disaster events.

A Disaster Assistance Loan of up to $2,000,000 is available to assist primary production businesses who have experienced direct damage as a result of the Queensland Monsoon Trough, Cyclone Koji, Cyclone Narelle and Severe Weather, commencing 24 December 2025. This loan can be utilised to fund repair and reinstatement costs for your business, and to meet normal operating expenses that the business is unable to meet due to the impact of the disaster event (e.g. lease payments, property rates, creditors).

An Essential Working Capital (EWC) Loan of up to $100,000 is available to assist primary production businesses who have not experienced direct damage as a result of the disaster event but have experienced a negative impact on their normal business cashflow and are consequently unable to meet normal operating expenses (e.g. lease payments, property rates, wages, creditors). For example, a primary production business may be eligible for an EWC Loan if their farms were not physically impacted by the disaster event however the business suffered a significant loss of income throughout the disaster period. The business may not be able to meet normal operating expenses within its existing credit limits. These requirements over and above your existing credit limits can be met by the EWC loan.