The period of emergency applies from 1 to 8 July for families and services in the following Local Government Areas:
Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury Bankstown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Fairfield, Georges River, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Kiama, Lithgow, Liverpool, Northern Beaches, Penrith, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Sutherland, The Hills, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Wollongong, and (unincorporated territory) Jervis Bay.
Sector-specific support
When we declare a period of emergency:
- services can get Child Care Subsidy if they close as a direct result of the emergency during the period of emergency
- services can waive gap fees if a child doesn’t attend or their service is closed during the period of emergency
- children will get extra absences for the duration of the period of emergency.
Full details of this support are available on our help in an emergency page.
Other government support
Services in affected areas may also be eligible for other government support:
- The Australian Government provides payments and help for people affected by natural disasters. Services can find out if they’re eligible for support on the Services Australia website.
- The New South Wales Government has support for individuals and businesses impacted by a natural disaster. Find information on the NSW Government website.
- The Community Child Care Fund (CCCF) special circumstances grant helps services stay open when something unexpected happens, such as an emergency. Affected services can apply on our website. Applicants should request funding after an event has occurred and they have accessed other disaster support.
- Affected families may be eligible for extra help with the cost of child care through the Additional Child Care Subsidy (temporary financial hardship). Families must apply directly to Centrelink.
We continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as required. Please watch our emergency support by region page for updates.