Essential Service Outage Grants

Overview

The Essential Service Outage Grant provides financial assistance to low-income households in the Dolphin Sands area who experienced a prolonged outage (5 days or more) of an essential service due to the December 2025 bushfire emergency.

The grant helps with additional costs caused by the outage, such as food, water and extra travel.

What you can get

Eligible applicants may receive:

• $250 per adult (18 years and over)
• $125 per child (under 18 years)
• up to a maximum of $1,000 per family/household.

Eligible locations

This program is only open to households whose principal place of residence is located in:

• Dolphin Sands and surrounding areas

Who can apply

You may be eligible for this grant if you meet all of the following:

• You can provide proof of identity.
• Your main home is in the eligible location.
• You meet the income limit (based on the Low Income Health Care Card threshold, with a safety margin).
• You experienced a power, water or sewerage outage for 5 days (120 hours) or more due to the bushfire emergency.
• You have not received an Emergency Assistance Grant (EAG) for the same event.

Full eligibility details are available in the Guidelines.

How to apply

Applications are submitted through the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s grants management system, SmartyGrants.

• If you have applied for emergency grants before, log in using your existing SmartyGrants account.
• New users will need to create a SmartyGrants account before starting an application.

Supporting documents

• Fact Sheet (PDF, 138.30 KB)
• Guidelines (PDF, 234.5 KB)

SmartyGrants technical assistance:

• Phone: 03 9320 6888
• Email: service@smartygrants.com.au
• Technical help guide for applicants