Australian PM Offers an Extra $20 Million Support Package for Storm-Battered Queenslanders

‘We’re here to say that we’re putting our shoulder to the wheel to make sure that can be done.’

People watch the storm roll in across the Coral Sea as Cyclone Jasper approaches landfall in Cairns in far north Queensland on December 13, 2023. A tropical cyclone was building strength as it rolled towards northeastern Australia on 13 December, with authorities warning "life-threatening" floods could swamp coastal regions for days. (Photo by Brian CASSEY / AFP) Photo by BRIAN CASSEY/AFP via Getty Images

More funding is on the way for Queenslanders already reeling from wild weather including millions of lightning strikes.

The prime minister flew into the Gold Coast on Jan. 9 to announce another A$20 million (US$13.39 million) in financial assistance for the state’s southeast as the full extent of its storm damage was revealed.