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The management and staff of Gordon Mendes Accounting & Business Services hope that our clients and their families are safe following the devastating floods that have swept across much of Queensland over recent weeks.

We understand many homes and households have been affected with flooding and loss of valued personal possessions.   We also understand that many of our clients who conduct a business may accrue losses for sometime into the future.

Both state and federal governments have announced various undertakings to provide financial support to households and small business to enable reconstruction and rebuilding of business.   At Gordon Mendes we encourage anyone who has been affected and who are likely to suffer any losses as a result of flooding to make enquiries to the following agencies to determine the financial support that is available to suit their circumstances:

                Centrelink            Phone    1802266                                 www.centrelink.gov.au

                QRAA                    Phone    1800 623 946                         www.qraa.qld.gov.au

                Flood Recovery Centre                  Ph            1800 173 349

                Insurance Council of Australia     Ph            1300 728 228

Recovery Tips:

·          Contact your insurer as soon as possible before authorising repairs;

·          Do your best to dry out your home/business premises – keep it ventilated to minimise mould;

·          Keep a list of damaged possessions, plant and stock, perishables, and take photographs where possible;

·          Record the make and model number of electrical items and plant;

·          Don’t be concerned if insurance documents or bank records have been lost or damaged due to flooding.   Insurance companies and banks keep records electronically;

·          Those businesses affected by failed computer servers, lost business revenues and delayed salaries should approach their financial institution for help.   Most financial institutions and banks have made announcements in the press offering relief packages to those affected by flooding and facing hardship;

·          Owners of rental properties affected by flooding should contact the Flood Recovery Centre;

·          Please record all damage no matter how small before beginning cleanup or removing debris. This will assist in the claim process.

·          Log additional labour hours accrued by staff including time cleaning up

·          Log employee and business expenses and collate receipts relating to the loss event

·          Diarise events related to the loss and its impact on your business

·          Log phone calls and discussions with customers and suppliers with regard to disrupted operations

There is relief for Queenslanders facing immediate financial losses, and Gordon Mendes Accountants encourage our clients to contact Centrelink and QRAA for advice on the relief packages available to households and small business.

The ATO has issued advice of an automatic deferral of the lodgement and payment date for December monthly activity statements originally due 21 January 2011 to 21 February 2011. You do not need to apply for a deferral , and if later deferrals have already been granted, these still apply.   In the mean time, if you have been affected by the floods and receive any correspondence from the ATO that you are not ready to deal with, contact us or the ATO directly, as the ATO has issued advice of a willingness to make special arrangements for you.   These concessions will apply to residents and businesses in Queensland, the Tweed area of north-east New South Wales, or any of the other flood affected postcodes identified on the ATO website.

In the event financial statements are required to support any application for assistance, Gordon Mendes Accountants will provide the necessary service to our clients.

Sincerely

Gordon Mendes Accounting and Business Services.