Howard announces cash help for cyclone victims

Prime minister John Howard toured cyclone-shattered regions of northern Australia today and announced a multi-million dollar package of low-interest loans and tax-free grants to help farmers and small businesses begin rebuilding.

Howard said he could not say how much the package would cost, but said “some thousands” of businesses and farmers would be eligible for grants of 10,000 Australian dollars (€5,900) to help with the clean up and low-interest loans of up to €117,000.