Flood victims in Queensland and NSW will have access to mental health support as the federal government warned of long-term trauma from the disaster.
A $31 million mental health package for flood affected communities will include $10 million for the hardest-hit Lismore area specifically.
Health Minister Greg Hunt says the focus of support will be for children through the national youth mental health foundation Headspace.
But there will also be support for adults via the primary health network in each area.
"Any natural disaster can produce deep trauma both temporary and long lasting and so that's why the early action is immensely important," he told reporters in Canberra on Friday.
Learning from the aftermath of the black summer bushfire disaster, Mr Hunt says the government is supporting community-led resilience and recovery programs.
Across the flood-affected zone $3 million in community resilience grants will be made available.
Primary health networks - five in Queensland and five in NSW - will receive $20 million, the bulk of which is intended for psychological therapies.
Mr Hunt says those therapies will provide better access to psychological support for people suffering from trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD or other related conditions.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales has issued a message of support for flood-stricken communities saying he and wife Camilla were "struck by the appalling images".
"These floods, along with the ferocious bushfires in Australia that shocked the world just over two years ago, remind us all that extreme weather events are becoming much more common," Prince Charles said in a statement.
"Climate change is not just about rising temperatures. It is also about the increased frequency and intensity of dangerous weather events, once considered rare."
As the government comes under criticism for its response times in dealing with the flooding crisis, Defence Minister Peter Dutton says ADF troops could not have been deployed faster.
"We had people pre-positioned, we had assets pre-positioned. The planners looked at the circumstances both in Queensland and NSW, they made judgements about where they were moving people to," he told the Nine Network on Friday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said more support would be provided to both states.
Mr Morrison will meet with Governor-General David Hurley later on Friday to advise him on declaring the first national emergency.
The declaration will be made despite Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk indicating the state would not need the measure.
Mr Dutton defended the decision not to declare the national emergency sooner.
"The obviousness that's there now with 20/20 hindsight isn't there in the opening hours," he said.
"They are isolated communities where they don't have telecommunications, they haven't been able to even call the police to report their circumstances or the fire brigade or a rescue organisation like the SES."
The prime minister said there had been a misunderstanding over the impact of the national declaration, which would have nothing to do with the flow of funding.
The national declaration would allow the Morrison government to access stockpiled resources and remove red tape in terms of business and welfare support.
It's the first time such a declaration will be made, with the law only coming into effect in 2020 following the Black Summer bushfires.
Australian Associated Press
