Lockdown Relief Payments ii
Following on from our newsletter last week regarding government support for lockdowns (click here), there have been some further expansion of the support. Below is a brief summary of support available per state:
Australia Wide
COVID-19 Disaster Payment
If a state public health order for COVID-19 adversely affects you, Services Australia provides a support payment. This weekly payment helps if you can't earn an income because of a COVID-19 lockdown. Note: Small business previously not eligible due to not being registered for GST can apply for this payment.
You are eligible if:
you can’t attend work and have lost income because of COVID-19 restrictions
you can't access appropriate paid leave entitlements from your employer
you’re not receiving an income support payment, a state or territory pandemic payment, Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment or state small business payment for the same period.
The payment is:
$600 each week ($750 from 2nd Aug) if a person has lost 20 hours or more of work a week, or
$375 each week ($450 from 2nd Aug)
The new payment rate will commence for payments processed the week commencing 2 August. The payment will be automatically updated for those already in the Services Australia system.
Victoria
Business support payment
Businesses that successfully applied for the Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two (from the May/June 2021 lockdown) will automatically receive a top-up payment of $4800.
Businesses that are eligible for this Program will also receive an additional:
$5000 if they remain impacted by capacity limits from 28 July, including gyms, cafes, restaurants and hairdressers
$2000 if they are in the Melbourne CBD.
Businesses that successfully applied for the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund 2021 (from the May/June 2021 lockdown) will automatically receive a top-up payment of $7200.
Businesses not eligible for the any existing Victorian Government COVID-related grants, will now be eligible for grants of up to $5000. To be eligible, they must also have a payroll of up to $10 million and experienced a 70 per cent or greater decline in revenue.
Businesses that didn't previously apply or have become eligible to apply for the Business Cost Assistance Program or the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund 2021, can apply for July lockdown support payments.
Micro businesses that aren't eligible for state government business support payments because they're not registered for GST can apply to Services Australia for the COVID-19 Disaster Payment. The Victorian Government will establish a concierge service to help these businesses access this support.
There is also additional financial support for Alpine businesses, public event organisers and suppliers and live performers and their suppliers.
Find out more
New South Wales
The NSW Government has announced several grants to help businesses, sole traders and not-for-profits impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions.
Digital Service Providers Australia and New Zealand (DSPANZ) has several resources to help businesses to determine if they're eligible for grants or payments under the NSW COVID-19 support packages.
Find out more
South Australia
COVID-19 Business Support Grant: July 2021
Grants of $3000 for employing businesses and $1000 for non-employing businesses are available for businesses whose turnover has declined by at least 30 per cent because of the COVID‑19 health restrictions that began in the week commencing 20 July 2021.
To be eligible, a business must meet all the stated criteria at the start of the restriction period of 12:01am Tuesday 20 July 2021.
Official grant guidelines and an application portal will be made available shortly.
Western Australia
Small Business Lockdown Assistance Grant
Eligible businesses will receive a grant of $3000. Eligible businesses must meet all the criteria below when the lockdown began on 29 June 2021. The business must:
be located within Western Australia
have an annual turnover of at least $75,000 and be registered for GST
have a valid and active ABN
have an Australia-wide payroll of less than $4 million in the 2019-20 financial year
have suffered a financial loss as a direct result of the lockdown period, such as the loss of perishable goods or incurred costs associated with cancelled bookings, or experienced at least a 30 per cent week-on-week reduction in turnover due to restricted trading conditions
be primarily operating in an industry significantly impacted by the lockdown, including hospitality and tourism.
Applications close 31 August 2021.
As always, please contact our office if you require assistance.