A new jointly funded package from the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments will give Victorian small and medium businesses the extra support and confidence they need to recover from the most recent lockdown.
New cash payments will underpin businesses most affected by the lockdown introduced to eradicate the deadly Delta strain of coronavirus that has re-emerged in Victoria.
Recognising the heavy toll on businesses across the state, a $400 million package jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments will provide automatic payments to almost 100,000 eligible businesses, including sole traders, to ensure funds are distributed quickly.
Further hardship funds will be made available to eligible businesses that do not qualify for existing programs.
The new package follows the $400 million Commonwealth-State injection announced last week and builds on more than $950 million in support grants paid by the Victorian Government into the bank accounts of Victorian businesses since June.
Five key elements make up the support package to help businesses deal with ongoing public health restrictions.
Eligible workers across the state who lose hours due to the lockdown will be eligible for support through the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 Disaster Payment, as will businesses that do not qualify for Victorian Government support programs because they are not registered for GST.
The COVID-19 Disaster Payment payments will be administered through Services Australia, with Victoria assuming responsibility to fund payments in areas that have not been declared a hotspot by the Commonwealth.
Business Costs Assistance Program
Under the new State-Commonwealth business support package confirmed today, more than 90,000 businesses will be automatically paid a Business Costs Assistance Program Round Three grant of $2,800 – an allocation of $266 million.
Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund
New payments of $5,000 to $20,000 will be made to more than 8,900 hospitality venues across Victoria that received funding support from the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund through the May/June and July lockdowns. Payments will be automatic and graded by venue capacity to a total of $68.8 million.
Alpine Business Support Program
Alpine businesses will receive between $5,000 (off-mountain) and $20,000 (employing businesses, on mountain) under a $10.6 million extension of the Alpine Business Support Program.
Small Business COVID Hardship Fund
Some $54 million will be added to the Small Business COVID Hardship Fund announced last week, allowing grants of up to $8,000 to be paid to small businesses that are not eligible for support under existing programs and have experienced a 70 per cent reduction in turnover. There is no current page on the Victorian Business website for this fund, please check their Grants & Programs page regularly for the latest updates.