The government has announced a range of payments and assistance to help businesses and employees affected by the current lockdown.
The NSW Government has announced a comprehensive economic support package worth billions of dollars aimed at helping businesses and people right across the state fight through the current COVID-19 lockdown. The business grants program announced two weeks ago has been expanded, with grants between $7,500 and $15,000 available to eligible businesses with annual wages up to $10 million. To apply click here.
A new grant program has also been introduced for smaller micro businesses with turnover between $30,000 and $75,000.
Thousands of employees will also be protected with NSW committing half of a new $2.1 billion business and employee support program to be delivered together with the Commonwealth.
Businesses will benefit from payroll tax waivers of 25 per cent for businesses with Australian wages of between $1.2 million and $10 million that have experienced a 30 percent decline in turnover.
Residential tenants will have greater protection with a targeted eviction moratorium.
Key components of the 2021 COVID-19 package include:
- An extension to the previously announced business grants program.
- This means eligible businesses with Australian wages below $10 million can claim grants between $7,500 and $15,000 to cover the first three weeks of restrictions, and takes the potential size of the program to $2.1 billion; up to $2 billion committed to the scheme to provide cashflow support to businesses to help them retain staff, to be delivered together with the Commonwealth.
- A new grants program for micro-businesses with a turnover of between $30,000 and $75,000 which experience a decline in turnover of 30 per cent. The businesses will be eligible for a $1500 payment per fortnight of restrictions.
- Introduction of legislative amendments to ensure a short-term eviction moratorium for rental arrears where a residential tenant suffers loss of income of 25 per cent due to COVID-19 and meets a range of criteria.
- No recovery of security bonds, or lockouts or evictions of impacted retail and commercial tenants prior to mediation;
- $12 million in additional funding for temporary accommodation for those at risk of or experiencing homelessness, and
- $5.1 million in NSW funding to support mental health.
Here is more of an overview of what is available:
- The support package will see an increase in the COVID-19 Disaster Payment from week four of a lockdown and a 50/50 cost sharing arrangement between the Commonwealth and the NSW Government for a new and expanded small to medium business support package, implemented and administered by NSW. This level of support will apply nationally to any state or territory that experiences an extended lockdown beyond week three following the declaration of a Commonwealth hotspot.
The Commonwealth will enhance and expand the support available to NSW and other states that experience an extended lockdown. The Commonwealth will:
- From week four of a lockdown because of a Commonwealth declared hotspot, the COVID-19 Disaster Payment will increase from $500 to $600 each week if a person has lost 20 hours or more of work a week or $325 to $375 each week if a person has lost between 8 and 20 hours of work.
- Make the COVID-19 Disaster Payment a recurring payment for approved recipients for as long as the Commonwealth declared hotspot and lockdown restrictions remain in place.
To make a claim click here. This will remove the need for recipients to re-claim for each seven day period of a lockdown. - From 18 July 2021 the COVID-19 Disaster Payment will be available to those outside Commonwealth declared hotspots in NSW that meet the criteria for the payment. To make a claim, click here.
- From week four of the lockdown, the Commonwealth will fund 50 per cent of the cost of a new small and medium business support payment to be implemented and administered by Service NSW. Eligible entities will receive 40 per cent of their NSW payroll payments, at a minimum of $1500 and a maximum of $10,000 per week.
- The Commonwealth and NSW governments will deliver a $17.35 million mental health support package for NSW including:
– A boost for crisis and mental health services including for Lifeline, free 24 hour support via Sonder and counselling for perinatal depression and anxiety;
– Funding for mental health support for vulnerable and culturally and linguistically diverse communities
– Assistance for young people through headspace, Kids Helpline and the Butterfly Foundation.