NSW and Victorian Assistance Package details
Due to deteriorating conditions in both States, the Governments of both have announced the following major assistance packages Basically the Federal Government will meet Income assistance and States will administer business assistance.Federal Government:
The Federal government has announced it will up disaster relief payments by between $50 and $100, meaning eligible individuals will now be offered $375 or $600 per week for lost work as a direct result of the lockdown.Although the increase comes in response to the situation in NSW, the Prime Minister confirmed that like all pandemic support, this new sum will be available to all jurisdictions that find themselves in the same predicament: extended lockdown.
This will now include Victoria.
These payments will be available across NSW and Victoria for the duration of the lockdown
How to apply:
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/covid-19-disaster-payment
NSW Government:
Support for Businesses:
If you’re a business, sole trader or not-for-profit organisation impacted by the current Greater Sydney COVID-19 restrictions, you may be able to apply for a grant of up to $15,000 from 19 July 2021.The grant can be used for business expenses such as rent, utilities and wages, for which no other government support is available.
Three different grant amounts will be available depending on the decline in turnover experienced during the restrictions:
$7,500 for a decline of 30% or more
$10,500 for a decline of 50% or more
$15,000 for a decline of 70% or more.
As for businesses, a job-saving measure will be funded in conjunction with the NSW government, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledging a direct payment to help boost cash flow and ensure employers don’t have to lay off staff during this lockdown.
Applications for the new cash flow boost payment — coined “JobSaver” — will open from 26 July, with eligibility requirements expected to be published this week.
Announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week, the JobSaver initiative will provide businesses between $1,000 and $10,000 a week to help them retain employees.
Eligible businesses must have an annual turnover between $75,000 and $50 million and demonstrate a 30 per cent decline in turnover compared with an equivalent two-week period in 2019.
Micro-businesses with a turnover between $30,000 and $75,000 can also expect support of up to $1,500 per fortnight. Eligibility requirements will be provided this week, with applications to open in late July.
The cash-boost grants are similar to the $20,000 to $100,000 payments offered to small and medium businesses in March last year to help employers fund staff and bills.
For more details see this terrific table:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-07/COVID-19-support-package-summary.pdf
And for more detailed points:
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/covid-19-business-support-2021
There are however still some unknowns
- Where the individual operates a business through an entity and they receive a wage are they able to double-dip through both the NSW Government and the Federal Government offerings? The table refers only to micro businesses with turnover between $30,000-$75,000, as being prevented from double dipping.
- Is the test for an employer ONLY that they maintain their headcount, or does it revolve around maintaining equivalent pre COVID hours as well for the purposes of remuneration. As far as the all-important turnover tests, businesses must prove they have suffered a decline in turnover over a minimum two-week period from 26 June 2021 to 26 July 2021 compared with the same period in 2019.
- If aggregated turnover includes JobKeeper – which I think it does
- If the decline in turnover excludes JobKeeper – which I think is correct too
- The rules around businesses that only commenced after say 1st July 2020