CLOSING FRIDAY 13 AUGUST – Victorian Government Business Costs Assistance

The Victorian Government’s Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two July Extension gives eligible businesses that had not previously applied for the Program in June, or have since become eligible, with the opportunity to apply for the equivalent of the July Top-Up Payments.

The program offers grants of $4800 to eligible businesses, including employing and non-employing businesses, depending on their industry sector. Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm on Friday 13 August.

Eligibility

  • Your business must hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) and have held that ABN on and from 15 July 2021.
  • Your business must be registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) on 15 July 2021
  • Your business must operate in an eligible sector listed in the eligible ANZSIC classes for this program.
  • Your business must have incurred direct costs because of the restrictions and cannot fully operate remotely.
  • Your business must not have received a grant from the Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two or the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund 2021.

The Victorian Government is also accepting applications for the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund 2021 July Extension. This program provides eligible businesses that did not apply for the program in June 2021 with the opportunity to apply for $7200 in support. Liquor licensees holding an eligible liquor licence will be invited to apply by Business Victoria.

Businesses may be eligible for other assistance through other Victorian Government programs, including:

  • If you are a sole trader or microbusiness seeking information or advice about COVID-19 support, you can call the dedicated Concierge Service for assistance.
  • The Partners in Wellbeing Helpline (1300 375 330) is a confidential, one-on-one service providing support for small business owners and employees through trained wellbeing coaches, financial counsellors and business advisors.
  • The Small Business COVID Hardship Fund and the reintroduced Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme will also both be available soon. Subscribe to the Business Victoria Update newsletter for updates on these and other business support programs.

Individuals who have lost hours or income may also be eligible for financial support through the Commonwealth Government’s COVID‑19 Disaster Payment.

Victorian Government’s Business Costs Assistance programs now open

The Victorian Government has launched a new round of grants for eligible small to medium businesses, including employing and non-employing businesses impacted by the recent restrictions in Victoria.

The Business Costs Assistance program offers grants of up to $5,000 to eligible small and medium businesses, including employing and non-employing businesses. The grants will support businesses in eligible sectors directly impacted by restrictions.

To be eligible, businesses must:

  • operate in an eligible sector listed in the list of eligible ANZSIC classes for this program
  • have incurred direct costs because of the restrictions and cannot fully operate remotely
  • have an annual Victorian payroll of up to $10 million in 2019-20 on an ungrouped basis
  • have been registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Thursday 27 May 2021
  • hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) and have held that ABN at Thursday 27 May 2021
  • be registered with the responsible Federal or State regulator.

Employing businesses must also:

  • be registered with WorkSafe Victoria
  • attest that the business is supporting its workers to access any paid leave entitlements, or that if a person can work from home, to work from home during the circuit breaker action, and supporting their casual workers, where possible.

The Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund offers grants of $3,500 for businesses with a premises in regional Victoria and $7,000 for businesses with a premises in metropolitan Melbourne. This Fund will be available to eligible liquor licensees operating a restaurant, hotel, café, pub, bar, club, or reception centre that is registered to serve food and alcohol.

  • Eligible liquor licensees with an eLicence email address will receive an email containing their grant application link from Business Victoria from Thursday 3 June 2021.
  • Liquor licensees without an eLicence email address must set one up on their Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation Liquor Portal by 20 June 2021 to receive their grant application link from Business Victoria within five business days

Full eligibility criteria for both the Business Costs Assistance Program and Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund can be found on the links above, along with details on which industries are eligible and how to apply. Applications are open until 11:59pm on 24 June 2021.

Please reach out to your Local Business Concierge if you need additional information on these programs.

Circuit Breaker Action: Victorian Government’s Business Support Package

Victoria’s business community has been greatly impacted by the global pandemic.

To help businesses manage this impact, the Victorian Government has announced a further $143 million package to support eligible businesses impacted by the circuit breaker action to limit the spread of COVID-19. Visit the Business Victoria website for the most up to date information on this support package.

There are four initiatives available for eligible businesses as part of this support package:

Business Costs Assistance Program

The new Business Costs Assistance Program helps eligible businesses with costs incurred as a result of the circuit breaker action.

For example, businesses may have incurred costs through loss of perishable food or produce and cancelled bookings.

Eligible businesses with an annual payroll of up to $3 million can receive a one-off grant of $2000, whether they have employees or not.

Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund – Circuit Breaker Action Payment

Eligible businesses who received a grant through the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund will receive a further one-off payment of $3000 to help with costs incurred as a result of the circuit breaker action. Businesses that receive this payment will not be eligible to receive a grant from the Business Costs Assistance Program.

Victorian Accommodation Support Program

The new Victorian Accommodation Support Program is an expansion of the Regional Tourism Accommodation Support Program and includes tourist accommodation premises in Greater Melbourne. This will support accommodation providers whose bookings were cancelled due to the circuit breaker action to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The $16.2 million Program supports tourism accommodation providers with a grant of one of two tiers of support for those with demonstrated booking cancellations between Friday 12 February and Wednesday 17 February 2021:

  • Tier 1: Funding of $2250 (ex GST) per Accommodation Premises experiencing 10 or fewer cancelled nights.
  • Tier 2: Funding of $4500 (ex GST) per Accommodation Premises with 11 or more cancelled nights.

The Victorian Accommodation Support Program will open soon. Register your interest in this program now.

Travel Voucher schemes

Two travel voucher schemes will encourage Victorians to travel across the state, as our tourism industry recovers from the impacts of COVID-19 and bushfires.

The schemes include:

 

New fact sheet on extended supports for Victoria’s small business tenants

Following the Victorian Government’s changes to extend the Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme (the Scheme) until the end of this year, we have developed a new fact sheet for tenants (click here).

The fact sheet offers leasing advice, responses to frequently asked questions, a scenario showing what rent relief negotiations can look like and a summary of the important changes that apply, including the following:

  • For rent relief requested for 29 September 2020 to 31 December 2020, a landlord is only required to offer rent relief from the date their tenant makes a written application to them during this period, supplying all of the required information (click here).
  • Rent relief must, at a minimum, be in proportion to an eligible tenant’s fall in turnover.

We would really appreciate you sharing this resource among the small business owners in your network.

Our website has a dedicated page with more information about the Scheme (click here), which gives access to:

  • the process for tenants and landlords
  • a letter that tenants can use to request rent relief (they just need to fill in the highlighted parts – click here to download)
  • information on how to apply for free mediation to resolve a rent relief dispute
  • responses to questions about the extended Scheme that we’re often asked.

If you would like us to deliver a presentation on the extended Scheme or provide more information, please contact Linda Bailey on 0455 486 193 or at linda.bailey@vsbc.vic.gov.au.