COVID-19: Government Support

The Small Business Digital Adaptation Program will allow eligible businesses to trial and then receive access to digital products, tools and training they can use to build digital capability in their day-to-day operations.

Businesses can start using a new product, like point-of-sale payment, or restore access to a lapsed product under this program. Upgrades to existing digital tools, like adding a shop to a current website, are also included.

Products currently available to businesses through this program include website, e-commerce, finance and digital business management tools.

Businesses will be able to register, and trial selected digital products from suppliers who have partnered with the Victorian Government, then choose one of these products to purchase.

Once businesses have purchased a product, they can apply for a rebate of $1,200 to access the product for 12 months.

The program also offers free digital adaptation training and workshops to help registered businesses adopt and implement online tools in their business.

Spaces for the Small Business Digital Adaptation Program are limited.

You must register to be eligible for the program and access digital product suppliers.

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Payroll Tax Refunds

As part of the package, the Government will provide full payroll tax refunds for the 2019-20 financial year to small and medium-sized businesses with payroll of less than $3 million – giving $550 million back to businesses who need it.

Payments will start flowing next week and will save eligible business up to $113,975 a year, with businesses saving an average of $23,000. These businesses employ around 400,000 workers. This assistance is a refund, not a loan.

The same businesses will also be able to defer any payroll tax for the first three months of the 2020/21 financial year until 1 January 2021, freeing up a further $83 million in cashflow.

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Working for Victoria Fund
https://www.business.vic.gov.au/support-for-your-business/grants-and-assistance/business-resilience-package/outdoor-eating-and-entertainment-package

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The Cultural and creative solutions stream supports artists and organisations to re-imagine practice and operations in light of COVID-19 impacts.   
This funding stream will invest in ideas and opportunities that create cultural equity, social inclusion and sustainable business models and careers for artists and cultural and creative workers. 

The Industry collaborations stream supports future-focused, cross-industry collaborations across and beyond the cultural and creative industries.  It invests in strategic cross-industry collaborations that explore new models for the arts and cultural sector. This funding stream is intended to leverage additional investment from partners (cash and in-kind) and to establish new frameworks for future partnership models. 

Applications close 23 February 2021 at 5pm AEDT. 

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If your small or medium-sized business employs staff and has an aggregated annual turnover under $50 million, you may be eligible for cash flow boost payments up to $100,000.

These payments are designed to help keep your business operating, pay rent, electricity and other bills and retain staff.

Small to medium-sized businesses, not-for-profit organisations, sole traders, partnerships, companies and trusts may be eligible if they had an ABN on 12 March 2020 and continue to operate.

The cash flow boost provides tax free payments to employers and is automatically calculated by the ATO and delivered through the activity statement system.

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The Government’s JobKeeper Payment will help keep more Australians in jobs and support businesses affected by the significant economic impact of the coronavirus.

On 21 July 2020, the Government announced it is extending the JobKeeper Payment until 28 March 2021 and is targeting support to those businesses who continue to be significantly impacted by the Coronavirus.

From 28 September 2020, the JobKeeper Payment will be targeted to businesses that have been most significantly impacted, the payment rates will be stepped-down and two tiers of payment will be introduced. Information about the operation of the JobKeeper Payment is available on the ATO website.
Further changes were announced on 7 August 2020 to adjust the reference date for determining employee eligibility and make it easier for organisations to qualify for the JobKeeper Payment extension.

From 28 September 2020, businesses and not‑for‑profits seeking to claim JobKeeper Payments are required to reassess their eligibility for JobKeeper with reference to their actual turnover. The JobKeeper Payment is available to qualifying businesses from 28 September 2020 until 28 March 2021.

The ATO is administering the JobKeeper Payment and detailed information and guidance on JobKeeper is available on the ATO website.  

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Income support for individuals (JobSeeker payments)
The Government is temporarily expanding eligibility to income support payments and establishing a new, time-limited Coronavirus supplement to be paid at a rate of $550 per fortnight. This supplement will be paid to both existing and new recipients of eligible payment categories. These changes will apply for the next six months.

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