Disaster assistance will be available for businesses that continue to be affected by prolonged power outages from the extreme weather event in Victoria.
Assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Businesses with an annual payroll of less than $10 million can apply for payments for up to three weeks if they were without power as of 12.01am Thursday 17 June 2021. If eligible, they will then receive the payment each week, capped at three weeks.
The payment will be administered by Ausnet and will help businesses cover the costs of rent, wages and other operating expenses through this difficult period.
Australian Minister for Emergency Management David Littleproud said the DRFA will assist businesses who remain without power and may do so for some weeks to come.
“The Prolonged Power Outage Support Payment of $2500 per week, for up to three weeks, has been extended to all eligible businesses without power,” Minister Littleproud said.
Acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Danny Pearson, said the Prolonged Power Outage Business Payment will provide up to 1,200 affected businesses with a $2,500 per week payment to support continued operations and address financial hardship caused by the ongoing impact of the severe weather event.
“These measures will help businesses by giving them the financial support to pay wages, rent and other activities required to keep businesses operating,” Minister Pearson said.
The funding package is being administered by AusNet on behalf of the Commonwealth and State governments to provide direct assistance to support businesses dealing with prolonged power loss.
Eligibility criteria can be found on AusNet’s Storm Event webpage.
AusNet has established a dedicated claims process for customers impacted by the storm, which can be accessed on its website or by calling 13 17 99.
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