The South Australian government has announced a $100 million support package for businesses during the state’s current lockdown.
Cash grants of $3,000* will be available to small and medium businesses that suffer significant loss of income and sole traders can apply for a $1,000** grant.
*To be eligible for the one-off $3,000 emergency cash grant, a business must, as at 12:01am Tuesday 20 July 2021:
- Be located within South Australia
- Have an annual turnover of $75,000 or more in 2020-21 or 2019-20, and be registered for GST
- Employ people in South Australia
- Have an Australia-wide payroll of less than $10 million in 2019-20
- Have a valid Australian Business Number (ABN)
- Experienced at least a 30 per cent reduction (compared to the week prior) in turnover due to the restricted trading conditions
**To be eligible for the one-off $1,000 emergency cash grant, a non-employing business must meet the criteria listed above excluding the requirement to employ people.
^The payments will be paid in arrears for the lockdown and anyone affected can apply through myGOV from Wednesday, 28 July.
The SA government will also provide $600 weekly support payments to workers in regional South Australia, after areas outside of Adelaide were left out of the Commonwealth “hotspot” declaration, meaning they miss out on federal support.
An estimated 50,000 businesses are expected to be eligible for the new $100 million Business Support Package, including gyms, hairdressers, restaurants, cafes and hotels.
The government said the payments — which will be subject to eligibility requirements — were intended to help business operators cover costs including rent, power bills and raw materials.
The application period is expected to open within the next fortnight and businesses can register interest on the SA Treasury website.
The Treasurer said there was the option for further support if the lockdown lasts longer than a week.
Worker hotspot payments extended to regions
The federal government yesterday declared local government areas in metropolitan Adelaide as well as the Gawler and the Adelaide Hills councils as “hotspots”, which means workers and businesses in those areas can access payments.
Individuals will receive $600 if they lose more than 20 hours of work over the next week, or $375 if they lose between eight and 20 hours of work.
The SA government today said it would fund an extension of that scheme to all areas, including country regions, outside the Commonwealth’s declared hotspots.