Updated 28 January

The Victorian Government has announced a third round of financial support, the Business Resilience Package, to help businesses impacted by ongoing restrictions and prepare for COVID-19 normal business.

The support includes cash grants, tax relief and cashflow support to help business continue and keep Victorians in jobs. If you would like any assistance with applying for a grant or have any questions about your business’ eligibility please contact our team. We are here to help. Call 03 5443 0344 or email afs@afsbendigo.com.au

Third round Business Support Fund grant (Closed):

Grants to support Victorian businesses that must stay closed or operate under restrictions until COVID Normal. Details are as follows:

• $10,000 if annual payroll is less than $650,000
• $15,000 if annual payroll is between $650,000 and $3 million
• $20,000 if annual payroll is between $3 million and $10 million.

To be eligible, businesses must:

• participate in the Commonwealth Government’s JobKeeper Payment scheme
• employ people and be registered for Workcover insurance with WorkSafe
• have had an annual payroll of less than $10 million in 2019-20
• be registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST)
• hold an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be registered with the responsible Federal or State regulator, such as ASIC
• operate a business within one of the listed ANZSIC classes

HOW:

To apply you will need:

• WorkCover number
• JobKeeper enrolment number
• 2019-2020 business turnover
• Number of employees
• Annual payroll

Applications for this grant have now closed.

Sole Trader support – $3,000 grants (Closed):

The Sole Trader Support Fund provides grants of up to $3,000 to eligible sole traders in sectors such as retail, accommodation and food services, creative and media, hairdressing, gyms, events, education and training who operate from a commercial premises or location as a tenant.

Eligibility:

Businesses in the eligible sectors must:

• Operate a business within Victoria
• Be a sole trader with no employees*
• Operate from a commercial premises or location (and not a residential premises) for at least six months as a:
  • Tenant, or
  • Licensee, or
  • Owner/occupier of a fixed commercial premises, or
  • Operator of a registered ‘mobile food premises’ (e.g. a food van) with a permit or commercial agreement to operate at specific location(s)
• Be a participant in the Commonwealth Government’s JobKeeper Payment scheme
• Be registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST)
• Hold an Australian Business Number (ABN).

*‘No employees’ means you are not registered with WorkSafe Victoria for WorkCover Insurance and do not employ anyone other than yourself or employ someone on a casual basis and pay less than $7,500 in annual salary.

Download the full list of eligible sectors here.

HOW:

When applying sole traders must provide:

• Their ABN, which must be linked to the correct ANZSIC classification of their primary business.
• Their most recent JobKeeper Business Monthly Declaration Receipt ID or Enrolment ID generated from the Australian Taxation Office’s business portal which shows that the business has received a payment.
• Evidence of their commercial premises or location as listed below:
  • If they are a tenant – a current commercial rental agreement of six months or longer
  • If they are a licensee – a current commercial lease or similar agreement of six months or longer
  • If they are an owner/occupier of a fixed commercial premises – a 2019-20 or 2020-21 Municipal Rates Notice
  • If they are a registered ‘mobile food premises’ – Streattrader Statement of Trade and a current Roadside Trading Permit issued by a Local Government, VicRoads or other commercial agreement to use a particular location(s) for at least six months.

For more information on the grant and eligibility criteria:
www.business.vic.gov.au/support-for-your-business/grants-and-assistance/business-resilience-package/sole-trader-support-fund

Applications for this grant are now closed.

Licensed Hospitality Venue grant – metro and regional Victoria (Closed):

Eligible hospitality businesses will receive grants of up to $30,000 based on the location of their premises and maximum patron capacity.

To be eligible for a grant from this program, applicants must:

• Operate a licensed pub, club, hotel, bar, restaurant or reception centre under a general, full club or on-premises liquor licence issued by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation, and
• Have premises that serve patrons and holds a Class 2 or 3 Service Sector – Certificate of Registration under the Food Act 1984 (Vic) issued by a local council.

As well as the grants, liquor license fees will be waived until 2021.

Note: businesses that are eligible for this grant will not be able to claim the business support fund grant as well.

HOW:

A valid ABN or equivalent will need to be provided for the premises, as well as liquor licence and food Certificate of Registration.

Eligible businesses will receive grant amounts as per the table below:

Patron Capacity	Eligible Grant Amount	Eligible Grant Amount
	Metropolitan Melbourne	Regional Victoria
1-20	$15,000	$10,000
21-100	$20,000	$15,000
101 or more	$30,000	$25,000

For full eligibility details visit: www.business.vic.gov.au/support-for-your-business/grants-and-assistance/business-resilience-package/licensed-hospitality-venue-fund

Applications for this grant are now closed.

Outdoor Eating and Entertainment Package – $5,000 grant (Closed):

The business resilience package also provides additional funding, tools and resources to help businesses adapt and prepare for reopening under COVID Normal settings.

Eligible businesses can apply for a grant of $5,000 to pay for things like umbrellas, outdoor furniture, screens and other equipment to help with outdoor dining. Grants can also assist businesses with training, marketing and other costs associated with adapting new or expanding existing outdoor dining or entertainment.

Eligibility:

Eligibility criteria will include that the applicant:

• has an annual payroll of less than $3 million
• operates a business with premises located in Victoria but not located in the City of Melbourne local government area
• holds a valid Class 2 or 3 Service Sector Certificate of Registration under the Food Act 1984 (Vic) and/or a relevant Liquor License
• is registered with WorkSafe.

HOW:

For full eligibility details visit:

www.business.vic.gov.au/support-for-your-business/grants-and-assistance/business-resilience-package/outdoor-eating-and-entertainment-package

Applications for this grant are now closed.

For metro Melbourne only:

This is a partnership between the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne to support Melbourne’s CBD in the lead up to Christmas and during summer. The fund includes:

• grants of up to $10,000 for small and medium businesses to pay for equipment, convert spaces like rooftops and courtyards into hospitality zones and remodel internal layouts to allow for the better flow of patrons
• funding to support COVIDSafe events and cultural activities to attract visitors back to the CBD when it is safe to do so
• funding towards providing physical improvements to the CBD streetscape, which could include wider footpaths, bollards and street planter boxes

For more details and visit: www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/business/grants-tenders/covid-19-business-grants/Pages/covid-19-business-grants.aspx

Applications for this grant are now closed.

Grants for alpine businesses: 

The Alpine Resorts Support Program supports businesses in the Alpine Resorts manage the impacts of COVID-19. The Program is being delivered through three funding streams:

• Stream 1: $4.31 million to provide grants of up to $20,000 to head lessee businesses to assist in paying their service charges to the Resort Management Boards (by invitation only).
• Stream 2: $5 million to provide grants of up to $25,000 to non-head lessee commercial operators within the Alpine Resorts and commercial operators located at Dinner Plain.
• Stream 3: $1 million to provide grants of up to $25,000 to eligible head lessee businesses that are critical to the economies of the resorts (by invitation only).

Stream 1 and 3

Businesses who are eligible for a grant under Stream 1 or 3 will receive an email outlining the program, eligibility criteria and inviting them to submit an application.

Stream 2

Under Stream 2 of the Alpine Resorts Support Program, businesses are invited to apply for a grant of up to $25,000.

Eligibility:

To be eligible, businesses must be within a Victorian Alpine Resort or Dinner Plain and operate as:

• a food and beverage venue (restaurant, café, pub, bar, club or other food venue)
• a retail outlet (rental, clothing, footwear, equipment, supermarket, pharmacy, gifts)
• a business that provides services directly to visitors (transport, activities, experiences, entertainment, health and wellbeing)
• an accommodation business that also has a public on-site food and beverage venue or a retail outlet.

See the full list of eligibility criteria here.

HOW:

To apply for the grant under Stream 2, businesses are required to submit an online application which can be done here: https://www.business.vic.gov.au/support-for-your-business/grants-and-assistance/alpine-resorts-support-program

Stream 2 is open for applications until 11.59 pm on 17 February 2021 or until the funds are exhausted, whichever is earlier.

Grants for Business Chambers and Trader Groups (Closed): 

Grants for Business Chambers and Trader Groups is a grants program to support local business groups and chambers of commerce in helping their members adapt to COVID Normal.

Interested Victorian business chambers and trader groups are invited to submit an expression of interest by completing and submitting the form on this page no later than 5 October 2020.

Eligible groups will then be invited to provide a detailed project proposal for further assessment.

For further details visit: www.business.vic.gov.au/support-for-your-business/grants-and-assistance/business-resilience-package/grants-for-business-chambers-and-trader-groups

Applications for this grant are now closed.

Other support:

• payroll tax will be deferred for businesses with payrolls up to $10 million for the full 2020-21 financial year
• the 50% stamp duty discount for commercial and industrial property across all of regional Victoria will be brought forward to 1 January 2021
• the planned increase in the landfill levy will be deferred for six months
• 25% of the Congestion Levy from this year will be waived, with the outstanding balance deferred
• the Vacant Residential Land Tax will be waived for properties that are vacant in 2020
• help for Victorian exporters to get their products to market and establish new trade channels Register your interest for the Export Recovery Package by visiting the Global Victoria website.
• ‘Click for Vic’ campaign to encourage more Victorians to support local businesses
• grants of up to $500,000 per metro and regional city council, and $250,000 per rural council, to deliver reduced or waived permit fees, or invest in new infrastructure and equipment to support outdoor dining.

Roadmap for industries:

The How we work roadmap shows which sectors will remain closed, restricted or heavily restricted as the state slowly reopens.

We have found the documents very helpful and encourage you to refer to them when needing clarification on the steps.

How we work in regional Victoria CLICK HERE
How we live in regional Victoria CLICK HERE

Please contact us if you have any questions on 03 5443 0344 or email afs@afsbendigo.com.au