Victorian Circuit Breaker Action Business Support Packages

Yesterday the Victorian Government announced new support measures for small businesses, including sole traders, impacted by the coronavirus circuit-breaker action (enacted between 13-17 February 2021), with hospitality, tourism, events and creative industries operators to benefit from grants.

1.  Business Costs Assistance Program

The new Business Costs Assistance Program will offer grants of $2,000 for eligible employing and non-employing businesses in the hospitality, food wholesaling, tourism, events and selected retail industries.

This program will help 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 $2,000, whether they have employees or not.

Applications for the Business Costs Assistance Program should be open on Monday 22 February 2021, and when available the enrolment process should be found by clicking here

2. Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund

Eligible businesses who received a grant through the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund will receive a further one-off payment of $3,000 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 (above).

You do not need to apply for this payment, as all eligible grant participants will be contacted by Business Victoria with further information.  Details of the original Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund can be found by clicking here.

3.  Victorian Accommodation Support Program

The new Victorian Accommodation Support Program is an expansion of the Regional Tourism Accommodation Support Program (original details - click here) 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.

This 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, as follows:

• Tier 1: Funding of $2,250 (ex GST) per Accommodation Premises experiencing 10 or fewer cancelled nights.
• Tier 2: Funding of $4,500 (ex GST) per Accommodation Premises with 11 or more cancelled nights.

The Victorian Accommodation Support Program will open soon, and in the interim you can register your interest in this program now by clicking here.

4.  Melbourne Travel Voucher Scheme

Building on the on the previously released Regional Travel Voucher Scheme, it was announced that the scheme will be expanded to include a new Melbourne Travel Voucher Scheme to support travel in regional Victoria.

Combined the two schemes include:

• A new Melbourne Travel Voucher Scheme with 40,000 vouchers to support travel in greater Melbourne.  This scheme will be launched soon, and no further details are currently available.
• An expanded Regional Travel Voucher Scheme (for details – click here) with an additional 10,000 vouchers to support travel in regional Victoria, and this third round will be open on 30 March 2021 with eligible travel between 6 April 2021 to 31 May 2021.

The total number of vouchers offered under the both schemes will be 200,000 vouchers.

Please do not hesitate to contact your Lowe Lippmann Relationship Partner if you wish to discuss any of these matters further.