Hundreds of businesses in North and Far North Queensland have benefited from the Queensland's Government's $4.31 million Small Business Disaster Recovery grants, but time is fast running out for those yet to submit their applications before the fund closes on Thursday 10 June.
Minister for Employment and Small Business Di Farmer said 446 grants had been approved to assist businesses to repair damage caused by the monsoon trough or to improve their preparedness and resilience.
"The Small Business Disaster Recovery Grants still has around $275,000 available so we are encouraging any businesses from the eligible local government areas to complete and submit their applications to receive up to $10,000 in funding," Ms Farmer said.
"Supporting small businesses is a key part of Queensland's economic recovery plan.
"Businesses have used these grants for a range of purposes including repairing or replacing damaged equipment, upgrading websites to support more online sales or finding ways to reduce the impact of possible future disasters.
"Talk HQ Speech Pathology had to close for nine days during the monsoon and received $10,000 to engage a business consultant. The consultant worked to develop new plans and processes to help them adapt and keep serving their clients in the event of another unexpected disruption or natural disaster."
Jenna Mottin, Director of TALK HQ Speech Pathology, said the support not only helped the business recover from the disaster but also to move into new premises and employ more staff.
"Working with the business consultant has provided me with the assistance, support and skills to develop a suite of procedures for the business to implement in the event of any unexpected disruptions to business operations," Ms Mottin said.
"We have worked closely on general business operations and we have seen a significant increase in turnover. As a result of this we are now looking to move into larger premises and have already employed four new staff."
Minister Farmer said some businesses received support from a number of different funds.
"Another Small Business Disaster Recovery grant recipient is NQ Aviation Services, based at the Ingham Aerodrome, which received $10,000 to engage a business consultant to reassess their operations and look for ways to grow or expand their client base.
"While COVID-19 has had an added impact on aviation and travel businesses like this, professional advice offering alternative perspectives and opportunities for consideration can be valuable for businesses to survive the tough times so they are ready to step up again when conditions improve.
"In fact NQ Aviation Services also received a Small Business COVID-19 Adaption Grant, which are still open for businesses across regional Queensland to apply for as well.
"There is additional, ongoing support available through our Small Business Recovery Centre, which is open five days a week in Townsville.
"To date the centre has received 1582 visits and nearly 10,000 phone calls from small businesses, and we are also developing a concierge service to offer tailored case management and referrals to help small businesses navigate the range of support that is out there.
"We also recently launched the Small Business Disaster Hub, an app and website that helps businesses to prepare, prevent, respond and recover from a range of disasters and disruptions."
The website is business.qld.gov.au/disasterhub or the free app can be downloaded from the Apple Store and Google Play
