Jane Howlett,Minister for Small Business
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is providing strong support for our small businesses that are experiencing hardship as we face the ongoing challenges of COVID-19.
We know that many of our small businesses rely on interstate and overseas visitation and trade and have been impacted by the border restrictions put in place due to the lockdowns in other jurisdictions, like Victoria and New South Wales.
That's why the Government acted swiftly to launch a jointly funded $20 million Border Closure Critical Support Grant Program, aimed at providing much needed relief to Tasmanian businesses.
We have already provided more than $80 million in business grants since the COVID-19 outbreak, but we acknowledge that there are businesses that have fallen outside the original eligibility criteria for the most recent Business Support Package.
Today we can announce that the Department of State Growth has reviewed the criteria and a new COVID-19 Micro and Small Business – Border Closure Critical Support Grant program will open on Friday, 3 September.
The new program will be similar but will also cater for micro and small businesses that are suffering hardship as a result of the lock-downs and border restrictions but have not been eligible for the current Business Hardship – Border Closure Critical Support Grant Program.
Importantly, we are reducing the annual turnover figure from $50,000 to $25,000, which will allow more of our micro-businesses to be eligible.
To be eligible for a grant, a business must demonstrate that as a direct consequence of the lock-downs and border closures restrictions, they have experienced a reduction in turnover of at least 30 per cent for a minimum consecutive two-week period from 26 June in either 2019 or 2020 compared with any equivalent two weeks after 26 June 2021.
The current program has been well received by Tasmanian businesses and in the past two weeks there have been:
- 620 applications submitted;
- 473 businesses have been approved; and of those, 410 have already received funds to a total of more than $2 million.
