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COVID-19 | NSW GOVERNMENT
Rent negotiation
Commercial and residential landlords in NSW will receive up to $440 million in land tax relief that must be passed on to tenants impacted by COVID-19.
Landlords will be able to apply for a concession of up to 25% of their land tax liability on relevant properties for the calendar year, but it must be passed on to tenants suffering from the economic impacts of COVID-19.
This follows the mandatory Commercial Tenancy Code released by the federal government. The Code, to be legislated and regulated in each state and territory, will be overseen through a binding mediation process. Small businesses are eligible to negotiate under the Code if they:
- are experiencing financial distress
- are eligible to receive support from the JobKeeper program
- have a turnover of $50 million or less.
Business support grants
If your small business has experienced a significant decline in revenue as a result of COVID-19, you may be eligible for the small business support grant of up to $10,000.
Funds may only be used for unavoidable business expenses that are not supported by other government funding, such as utilities, council rates, telecommunication charges, insurance payments, wages for an employee who is not eligible for JobKeeper or paying creditors, if your business is closing. Eligibility requirements apply.
Fee and licence relief
Around 200,000 licence holders operating in the trades and construction sectors will not have to pay to renew their licence for the next 12 months.
Businesses in the entertainment and hospitality sectors have also been given a year-long waiver on liquor licences and certain SafeWork NSW and NSW Fair Trading fees and charges.
COVID-19 | FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Financial lifeline
Businesses need to take steps now to be eligible and ready to receive the JobKeeper payment in May. The JobKeeper payment is open to eligible employers to enable them to pay their eligible employee’s salary or wages of at least $1,500 (before tax) per fortnight.
Administered by the ATO, JobKeeper will involve employers checking they are eligible and then enrolling with the ATO to be paid the JobKeeper payments. Employers will receive a monthly payment for each eligible employee who was paid by the business during the previous month.
Sole traders can be eligible for the JobKeeper payment if their business has experienced a downturn according to the eligibility criteria, however, eligibility requirements are still in development. Bega Valley Shire Council will publish this information as soon as it is available.
Insurance relief
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has granted interim authorisation for Suncorp, Allianz and QBE Insurance to provide bill relief to struggling small businesses for up to six months, but is open to be extended to 31 December. Other insurance companies will be allowed to participate as well, provided they notify the ACCC.
Cash flow boost
From 28 April 2020, eligible businesses will receive a tax-free cash flow boost of between $20,000 and $100,000 through credits in the activity statement system when you lodge all relevant activity statements. You do not need to apply for the cash flow boost. All you need to do is lodge your March and quarter 3 activity statements on their due date and no earlier.
Full details about eligibility, timing and what you need to do are on the ATO website.
Sole trader support
There are measures to support sole traders impacted by COVID-19. Sole traders should go to business.gov.au to see whether you are eligible for the JobKeeper payment, instant asset write-off scheme, Backing Business Investment and tax support.
Employees working from home
As the situation around COVID-19 continues, many employees are working from home and may incur expenses that they can claim at tax time. The ATO is introducing a new method which will allow people to claim 80 cents per hour for all their running expenses, rather than needing to calculate costs for specific running expenses.
The change applies from 1 March to 30 June 2020, after which the ATO will review the arrangement for the next financial year as the COVID-19 crisis progresses.
Physical distancing for business
Physical distancing measures for businesses are in place to protect the community from COVID-19. Restrictions are in place for a number of non-essential services, such as food and drink, retail, beauty and personal care services, entertainment venues, leisure and recreation, residential facilities and non-residential institutions.
The business.gov.au website details the current prohibited activities and venues, and includes any exceptions that currently apply.
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Don't self-assess - get free advice and support
Remember, Business Connect offers FREE advice and support on the many financial options available to businesses affected by the bushfires and COVID-19. If you are overwhelmed with what is available and if you are eligible, register on the Business Connect website or call 1300 134 359 to book a session.
Or you can contact Paul Coker from Business Connect directly. He is servicing Bega Valley businesses remotely and encourages you to call him on 0400 843 212 or email paul@srbec.com.au
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3 O’clock Conversations
Weekday's at 3pm via Council's Facebook page, we host a live video series known as 3 O’clock Conversations.
It’s an opportunity to share information, support and community in the midst of bushfire recovery and COVID-19.
On Wednesday this week, we got an update from some of those within Council leading the bushfire recovery effort - Project Lead Chris Horsburgh, Manager of Economic Development Daniel Murphy, Manager of Health and Wellbeing Anne Leydon and Manager of Infrastructure Jason Heffernan.
You can watch it now HERE.
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Local business products wanted
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is looking to local businesses in bushfire affected areas to supply a range of locally made goods for future international events and forums.
DFAT wants to purchase small, non-perishable items – up to 500 of each - such as honey, hand cream, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lip balm, sweets, herbs, clothing, wine, small artworks (wooden cheese knives, collectables etc), booklets or any other luxury-style products that they can use in gift bags.
The products need to be available by June 2020.
If you are able to participate in this initiative, please supply a brief description of what you could supply and a link to your website to EconomicDevelopment@begavalley.nsw.gov.au by 5pm Friday 24 April.
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Beware of scams
Scammers are taking advantage of COVID-19 to exploit businesses across Australia. It is very difficult at times to know what communication is official. Scammers are impersonating a range of official Australian and international organisations by phone, email and text messages, claiming to provide official information about COVID-19, but they are actually attempts to get business information.
Learn how to protect your business via business.gov.au and report all suspicious messages or requests to Scamwatch.
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Orders amended favourably for caravan parks
The NSW Government has updated the Public Health Orders regarding restrictions on caravan and camping parks.
Caravan parks must remain closed to the public, except for:
- people who are permanent residents or overnight travellers
- persons working in the local area
- persons who have no other place of permanent residence or whose primary place of residence is temporarily unavailable.
Anyone with a booking who was staying at a caravan park or camping ground before 26 March 2020 can continue to stay until the end of that booking.
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Free TAFE courses to support business upskilling
Twenty-one fee-free TAFE NSW short courses are available online to assist anyone across NSW who wants to upskill during COVID-19. These select courses would assist job seekers, workers and business owners looking to diversify their skills during these times.
The 21 short courses include:
- eMarketing for Small Business
- Engaging Customers Using Social Media
- Writing and Presentation Skills
- Computing Skills
- Team Leader Skill Set
- Administration Skills for Team Leaders
More information, including a full list of courses, is available at TAFE NSW or by calling 131 601.
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Entries open for $20K Basil Sellers Art Prize
Bega Valley artists in isolation could be $20,000 richer if they enter and win the celebrated Basil Sellers Art Prize exhibition. Open to artists from NSW and the ACT, the winner’s work will be acquired for the prestigious private collection of philanthropist Basil Sellers AM.
Entries should be submitted online through the Bas website by Friday 5 June, with the finalists announced on Friday 3 July.
‘Jamboree Morning’ (pictured above) took out the 2018 Basil Sellers Art Prize for Wollongong’s Anh Nguyen.
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Can you fill a supply chain gap?
The Industry Capability Network (ICN) has established a portal to manage construction and manufacturing supply chain shortages due to COVID-19, including identifying gaps in the supply chain and determining how it can facilitate local businesses to fill these gaps.
The COVID-19 Response portal allows local manufacturers and construction companies to notify ICN about their supply chain shortages, current or anticipated, so that the Network can assist them to identify potential alternative suppliers locally. Through the same portal, companies can also register their interest in providing key goods and services that are likely to enter a position of short supply.
Local businesses are encouraged to submit an Expression of Interest in a number of federal and state government requests for supplies across a range of products and services, even if re-tooling is required.
PLEASE NOTE that this portal is separate to the Bega Valley Shire Council's temporary Civil Works Panel, to which you should also register.
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Free tele/video services via new portal
The Australian Information Industry Association has developed a new portal offering access to free business services for those affected by COVID-19.
The Australian business continuity portal provides access to teleworking technologies such as tele- and video-conferencing, virtual meetings and events, and offers information on other services available to meet specific remote working needs. Companies currently providing free services include Telstra, Google, ServiceNow, Cisco, Facebook, Microsoft, Adobe, Salesforce and SAP.
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Unemployed? The tech sector might be for you!
With the explosive growth in coding and cloud technology globally, professional code and cloud services can be provided to any company anywhere in the world remotely; even from your own home.
The FREE Regional Employment Trials program is offering specific digital employability skills including AWS Cloud Basic Skills, WebSkills (the basics of WordPress/Drupal), Coding, AgTech (Agriculture) and Artificial Intelligence (Machine Learning), and three Hackathons.
Focussing on the online delivery of high-value digital skills, unemployed people facing transport and other challenges can take advantage of learning opportunities tailored to their needs that would previously be difficult to access.
To find out more about this exciting opportunity, or to book into the course, go to the 2pi Software website.
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New hotline to help farmers start co-operatives
A Co-operative Farming Hotline has been established to support Australian farmers, fishers and foresters to work together to establish and grow farm co-operatives. It is part of the Co-operative Farming project delivered by the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals and funded by the federal government.
There are 230 primary producer-owned co-ops in Australia, owned by around 20,000 farmers, fishers and foresters. The top 13 producer-owned co-ops had a combined turnover of $6.6 billion (National Mutual Economy Report 2019).
The hotline service will operate Monday to Friday (9am to 5pm) on 1300 665 174.
The Co-operative Farming Project will also include:
- farm co-op mentoring program (from mid 2020)
- financial support through educational bursaries program (from May 2020)
- an interactive website with educational assets including tools, resources and course modules (from June 2020)
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Free Business Connect workshops-webinars
Business Connect is offering over 60 free online workshops and webinars to support small businesses in NSW.
Topics include managing your cash flow, changing your business model, selling goods and services online and marketing your business in a challenging environment.
To see what is on offer, go to Business Connect events. If you have trouble connecting from Internet Explorer, please use a supported browser like Chrome, Firefox or Edge.
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Continuing creative engagement in isolation
Creative Arts Alliance has a webpage to help artists continue to engage with their communities and reconsider the delivery of their creative projects.
Although Queensland-based, the information and links on the webpage are spread across Australia, where arts sector creatives are finding new ways of practicing, learning, working and presenting during this challenging time of COVID-19.
Topics covered include:
- fundraising campaigns and platforms
- industry surveys and advocacy campaigns
- opportunities for artists
- professional and skills development
- staying connected
- support services.
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Mental health support
Mental health charity Beyond Blue has launched a new website dedicated to mental health support during the coronavirus crisis, including a section dedicated to support for small business owners.
The resource has advice on managing your personal wellbeing at what is a particularly stressful time for small business owners, and advice on how to support employees with their own mental health. Have a browse, and remember to look after yourself and your family. |
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Get the latest Bega Valley and Sapphire Coast business news and information direct to your inbox.
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Business News is one a key channel that connects us to you and helps us support your business.
Let us know what you need from us. You can contact Dan and Alison in the Economic Development team on (02) 6499 2222 or EconomicDevelopment@begavalley.nsw.gov.au
As we navigate this unprecedented crisis, we thank you for continuing to care for yourself, your staff and your families. Please check Council's dedicated COVID-19 webpage for the very latest news and information on the pandemic, including business news.
Feedback and topic suggestions are also welcome:
EconomicDevelopment@begavalley.nsw.gov.au
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Welcome to Issue 3 of Business News. Both this newsletter and I are new to the Bega Valley, and we have similar agendas – recovery, resilience and rebuilding.
