COVID-19 Business Support

Council is committed to supporting local business during this time and are here to keep you up to date on relevant and important information from the Victorian and Federal Governments about COVID19.

Council will endeavour to make it easy for you to navigate through the wide range of information, resources and tools available to the support businesses at this challenging time.

Business Victoria

Support for Businesses in Regional Victoria – August 2021

Automatic cash grants will provide regional Victorian businesses with the support they need following the extension of the current lockdown to the whole state.

The Victorian Government has announced a package of automatic cash grants that will provide regional Victorian businesses with the support they need following the extension of the current lockdown to the whole state.

Lockdown directions commenced at 1:00pm on Saturday, 21 August in regional Victoria and will continue until 11:59pm on Friday, 2 September, aligning with restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne.

Grants to be paid through the new $146.6 million initiative, jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments, will be made automatically without the need for regional businesses to make an application.

The support builds on the package announced on 19 August and comprises:

• Business Costs Assistance Program
  Around 18,000 businesses in regional Victoria will automatically receive payments of $5600 ($2800 per week) if they have previously received grants under the Business Costs Assistance Round Two or July Extension programs. The payments will allow businesses to continue paying overheads and other costs while they are unable to operate.
• Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund
  Automatic payments of $5000, $10,000 or $20,000 per week will be made to more than 2,000 licensed hospitality premises in regional Victoria that have previously received grants under the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund 2021 or July Extension programs. Payment amounts will be tiered according to a premises’ capacity: $5000 for a capacity of up to 99 patrons, $10,000 for 100-499 patrons, or $20,000 for a capacity of 500 patrons or more.

Small Business COVID Hardship Fund

Business in regional Victoria that do not qualify for this new support and have experienced a reduction in revenue of at least 70 per cent are encouraged to apply for the Small Business COVID Hardship Fund, which provides grants of $14,000 to successful applicants.

Other support

• A new round of the Live Performance Support programs, with funding for presenters and suppliers, has also been confirmed.
• A new round of the Sporting Clubs Grants Program will provide $2,000 grants for community sport and active recreation organisations for events that have been unable to proceed or will have to be cancelled or postponed.

Victorian Government

Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme

Eligible businesses will benefit from rent relief through the Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme, with tenants and landlords encouraged to enter negotiations as soon as possible.

Rent relief will be available to commercial tenants that have experienced a loss in turnover of more than 30 per cent during the pandemic. Rent relief for eligible tenants will be calculated by comparing their turnover for the final quarter of the 2020/21 financial year with turnover from the final quarter of 2018/19.

Tenants and landlords are encouraged to enter negotiations directly, with the VSBC available to provide mediation if parties cannot reach a satisfactory agreement.

Services Australia

COVID-19 Disaster Payment

RFCS Victoria West

Free Financial Counselling Service

RFCS Victoria provides confidential, independent, local and free business and well-being support and advocacy for rural and regional primary producers and small business experiencing or at risk of hardship, or navigating the challenges of financial stress, economic downturn or disaster.

Wellbeing Support