Grants plan attracts ire

Business owners fuming at application process

GOLD Coast small businesses are outraged at a Queensland Government’s decision – and it has little to do with the border.

The Palaszczuk Government announced last week grants of up to $10,000 for struggling businesses. The $100 million scheme ran out within five days and desperate small businesses on the Gold Coast have questioned the grant’s process.

Tanya Ferguson is the owner of Australian International Student Tours and employs one other person.

Ms Ferguson said she spent three days filling out the grant application only for her to be told she was too late to apply.

“We only had a small team, we had to gain all of the documentation and the information we needed to apply for the grant because we wanted to put together a good proposal,” she said.

“My request is the grant application process be opened for all applicants, and then on merit assess who is deserving of those grants.”

Go Golfing Travel CEO Peter McCarthy had to let go of seven of his 14 staff due to COVID-19 crippling his business.

Mr McCarthy said when he applied for the support from the Queensland Government, he was told he was too late.

“The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life was say goodbye to them (the employees),” he said.

“They have mortgages, families. We were friends.”

The Pines Shopping Centre manager Hilary Jacob said the number of small businesses gaining support was not enough to help the state’s economy.

“Small business employs 44 per cent of the private sector employees in Queensland,” she said.

“The grants were $10,000, that means only 2 per cent of small businesses were ever going to be able to get success from that.”

Member for Burleigh Michael Hart has been listening to the heartbroken businesses unable to get their applications in quick enough.

“It opened and closed within days,” he said.

“The Federal Government has done a wonderful job of putting our economy into hibernation and the state needs to respond in a similar fashion.”