Plea for extra money as firms exhaust grant scheme

NICK Dametto has called for an urgent funding boost to the State Government’s COVID-19 Adaptation Grant Program after thousands of businesses missed out on funding.

The grants were announced last week but the scheme is now closed due to an “overwhelming number of applic cations”.

The Hinchinbrook MP said his off fice had been inundated with calls from small business owners who missed out on the scheme.

“Although we welcomed the State Government coming forward with some relief to small business, it is quite clear that the $100 million Small Business COVID-19 Adaptation Grant Program falls short of what’s needed out there for the small to medium-sized business community,” Mr Dametto said. “This funding will no doubt be a welcome relief for those who got their applications in before the scheme was exhausted, but it still leaves many businesses out in the cold.

“Most small business owners were preoccupied with the day-to-day running of their small business last week before they finally had a chance over the weekend to sit down and apply for the grant, only to be faced with the rude shock that applications had actually closed because exhausted.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Government would consider if it needed to extend the grant program.

“We will be going through all those applications as soon as possible and Government will have to consider whether or not we extend that grants program as well because of the overwhelming demand,” she said. the funding was