$600MDear TO RESCUE
ScoMo answers our call with special Covid package
PRIME Minister Scott Morrison has responded to the Gold Coast Bulletin’s plea to help struggling businesses by delivering a joint $600m rescue package.
Two days after the Bulletin’s personal letter to Canberra, the federal and state governments late yesterday announced a joint bid to aid the state’s tourism and small business sectors.
THE Gold Coast is to benefit from one of the biggest Covid-19 rescue packages yet with the federal and state governments to boost Queensland business support grants from $260m to $600m.
The announcements follow a week of lobbying by the Gold Coast Bulletin, including a “Scomo, where the hell are you” front page personal letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison that was shared among powerbrokers in Canberra.
The city’s airport has been vacant and businesses are facing bankruptcy as tourist hotspots remain devoid of pedestrian traffic.
The package will provide additional support for businesses that have had a decline in turnover of more than 30 per cent.
Key points include: A $1000 one-off grant to non-employing sole traders across Queensland;
Tiered payments based on payroll size for all businesses across Queensland: A $5000 one-off, top-up grant to small business with payroll of less than $1.3m; a $10,000 one-off, top-up grant to medium-size business with payroll between $1.3m and $10m; a $25,000 one-off, top-up grant to large sized tourism and hospitality focused businesses with payroll of greater than $10m.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the new business support package recognised that the impact of lockdowns was felt right across Australia.
“The Morrison government recognises the impact that lockdowns across the country are having on businesses in Queensland,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“This package will help to keep businesses in business and Queenslanders in jobs and builds on the almost $30bn in economic support the Morrison government has provided Queensland households and businesses during the pandemic.
“As we have done so throughout this crisis, we will continue to work with the Palaszczuk Government to ensure the Queensland economy continues to recover from the impact of Covid-19.”
Queensland Treasurer and Investment Minister Cameron Dick said the agreement would boost support, not just for businesses that have been affected by recent lockdowns, but by those that continue to suffer because of lockdowns in other jurisdictions.
“We know that across Queensland, the lack of international and interstate visitors is affecting businesses every day, especially those in tourism and hospitality,” Mr Dick said.
“This dollar-for-dollar agreement with the federal government will see Queensland’s contribution rise to $300m and vastly increase the scope of support available to businesses right across the state.
“From Monday (August 16), our $5000 Covid-19 Business Support Grants program will be open to businesses across Queensland, but this agreement with the federal government is in addition to that and means that we will be able to extend our support even further.
“It comes on top of the nearly $70m in additional support and benefits for Queensland tourism and hospitality businesses that I announced earlier this week.”
“I want to thank Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg for his rapid response to the evolving impact that Covid-19 is having on businesses right across Queensland.”
The Bulletin wrote to Mr Morrison this week pleading for greater support for local business as the city struggled to emerge from last week’s snap lockdown.
The Bulletin told the Prime Minister that the Gold Coast, a $6bn tourism mecca, was in meltdown as the Delta variant ravaged the bigger cities on the east coast.
The newspaper said the city was the nation’s small business capital with more than 60,000 mum-and-dad operations, but was on its knees following the axing of wages subsidies such as JobKeeper.
AS WE HAVE DONE SO THROUGHOUT THIS CRISIS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE PALASZCZUK GOVERNMENT TO ENSURE THE QUEENSLAND ECONOMY CONTINUES TO RECOVER FROM THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 FEDERAL TREASURER JOSH FRYDENBERG