[16 July 2021 UPDATE] The Victorian and federal governments will extend the Business Support Package to help small businesses during the current 5-day lockdown as well as the COVID-19 Disaster Payment Program for individuals who have lost income. All applications will eventually be made through Services Australia. You will need a MyGov account to set up payments.
Find our latest list of lockdown funding state by state here.
[UPDATE: The Victorian government has expanded the grants to include the second week of lockdown for Greater Melbourne specifically as they will remain in lockdown while stay-at-home orders are lifted in regional Victoria. That means businesses in Greater Melbourne can apply for a total of $5,000 in grants ($2,500 per week) in one or multiple applications. The total is now $7,000 for hospitality venues.]
The Victorian government announced on Friday, 27 May the creation of the $250 million-dollar Victoria Circuit Breaker Business Support Package to help small and medium-sized businesses and sole traders who had to close for public health measures during the latest circuit breaker lockdown. The package will help approximately 90,000 small businesses, according to the ABC, and is the first support package of its kind since the end of JobKeeper more than a month ago.
Acting Premier James Merlino says the rapidly introduced packaged is meant to “pay the bills and maintain their workforce as best they can…. This supports businesses who have been hardest hit by the circuit-breaker lockdown.
“This is a bigger and broader package than the one that we delivered through the lockdown, the circuit-breaker lockdown, back in February.”
According to the Victorian Government website, the package includes:
- a $190.01 million second round of the Business Costs Assistance Program
- a $40.7 million new round of the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund
- $20 million in targeted support for the events industry.
What size grant can I apply for?
The Business Cost Assistance part of the program will give out one-time grants of $2,500 per week of lockdown (for a total of $5,000) to businesses that “cannot operate under the circuit breaker restrictions and which cannot work remotely,” which would include the beauty industry – waxing salons, nail salons, beauty therapists, hair salons, facialists and aestheticians and more.
Both employing and non-employing businesses are eligible. For example, If you are a sole trader nail tech, you can apply just as a brow and lash studio with 10 employees can.
When can I apply?
The program is accepting applications starting Wednesday 2 June 2021 and for three weeks thereafter.
If you want to find out when the Victoria Circuit Breaker Business Support Package applications open, you can subscribe to the government’s website or check back on the nominated opening date.
The government site says “To be alerted when the Business Costs Assistance Program is open for applications please register for the Business Victoria Update newsletter. You will receive an email this week.”
—
Read the current issue of our digital magazine here:
For more news and updates, subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
—
Have an idea for a story or want to see a topic covered on our site and in our pages? Get in touch at info@professionalbeauty.com.au.