EDITORIAL
Minister for Small Business Madeleine Ogilvie
While Tasmania’s economy is strong and many businesses are doing very well, the Government recognises further support is needed to assist some businesses as we continue to transition to living with Covid-19. I am pleased to announce the Government’s intention to extend the Covid-19 Business Impact Support Program for a fourth round to ensure more Tasmanian small businesses can get the support they need. Round four of the program will provide further support for businesses that are continuing to experience a downturn due to a loss of customers or staff due to Covid-19. Applications for Round Four of the Covid-19 Business Impact Support Program will open on Thursday 21 April, and I would encourage any eligible business that experienced trading losses or reduced customer demand due to Covid-19 for the period of March 15 to April 14 to apply. Funding amounts and eligibility criteria will remain consistent with the previous funding round, with grant amounts of between $1000 and $10,000 available. Additional payments of between $1000 and $5000 are also available to businesses that experienced an unavoidable loss of perishable goods because they had to close for seven days or more. To be eligible for the program a business must have a Covid-19 Safety Plan, a completed risk assessment in place and, where required, a Covid-19 Case and Outbreak Management Plan. Businesses that received assistance through the first three rounds of the program may still be eligible to apply under round four.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Tasmanian Government’s unwavering support for small businesses has seen more than $160 million disbursed to Tasmanian businesses. I firmly believe Tasmania’s 39,000 small business have been well served by the nation-leading pandemic assistance delivered by the Gutwein Government. We recognise just how crucial the sector is in growing our economy, creating jobs for our community and securing Tasmania’s future. There is no greater supporter of small business than the Liberals. I would like to thank our small business community and say how proud I am of Tasmania’s small businesses for being so resilient and robust, and getting back to business doing what they do best. When our businesses are doing well it means our community is doing well and there are more jobs for Tasmanians, which is why we will continue to invest and harness the significant opportunities we have available to improve the lives of all Tasmanians. More information can be found on the Business Tasmania website.
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