There have been changes aplenty this week with the Greater Sydney lockdown extended until at least July 30, new testing regimes for parts of Sydney and announcements about business relief.

We hope this factbox helps break it down.

What is being provided:

Two support measures are available for lockdown-effected NSW businesses.

• The NSW Business Grants Program (announced two weeks ago) has been increased to between $7,500 and $15,000 for eligible businesses with annual wages up to $10 million. A new grant has also been introduced for small businesses with turnover between $30,000 and $75,000.
• A Commonwealth/NSW Government funded Business Support Payment of between $1500 and $10,000 per week during the lockdown has also been announced. Eligibility requires businesses keep on all their staff on and show a 30 per cent decline in revenue compared to the same two week period which we understand to be 2019 – although this is not yet confirmed. Applications for this commence Monday July 19.
• Payroll tax has also been waived by 25 per cent for businesses with wages between $1.2 million and $10 million that have experienced a 30 per cent decline in turnover, plus payroll tax deferrals and interest free repayment plans.
• Tenants have also been protected from eviction during the lockdown. Residential landlords who decrease their rent for impacted tenants can apply for a grant of up to $1500 or land tax reductions depending on their circumstances.
• Commercial and retail landlords will need to attempt to mediate before recovering a security bond, or locking out or evicting a tenant impacted by the Public Health Order.
• The NSW Government has also allocated $5.1 million to fund mental health support.

How do I apply:

Service NSW

When can applications be made:

Monday July 19

What is the eligibility criteria:

To be eligible businesses must keep all their staff on and show a 30 per cent decline in turnover for two weeks compared to a two-week period we understand to be in 2019, although this is still being confirmed.

What about my staff:

The COVID-19 Commonwealth Disaster Payment has increased to $600 if a worker has lost 20 or more hours of work a week or $375 if a worker has lost between eight and less than 20 hours of work a week. This must be applied for by the individual worker at Services Australia. From July 18 this payment is available for eligible workers outside of declared hotspots in NSW.

What are the new COVID testing rules:

Anyone who lives in the Fairfield Local Government Area and who travels outside of that area for essential work must be COVID tested every three days even if they have no symptoms. Employers are obliged to check with staff that this is being done. You can read the Public Health Order on this here.

Anyone from the Greater Sydney area who travels 50 kilometres outside the Greater Sydney boundary for essential work purposes must also get tested every seven days.

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