Over the weekend, a further package of support was announced for regional Victorian businesses.

Our regional Victoria members are now eligible for the same support as our metropolitan Melbourne members.

It is hoped that the package of automatic cash grants, jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments, will provide our regional Victorian members with the support that they need following the extension of the Victorian lockdown to the whole of the state.

A reminder that Lockdown directions commenced at 1:00pm on Saturday, 21 August 2021 in regional Victoria and will continue until 11:59pm on Friday, 2 September 2021, aligning with restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne.

Members in regional Victoria that have experienced a reduction in revenue of at least 70 per cent are encouraged to apply for a grant from the $252 million Small Business COVID Hardship Fund, which provides grants of $14,000 to successful applicants.

Please also note that Commonwealth COVID-19 Disaster Payment arrangements will apply to workers and eligible sole-trader businesses in regional areas, as they do in metropolitan areas.

For more information, click here.

Please click here to access a factsheet detailing available support payments for those in our industry.

Click here to access some popular FAQs on the Small Business COVID Hardship Fund and how to apply.