In a media conference on Tuesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced weekly payments for individuals who had lost more than 20 hours of work as a result of stay-at-home orders would increase to $600, and those who had lost between eight and 20 hours would receive $375, until the completion of the lockdown.
The NSW government would cover the payments to extend to all individuals who had lost work across the state, rather than the federally defined hotspot areas within the capital city.
“Those payments of $600 and $375 were in place during the December quarter when Victorian lockdown was in place – this lockdown and the circumstances we’re dealing with are more akin to what we’ve seen at the beginning of that process,” Mr Morrison said.
In addition, businesses with an annual turnover of between $75,000 and $50 million would be eligible for fortnightly support payments equal to 40 per cent of their payroll costs up to a maximum of $10,000 per week.
Sole traders and not-for-profits would also be eligible for support payments, which would be conditional on businesses retaining their pre-lockdown staffing levels, and available for the duration of the lockdown.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the state and federal governments had worked quickly on a package to ensure that “if you’re suffering because of stay at home provisions, you are able to make sure you and your loved ones don’t go through financial stress.”
“These payments will make sure if you’re someone who runs a business or is an employee, you will be able to respect the rules we have in place and have peace of mind,” Ms Berejiklian said.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet announced further specific state government support, including the waiving of payroll tax liabilities for the first quarter of the financial year for businesses that had suffered a drop of 30 per cent or more in turnover because of the lockdown.
Further, Mr Perrottet announced a moratorium on residential evictions for the next 60 days, and a fortnightly payment of $1.500 for landlords who provided rental relief to tenants over the period.
“Whoever you are, we want to make sure vulnerable people are given the protections they can,” he said.
“Whether you are casual, permanent, a small or large business, the NSW government has your back. We are going to get through this and come out stronger on the other side.”
With the state announcing 89 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, Ms Berejiklian said it was “unlikely” stay-at-home orders would end this week, but that the new package would provide “a breather” for business regardless of the length of the lockdown, which some health experts have suggested could last weeks or months.
