CORONAVIRUS — SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS
482. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the parliamentary secretary representing the
Minister for Small Business:
I refer to the COVID-19 small
business lockdown assistance grant and businesses that are currently ineligible
to apply for those grants.
(1) How many
pieces of correspondence has the minister received relating to small and medium
enterprises missing out on COVID-19 support grants?
(2) Is the
minister considering broadening the COVID-19 support grants to businesses that
are currently ineligible, such as allied health professionals, boutique
clothing stores, tavern owners, wine cellar door operations and printing
companies?
(3) What action
is the minister taking to ensure that SMEs such as those in (2) do not fall through
the cracks and end up missing out on COVID support?
(4) Given the likelihood of an extended hard border
with the eastern states, has the minister considered long-term solutions
to this issue, such as codes of conduct, policies or regulations?
(5) If yes to
(4), what are these, and have they been discussed with the industry bodies or
ministers such as the Minister for Commerce; and, if yes, can the minister
please provide details?
Hon
MATTHEW SWINBOURN replied:
I provide the following response on
behalf of the Minister for Small Business.
(1) The minister
received 45 pieces of correspondence relating to small and medium enterprises
whose applications did not meet eligibility for the COVID-19 support grants.
(2) The McGowan
government's $3 000 small business lockdown assistance grants program
is a dedicated program designed to deliver one-off cash flow assistance to
small businesses operating in the sectors most impacted by the restrictions.
The program is in addition to the more than $1.3 billion of COVID-19 assistance
the McGowan government has provided to Western Australian businesses, which has
included electricity bill relief, payroll tax and business licence fee waivers,
grants and other industry-specific measures. For the member's benefit,
taverns are eligible for the assistance grant.
(3) The state
government's strong approach to COVID-19 has enabled WA to return to
pre-lockdown life quickly, without the need
for venue and crowd limits, mask wearing or other disruptions to small
businesses. As we have experienced in WA, necessary, short,
circuit-breaking lockdowns allow small businesses to return to normal trade as
quickly as possible.
(4)–(5) It
is unclear what the member is referring to with these questions. The member is
respectfully requested to rephrase them.