Thursday, 9 September 2021

 Mr PAKULA (Keysborough—Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Minister for Trade, Minister for Business Precincts, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Racing) (15:10): I rise to update the house on the continued support that the Andrews Labor government is providing to business throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Last Saturday I announced a further $2.34 billion of support, co-funded by the commonwealth—and we thank the commonwealth for that co-funding—to assist some 175 000 businesses through to the end of September. The business costs assistance program (BCAP) will support over 130 000 businesses, with the payments now being tiered between $2800 a week and up to $8400 per week. The Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund (LHVF) supports over 9000 businesses and will continue to provide payments of between $5000 and $20 000 per week. The Small Business COVID Hardship Fund will now support up to 35 000 businesses not otherwise eligible for support, with one-off payments of $20 000. And we will provide one more crucial round of support to our alpine businesses, with payments of between $10 000 and $40 000.

Our support programs over the course of the pandemic now run at over $10 billion, and since the May–June lockdown more than $3 billion in business support has landed in the bank accounts of Victorian businesses. Importantly the BCAP and LHVF payments will be made fortnightly and will, like previous payments, be automatic. That means that in regional Victoria, despite restrictions easing, the first fortnight of payments will be unaffected. As I indicated yesterday, we will next week have more to say regarding those sectors which remain severely impacted by restrictions in regional Victoria.

I can also indicate to the house that the government will continue to fund commonwealth disaster payments of $750 and $450 for eligible workers and businesses in non-hotspot-declared parts of the state, and that is an important recognition that many individuals will still have their income severely constrained despite those restrictions easing in regional Victoria.