4.  Disaster Recovery Grants and Funding

4.1  COVID -19 Assistance

4.1.1  NSW Government – 2021 COVID-19 Business Grant

Open: Now

Closes: 13 September 2021

Value: $7,500 for a decline of 30% or more

               $10,500 for a decline of 50% or more

               $15,000 for a decline of 70% or more

Run By: NSW Government

If you’re a business, sole trader or not-for-profit organisation in NSW and you've been impacted by the recent COVID-19 restrictions, you may be eligible for a one-off grant of $7,500, $10,500 or $15,000.

The 2021 COVID-19 business grant provides support for businesses that experienced reduced demand or had to close due to the public health orders. It will provide businesses with cash flow support for the first 3 weeks of the Greater Sydney lockdown (26 June to 17 July 2021).

Eligible applicants across NSW can use the grant for business costs incurred from 1 June 2021 to 17 July 2021, including:

• salaries and wages

• utilities and rent

• financial, legal or other advice

• marketing and communications

• perishable goods

• other business costs.

Applications will close at 11:59pm on 13 September 2021.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for the grant, you must:

• have an active Australian Business Number (ABN)

• demonstrate your business was operating in NSW on 1 June 2021

• have had total annual Australian wages of $10 million or less as at 1 July 2020

• have had a national aggregated annual turnover between $75,000 and $50 million (inclusive) for the year ended 30 June 2020

• have business costs for which there is no other government support available

• for employing businesses, maintain your employee headcount on 13 July 2021 while receiving payments from this grant. See the guidelines for definitions.

• for non-employing businesses, have your primary income source come from this business

Three different grant amounts will be available depending on the decline in turnover experienced over a minimum 2-week period from 26 June 2021 to 17 July 2021, compared to the same period in 2019:

• $7,500 for a decline of 30% or more

• $10,500 for a decline of 50% or more

• $15,000 for a decline of 70% or more.

Certain entities, including those earning passive income (such as rents, interest or dividends), government agencies, local governments, banks and universities, are not eligible for this grant. See the full list of ineligible businesses in Attachment B of the guidelines.

Non-employing businesses are not eligible to apply for this grant if individuals associated with and deriving income from the business received a Commonwealth COVID-19 disaster payment between 26 June and 17 July 2021.

Further details, guidelines and criteria: Click here. 

4.1.2  Boosting Cash Flow for Employers

Open: Now

Closes: Not Specified

Value: $20,000 to $100,000

Run By: Australian Taxation Office

Temporary cash flow boosts will support small and medium businesses and not-for-profit organisations during the economic downturn associated with COVID-19.

Eligible businesses and not-for-profit (NFP) organisations who employ staff will receive between $20,000 to $100,000 in cash flow boost amounts by lodging their activity statements up to the month or quarter of September 2020.

The cash flow boosts will be delivered as credits in the activity statement system. They will generally be equivalent to the amount withheld from wages paid to employees for each monthly or quarterly period from March to June 2020. In practice, this means you keep the amounts you have withheld from payments for these periods. However, there are some exceptions.

An additional cash flow boost is applied when you lodge activity statements for each monthly or quarterly period from June to September 2020. These credits are equal to the total boosts credited for March to June 2020. They will be paid out in either two or four instalments depending on your reporting cycle.

Further information, eligibility and criteria: Click here. 

4.1.3  Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment

Open: Now

Closes: Not Specified

Value: $1,500 for each 14-day period you’ve been told to self-isolate or quarantine,

              or are caring for someone with COVID-19 for eligible applicants.

Run By: Services Australia

Provides a lump sum financial assistance to limit the financial hardship for eligible individuals who are unable to earn an income having been informed by a health official in the state they live and/or work to self-isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19.

Claimants are required to complete an application by telephone or by submitting a completed claim form by fax to Services Australia. The easiest way to claim is over the phone. A claim will be assessed by Services Australia against the eligibility criteria before making payment and claimants will be notified by letter if their claim has been granted or rejected. Where requested, a claimant may also need to provide evidence of meeting the eligibility criteria for the payment.

Services Australia makes every effort to process claims as quickly as possible. Depending on individual circumstances, payments can be released in real time to the claimant’s Australian bank account.

Further details and eligibility: Click here.

4.2  Storm and Flood Assistance

4.2.1  Special Disaster Assistance (Storms & Floods) Primary Producer Grants

Open: Now

Closes: 31 October 2021

Value: Up to $75,000 per affected property

Run By: NSW Government – Rural Assistance Authority

The objective of this assistance measure made under agreements between the Commonwealth and State Governments, is to support the recovery of primary producers impacted by the storms and floods starting 10 March 2021, across NSW. The Special Disaster Assistance (Storms & Floods) Grants, provide a grant to primary producers to help pay for the costs of clean-up and reinstatement of primary production enterprises that have suffered direct damage as a result of the eligible disaster.

Glen Innes Severn is a defined disaster area from this event.

Available funding:

a) The maximum grant amount for clean-up, reinstatement activities and emergency measures, per affected property (subject to section 4), is $75,000.

b) Funds of up to $15,000 will be provided to eligible, approved applicants, without the need to provide invoices at the point of application. Such funds can be provided on the basis of quotes or estimates, noting that evidence: eg valid tax invoices will be required in relation to that first $15,000, if the applicant seeks funding from above $15,000 to $75,000.

c) Funds of between $15,000 to $75,000 will require valid tax invoices at the point at which claims are made.

d) All supporting documentation including tax invoices and receipts for claims must be submitted within 12 months of the date of the declaration.

e) Should an initial application be less than the maximum grant amount, further applications may be submitted if additional expenditure is required to complete clean-up and reinstatement activities.

Eligibility criteria:

To be eligible for the grant, the applicant must:

a) be a primary producer;

b) derive at least 50% of their gross income from the primary production enterprise;

c) contributes a part of their labour to the primary production enterprise;

d) hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) and have held that ABN at the time of the disaster;

e) have a primary production enterprise located in the defined area for the eligible disaster that has suffered direct damage as a result of the eligible disaster;

 f) have been engaged in carrying on the primary production enterprise when affected by the eligible disaster;

g) have lodged an application by 31 October 2021.; and

h) intend to re-establish the primary production enterprise.

An applicant may also be eligible for a grant if all of the following apply:

a) the applicant’s primary production enterprise is located outside the defined disaster area for the eligible disaster but is carried on at least sometimes on a regular basis in the area;

b) plant or equipment of the primary production enterprise situated in the defined disaster area has been damaged or livestock has died as a result of the eligible disaster; and

c) The applicant derives at least 50 per cent of their total gross income from primary production and value-added products (eg wine) made directly from raw produce grown by the applicant.

Where an applicant’s income from primary production is less than 50 per cent of their total income, the applicant may nonetheless be eligible for a grant if it can be demonstrated that:

a) In the ordinary course of business the applicant would meet that requirement, but:

(i)Their primary production income is currently reduced due to seasonal conditions; and/or

(ii) Due to long lead times to full production, the applicant expects to earn such an amount of income within a three to eight year period, taking into account the nature of the industry.

Further information and guidelines: Click here. 

4.2.2  NSW Storms and Floods: 10 March 2021 - Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment

Open: Now

Closes: 28 September 2021

Value: $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child

Run By: Australian Government

The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) provides one-off financial assistance to eligible Australians adversely affected by the storms and floods.

The rate of AGDRP is $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child. Claims for this payment can be lodged with Services Australia for a period up to 6 months.

AGDRP is available for people who have been seriously injured, have lost their homes or whose homes have been directly damaged, whose major assets have been directly damaged or are the immediate family members of a person who has died as a direct result of the storms and floods.

Glen Innes Severn LGA is included in the sixty-four (64) eligible local government areas. You have until 28 September 2021 to lodge a claim for AGDRP.

For more information on eligibility. Click Here 

Or contact the Australian Government Information Hotline on 180 22 66 for claims assistance

4.3  Bushfire Assistance

4.3.1  Natural Disaster Transport Subsidy

Open: Now

Closes: Ongoing

Value: Up to $15,000

Run By: NSW Government – Rural Assistance Authority

A natural disaster assistance transport subsidy is available to eligible farmers who are affected by a declared natural disaster event. This subsidy pays for the cost of transporting:

• fodder and/or water to an affected property

• stock to sale or slaughter

• stock to/from agistment

Note: Drought is no longer a declared natural disaster

Subsidies of up to 50% of the total freight costs to a maximum of $15,000 per farm enterprise per financial year are available. The $15,000 is counted within a financial year from the date when the payment is made to the applicant.

Further information, eligibility and criteria: Click here. 

Disclaimer: Information for this Bid Blast sourced from www.grants.gov.au, www.business.gov.au, Regional Development Australia Northern Inland, Glen Innes Severn Council, NSW Government – Rural Assistance Authority, Australian Government – Department of Industry, Science Energy and Resources, SafeWork NSW, NSW Government - Regional NSW , Australian Government - Job Active, Federation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR),NSW Government – Department of Education, NSW Government – Youth NSW, NSW Government – Heritage NSW, NSW Government – Department of Primary Industries, NSW Government – Transport for NSW, Australian Government – Department of Health, , NSW Government – Office of Responsible Gambling, Australian Government – Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, NSW Government – Service NSW, NSW Government, Australian Taxation Office, Services Australia.