The state government last week announced criteria for small businesses to apply for $5000 Covid grants, designed to help struggling operators through tough times.
Businesses need to turn over $75,000. Fair enough. They need to have suffered a 30% downturn in business during lockdown. Absolutely fair enough.
They also need to employ staff on payroll. This is where things get a little grey.
The couple whose coffee cart or food truck had to shut down through lockdown have been deemed by the bean counters in state finance to be unworthy of assistance.
The reason many people have become self-employed is because they’ve been put out of work during Covid restrictions, preferring to give it a go alone rather than relying on JobKeeper or any other government handouts.
They’ve chosen to take responsibility for the economy onto their own shoulders – yet now, they’re being told they don’t qualify for short-term government assistance.
Our government’s line will likely be that “we want to keep people in jobs” which is perhaps why they’re stipulating that the only businesses worthy of assistance are those with staff on payroll.
Other businesses employ contract staff. They too, fall through the cracks.
The husband and wife team who run a business which is technically not essential were forced to close during lockdown. For that week, they lost 100% of their income, and many of the bills including rent, didn’t go away.
If this is an oversight, it is appalling. If it is intentional, it is a disgrace.
Many of those businesses are our partners, and we feel for them.
