06 Apr 2020 | Industry news |

Stimulus opportunities for clubs, facilities

by Golf Australia

Course staff at work.

Economic survival and support for businesses during COVID-19

Visit our COVID-19 Resource Centre

UPDATE: Tuesday 14, April 2020

In what is an extremely stressful time for everyone, the Federal Government and state/territory governments around Australia have release stimulus packages for businesses and not-for-profit organisations during the outbreak of COVID-19 for the next six months.

The following is a summary of each package available, with links to contacts and further information.

JobKeeper Payments

The economic impacts of the Coronavirus pose significant challenges for many businesses – many of which are struggling to retain their employees.

Under the JobKeeper Payment, businesses significantly impacted by the Coronavirus outbreak will be able to access a subsidy from the Government to continue paying their employees. This assistance will help businesses to keep people in their jobs and re-start when the crisis is over. For employees, this means they can keep their job and earn an income – even if their hours have been cut.

The JobKeeper Payment is a temporary scheme open to businesses impacted by the Coronavirus.

The Government will provide $1,500 per fortnight per employee for up to 6 months.

The JobKeeper Payment will support employers to maintain their connection to their employees. These connections will enable business to reactivate their operations quickly – without having to rehire staff when the crisis is over.

Further details can be found in the following Fact Sheets:

Boosting cashflow for Employers

Provides up to $100,000 back to small and medium-sized businesses, with a minimum payment of $20,000 for eligible businesses. The payments will provide cash flow support to businesses with a turnover of less than $50 million and not-for-profit entities that employ staff. The payment will be tax free. Click here for more information.

Instant Asset Write Off boost

The instant asset write-off threshold has been increased from $30,000 to $150,000 and expanded access to include businesses with aggregated annual turnover of less than $500 million (up from $50 million). This applies from 12 March 2020 until 30 June 2020, for new or second‑hand assets first used or installed ready for use in this timeframe. Click here for more information.

Backing Business Investment

A time limited 15 month investment incentive to support business investment and economic growth over the short term, by accelerating depreciation deductions. This applies to eligible assets acquired from 12 March 2020 and first used or installed by 30 June 2021. Businesses with a turnover of less than $500 million will be able to deduct 50 per cent of the cost of an eligible asset on installation, with existing depreciation rules applying to the balance of the asset cost. Click here for more information.

Supporting Apprentices and Trainees

If you employ an apprentice or trainee you may be eligible for a wage subsidy of 50 per cent of their wage paid from 1 January 2020 to 30 September 2020. You can register for the subsidy from early April 2020. Click here for more information.

The Australian Banking Association has also announced that Australian banks will defer loan repayments for small businesses affected by COVID-19 for 6 months.

Business Support Fund

The Victorian Government has launched the $500 million Business Support Fund to help small businesses survive the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and keep people in work.

The Fund is part of the Victorian Government’s $1.7 billion Economic Survival Package.

Businesses are eligible to apply for a grant through the Fund if they meet the following criteria:

  • Have been subject to closure or highly impacted by Non-Essential Activity Directions issued by the Deputy Chief Health Officer to-date; and

  • Employ people; and

  • Have a turnover of more than $75,000; and

  • Have payroll of less than $650,000; and

  • Hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) and held that ABN at 16 March 2020 (when the State of Emergency was declared; and

  • Have been engaged in carrying out the operation of the business in the Australian State of Victoria on 16 March 2020.

  • Applications open on Monday 30 March 2020 and close on Monday 1 June 2020.

  • Businesses that have already expressed interest will be contacted by email with a link to apply.

Click here for further information .

Payroll tax waived

Businesses with annual Victorian taxable wages up to $3 million will have their payroll tax for the 2019-20 financial year waived.

Eligible businesses must continue to lodge returns but do not need to make further payments for this financial year.

The State Revenue Office will directly contact eligible businesses in relation to reimbursement for payroll tax already paid in the financial year.

These businesses can also defer paying payroll tax for the first quarter of the 2020-21 financial year.

As of Monday 30 March, cash grants of $10,000 will also be available for employers who don’t pay payroll tax.

All eligible businesses who have provided their bank details will get their money from the Victorian Government by Friday 3 April. If your club has not received this funding, you are advised to contact the State Revenue Office (SRO) on13 21 61 to ensure they have your most up to date bank details.

For more information about the administration of these relief measures please click here .

Liquor licence fees waived

Businesses that have paid for a renewable liquor licence for 2020 will be reimbursed their licence fee and those yet to pay will have the fee waived.

The State Revenue Office will administer the reimbursement, regardless of whether the licence fee was paid to it or the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation.

You can contact the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation for more information.

Land tax deferral

Land owners due to pay 2020 land tax that have at least one non-residential property and total taxable landholdings below $1 million have the option of deferring their 2020 land tax payment until after 31 December 2020.

The State Revenue Office will contact all taxpayers who are eligible for this deferral.

Queensland COVID-19 Jobs Support Loans

Applications are now open for the Queensland Government’s $500 million COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan scheme. This scheme is for Queensland businesses and non-profit organisations financially affected by COVID-19 to retain employees and maintain their operations.

Low interest loans of up to $250,000 are available to assist with carry-on expenses such as employee wages, rent and rates and other related expenditure. Eligible business types include sole traders, partnerships, private and public companies and Trusts.

All COVID-19 Jobs Support Loans will be provided for a term of 10 years, with no repayments or interest charged for the first year, followed by two years of interest only payments. Principal and interest repayments will commence from the third year for the remainder of the loan term. Click here for more information

Payroll tax support

If your business has been affected by COVID-19, you may be eligible for one or more of a range of payroll tax relief measures as a result of the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19). These include:

  • refunds of payroll tax for 2 months

  • a payroll tax holiday for 3 months

  • deferral of paying payroll tax for the 2020 calendar year.

Click here for more information .

Power Bill Relief

Your business may be eligible for a $500 rebate off energy bills if you consume less than 100,000kWh. This will be automatically applied on your business electricity bills. Click here for more information .

Gaming Machine Tax Deferral

If your business has gaming machines, the Queensland Government has announced extra tax relief worth $50million for pubs and clubs grappling with the effects of coronavirus. Click here for more information .

Small Business Emergency Support Grant

To assist affected small businesses in the identified severely impacted industries, grants of $2 500 are available through the Department of State Growth as one off emergency support payments. Click to see if you’re eligible and apply .

Business support loan scheme

Loans from $20 000 up to $250 000 are available to assist eligible businesses for the purpose of supporting business continuity, viability and sustainability during the Coronavirus period. The loans are now open.

To apply please:

  1. View fact sheet

  2. Read the guidelines to determine your eligibility

  3. Apply here

Business continuity grant

To assist small business fight the economic impact of COVID-19 and prepare the foundation to set Tasmania up for a rapid recovery when the situation eases, one-off grants of up to $750 are available through the Business Continuity Grant. Read the guidelines for details on eligibility and application process. Click to see if you’re eligible and apply .

Business vehicle registration relief

To support significantly impacted Tasmanian small businesses, business vehicle registration savings and deferrals are now available. View fact sheet (PDF) .

Small Business Hardship Grant

For small businesses in the identified sectors that are experiencing severe financial hardship, grants of $15 000 grants will be made available. Businesses seeking this large grant should first apply for the Small Business Emergency Support Grant. Details of the $15 000 Small Business Financial Hardship Grant will be announced in due course along with the application process. Note, a successful application under the Small Business Emergency Support Grant, does not mean automatic entry or approval for a Small Business Hardship Grant. Click here for more information.

Payroll tax waivers

Payroll tax liabilities will be waived for hospitality, tourism and seafood industry businesses for the last four months of 2019-2020. Other businesses with payrolls of up to $5 million will be able to apply, based on the impact of the virus, to have their payroll tax waived for April to June 2020. More information can be found at www.sro.tas.gov.au/payroll-tax

Targeted Small Business Grants Program for Apprenticeships and Traineeships – provides a $5000 grant for businesses that hire an apprentice or trainee in the tourism, hospitality, building and construction and manufacturing industries. More information can be found at www.skills.tas.gov.au

Youth Employment Scheme – provides a payroll tax rebate for one year to businesses that employ a young person aged 24 and under, between April and December 2020. More information can be found at www.sro.tas.gov.au/payroll-tax

Liquor license fees reductions and waivers – a 50 per cent discount on liquor licensing fees and a waiver of all application fees for the calendar year 2020 backdated to 1 January 2020.

South Australia

COVID-19 Business Support Grant

Business support grants are available for employing businesses ($3k) and non-employing businesses ($1k), for loss of income or closure as result of the South Australian July 2021 lockdown. Along with other criteria, businesses must have experienced at least a 30% reduction in turnover in the week of 20 July 2021 – 26 July 2021 compared to the prior week, due to the restricted trading conditions to be eligible.

Click here to access the grant guidelines and here to begin an application, applications close 30 September 2021.

Other Grants

To access all financial support packages for businesses, jobs and the community click here. Any queries in relation to COVID-19 government assistance can be lodged at the COVID-19 Support Fund. If you require additional information or have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact Ashleigh Stratford, Clubs & Facilities Support Manager SA, 0419 847 848, ashleigh.stratford@golf.org.au.

$1.3 million Sport and Active Recreation Sector Immediate Response and Resilience Program

The Northern Territory Government has reprioritised $1.3 million towards a Sport and Active Recreation Response and Resilience Program. ​

The $1.3 million program has been categorised into four areas aiming to support the sport and active recreation community through the national impacts of COVID-19. Grant dates will be announced shortly.

View a list of sport and active recreation sector COVID-19 related questions and answers.

Guidelines

You should read the guidelines below before applying for any funding.

Sport Surfaces and Sewerage Stimulus Package

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, sporting organisations may be impacted in the Northern Territory (NT) through forced closure of facilities. As a consequence there may be no capacity for income generated to offset costs such as water and sewerage. The NT Government, through the Department of Tourism, Sport and Culture (the Department), has developed this Sport Surfaces and Sewerage (SSS) Stimulus Package to support sporting associations in meeting these costs.

The SSS Stimulus Package is to support the following key objectives:

  • Objective 1: Offsetting water costs associated with watering sport turf surfaces (i.e. ovals and fields), excluding general building water costs; and/

  • Objective 2: Offsetting fixed sewerage costs associated with a sporting facility.

One-off funding applications are invited from sporting organisation’s that are directly accountable for the payment of costs associated with the watering of turf ovals/fields and/or payment of fixed sewerage costs for amounts up to $20 000 per organisation in total.

What can be funded

Funding can be applied for offsetting:

  • Fixed sewerage costs for the period of 1 April 2020 to 31 August 2020; and

  • Water costs associated with the watering of sport turf surfaces, excluding general building water costs (e.g. showers and toilets).

Applicants will be required to provide proof of tenure for the land and demonstrate previous utility payment history for the same period in 2019 to substantiate the request. Where this cannot be provided please contact the Department.

As both water and sewerage are exempt from GST, the GST component will not be applied to the grant.

Key dates

Closing date for applications: 17 April 2020 Notification of successful applications: By 30 April 2020

How to apply

All applications must be submitted online at grantsnt.nt.gov.au

It is recommended that you contact the Department for assistance with your application prior to submitting, to ensure you meet the eligibility requirements of this category.

Contacts Caleb Johnston Phone: 08 8982 2310 Email: caleb.johnston@nt.gov.au

Jobs Rescue and Recovery

The Northern Territory (NT) Government is delivering a $65 million Jobs Rescue and Recovery plan to help stimulate the economy and keep Territorians in jobs. This package is the second phase of the response to the significant economic impact of COVID-19, and is complementary to initiatives offered by the Australian Government to all jurisdictions.

Business Improvement Grant - $20 million

All Territory businesses will be able to access a $10,000 grant, followed by an additional $10,000 grant if they contribute $10,000 of their own.

Each business is only eligible to receive one grant, and it can be used to complete one or two different jobs on their premises.

The grant can be used to purchase goods and services to make permanent physical improvements to a business (land and / or building) that help improve its efficiency and customer experience.

Registrations for businesses to provide services opened 30 March 2020. Businesses can apply for a grant from 13 April 2020. Read more on the Business Improvement Grant.

Immediate Work Grant - $5 million

Grants of up to $100,000 will be given to not-for-profit and community organisations to engage local businesses to do repairs, renovations and upgrades to their property and facilities.

The first $50,000 will be paid as a grant, and the NT Government will also match any renovation costs that exceed $50,000 on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to a maximum of $100,000 total.

Registrations for businesses to provide services open 30 March 2020. Grant applications open 20 April 2020. Read more on the Immediate Work Grant.

Small Business Survival Fund

The new $50 million Small Business Survival Fund will help local Territory businesses survive the unprecedented economic impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19).

This fund is specifically targeted at supporting industries such as retail, hospitality, tourism and entertainment businesses.

Eligible businesses will be able to apply for two payments:

  • an immediate survival payment of between $2,000 and $50,000 to help offset the immediate cost pressures on businesses

  • a rapid adaption payment of between $1,000 and $5,000 to help businesses make the necessary changes they need to help adapt to the new operating environment.

Join our newsletter

Get weekly updates on news, golf tips and access to partner promotions.

Related News

Golf Australia NEW LOGO White Mono_logo
Join our newsletter

Get weekly updates on news, golf tips and access to partner promotions!