Lock-downs: What help is available
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The highly infectious Delta COVID variant is triggering lock-downs across the country. We look at what help is available and how you can get it.
COVID-19 disaster payment
The COVID-19 disaster payment is available to eligible workers who can’t attend work or who have lost income because of a lockdown and don’t have access to appropriate paid leave entitlements. And, it only applies from the eighth day of lockdown. That is, there is nothing you can claim for the first week of a lockdown.
The payment amount depends on how many hours of work you have lost in the lockdown period (week).
Hours lost | Amount |
<20 hours | $325 |
20+ hours | $500 |
Applications for the disaster payment need to be made weekly. The payment is available if you are not earning an income or
have lost work and you:
- Are an Australian citizen, permanent resident or temporary visa holder who has the right to work in Australia, and
- Are aged 17 years or over, and
- Can’t attend work and lost income on or after day 8 of a COVID-19 lockdown, and
- Don’t have access to appropriate paid leave entitlements through your employer (other than annual leave), and
- Are not getting an income support payment, a state or territory pandemic payment, Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment or state small business payment for the same period.
Until recently, a liquid assets test applied that meant that if you had more than $10,000, you could not receive the payment. However, the Prime Minster has stated that this test will be lifted from Thursday, 8 July 2021. During Victoria’s lockdown, 75,410 claims were made for the disaster payment, 57,730 were granted. In NSW, over 67,000 residents have applied for the payment to date. The disaster payment is only accessible if the hotspot triggering the lockdown lasts more than 7 days as declared by the Chief Medical Officer (you can find the listing here).
Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment
The Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment of $1,500 for each 14 day period is for those who have been advised by the health authorities to selfisolate or quarantine because:
- You have coronavirus (COVID-19)
- You’ve been in close contact with a person who has COVID-19
- You care for a child, 16 years or under, who has COVID-19
- You care for a child, 16 years or under, who’s been in close contact with a person who has COVID-19.
The payment might also be accessible if you are a carer for someone impacted. Eligibility for this disaster payment is very similar except that you need to use any appropriate leave entitlements if it is available to you (for example, pandemic sick leave, personal leave or carer leave).
Support for business
New South Wales
The NSW Government has announced new grants of up to $10,000 for businesses adversely impacted by the recent COVID-19 lockdowns.
Eligibility for the grant is streamed into general business, and hospitality and tourism. The value of the grant is determined by the impact of the lockdown on your turnover. Your business will need to prove a decline in turnover across a minimum 2 week period after the commencement of the major restrictions.
Turnover Decline | Grant |
70%+ | $10,000 |
50% to <70% | $7,000 |
30% to <50% | $5,000 |
Disclaimer:
Please note that every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided in this guide is accurate. You should note, however, that the information is intended as a guide only, providing an overview of general information available to property buyers and investors. This guide is not intended to be an exhaustive source of information and should not be seen to constitute legal, tax or investment advice. You should, where necessary, seek your own advice for any legal, tax or investment issues raised in your affairs.