Financial support to be offered for businesses and workers impacted by Sydney’s lockdown after JobKeeper was scrapped – here’s how to find out if you can claim $500 weekly payments
- Support is on the way for workers and businesses impacted by Sydney lockdown
- Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the NSW Government would announce support
- Federal government assistance of up to $500 each week will start on July 1
Support is on the way for workers and businesses impacted by Sydney’s latest virus lockdown, with both the federal and state government considering options.
A bevy of industry bodies has called for some form of financial assistance, with the damage bill for the lockdown expected to stretch into the hundreds of millions.
It is the city’s first lockdown without the JobKeeper program in place and comes in the final week of end-of-financial-year sales.
Up to $750 million of ‘carnage’ could be inflicted on retailers alone, the National Retail Association said, while the Accommodation Association says the move has sent occupancy rates plummeting across the country.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Business NSW and the Committee for Sydney are also among those calling for support to quickly be made available.
Support is on the way for workers and businesses impacted by Sydney’s latest virus lockdown (women are pictured in Bondi on Saturday)
It is the city’s first lockdown without the JobKeeper program in place and comes in the final week of end-of-financial-year sales (residents on Sydney’s northern beaches enjoy their final hours of freedom on Saturday)
In announcing a two-week city-wide lockdown on Saturday afternoon, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said help was on the way.
‘Nobody should feel stressed about their financial situation,’ she said.
‘We will, as a state government in the next few days, be announcing support for businesses. The federal government’s support for households kicks in at a certain time.
‘Nobody should feel stressed or pressured to break any of the rules because of their financial situation.’
Federal government assistance of up to $500 will kick in on July 1 for those who reside or work in Sydney’s CBD, east or inner west and cannot attend work as a result of lockdown restrictions.
The ‘temporary Covid-19 disaster payment’ was announced by Scott Morrison in June after the end of JobKeeper.
Residents who live or work in an area defined by the Commonwealth as a virus hotspot will be able to claim money from the federal government once a lockdown goes on for more than seven days.
Workers who cannot do their jobs will be entitled to a $500 weekly payment if they worked more than 20 hours in the week before lockdown or $325 if they worked fewer than 20 hours.
They must have less than $10,000 in savings and must have used up any pandemic sick leave to qualify.
Anyone receiving JobSeeker, business support payments or the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment does not qualify.
Residents impacted by the NSW lockdown should be able to apply for the cash on the Services Australia website.
Further information will be provided in the next week, Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud said on Saturday.
Workers who cannot do their jobs will be entitled to a $500 weekly payment (people pictured exercising in Bondi on Saturday)