Insights from RG Strategic
New COVID grants for the hard hit tourism sector coming in October
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Posted September 17, 2021
Tourism & Events
The Federal and State governments have just announced new grants to support tourism operators in hard-hit areas due to border closures.
Details are scant at the moment with applications opening in October but what we do know so far is that the Tourism and Hospitality Sector Hardship Program will provide one-off grants of $15,000, $25,000 and $50,000 to eligible employing small, medium and large tourism and hospitality businesses. This is for businesses across Queensland that have experienced a reduction in turnover of at least 70 per cent for at least seven consecutive days between 1 July and 30 September 2021.
There will be $40 million available for businesses across the state.
The government have yet to announce how a business will verify their eligibility but we know there will be three levels of support depending on the number of staff in the business:
- Employing sole traders to small businesses (with a payroll under $1.3 million)
- Small to medium businesses (with a payroll of $1.3 million to $10 million inclusive), and
- Medium to large businesses (payroll over $10 million).
Support will ramp up in line with payroll size from $15,000 for small businesses, to $25,000 for medium businesses, and to $50,000 for large businesses. Interestingly, while employing sole traders were mentioned in the levels supported, they were omitted from the statement of the amount of support to be offered. We hope this will be clarified and that these important businesses are indeed supported by this grant.
We also note that in the statement from the state government they specifically mention “hard hit regions such as Cairns, Whitsundays and the Gold Coast”. We hope the Sunshine Coast was omitted from this statement due to oversight and not ineligibility, but perhaps Fiona Simpson, Sandy Bolton or Dan Purdie can help clarify that.
We’ll keep an eye open for when applications are available and hope to see our concerns are for naught by then.
Photo by Luisa Denu on Unsplash
We would highly recommend RG Strategic. Russell and his highly professional team of town planners have done a huge amount of pro bono work for us here at Sunshine Butterflies Disability Support Charity, as we built our learning and recreational facility, 'Our Backyard' in the Noosa Countryside. The facility provides services for young adults living with a disability and their families, so everything has to be fully accessible and wheelchair-friendly and comply with disability building codes. RG Strategic helped us to navigate our way through the complex processes of Town Planning and our Development Application and made liaising with Noosa Council a breeze. We cannot thank them enough. Leanne Walsh FOUNDER
Leanne Walsh
Sunshine Butterflies Disability Support Charity - Cooroibah
I couldn’t recommend RG Strategic enough. If you have any Town Planning issues in Noosa or the Sunshine Coast then look no further. I had some frustrating issues with my food premises in regards to our Body Corporate and Russell soon sorted everything out. Couldn’t be more thankful.
Big Willy
Noosa Floor Coverings - Noosa
We recently undertook a boutique development at Peregian Beach, and Russell, Maree and the team were critical to the success of the endeavour. Super knowledgeable, proactive, professional, and reliable throughout the project journey. We quite simply couldn't have done it without them.
Andy Fyffe
Short Term Accommodation - Peregian Beach
In our business of building renovations and construction, we often turn to professional consultants to guide us through the ever-changing rules that apply to this complex industry. RG Strategic with Russell Green leading his team has helped us through many of our projects, including the construction of our new factory/studio complex and a myriad of renovation projects that we have undertaken, none of which could have been successful without the invaluable assistance of Russell. Speed is often critical when processing town planning applications, due to tight build schedules and clients’ expectations, and Russell continues to amaze me with the speed and efficiency in which he undertakes all his work, with a powerful and effective commitment to each and every project. RG Strategic and Russell are our secret weapons.
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