Business Costs Assistance Program Round Four – Construction

The Victorian Government is providing grants for eligible construction businesses, including employing and non-employing businesses, impacted by the two-week shutdown from 21 September – 4 October 2021.

Overview

The Victorian Government’s Business Costs Assistance Program Round Four – Construction provides one-off payments to eligible employing and non-employing businesses in the construction sector that were operating in the following local government areas at the time of the restrictions:

• Metropolitan Melbourne
• The City of Greater Geelong
• Mitchell Shire
• Surf Coast Shire

Businesses must have incurred direct costs because of the construction shutdown due to the COVID-19 restrictions in effect from 21 September to 4 October 2021, that have not been and will not be partially or fully recovered or otherwise reimbursed.

Payments of up to $8400 will be made available to eligible businesses based on payroll size.

Please refer to the program guidelines for more information about the program’s requirements and what you will need to provide when you apply. If you have questions, please read all the information on this page, including the program guidelines and the frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Program information in languages other than English will be available soon. In the meantime, if you require a translator, please call Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and ask for the Business Victoria hotline.

Program guidelines

Business Costs Assistance Program Round Four – Construction Guidelines.docx (PDF 283.78 KB)

Business Costs Assistance Program Round Four – Construction Guidelines.docx (DOCX 235.69 KB)

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Read the full list of FAQs.

The program will remain open until 11:59pm on 9 November 2021 or when funds are exhausted, whichever is sooner.

Eligibility criteria

• hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) and have held that ABN on and from 24 September 2021
• be registered with the responsible Federal or State regulator
• be located within Victoria
• be registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) on and from 24 September 2021
• have an annual Victorian payroll of up to $10 million in 2019-20 on an ungrouped basis
• operate in an eligible sector listed in the list of eligible ANZSIC classes for this program
• have been contracted (prior to the restriction period being announced) to undertake, or supply workers to undertake, work at a construction worksite that was shut down due to the COVID-19 restrictions announced 20 September 2021 in one of the following areas:
  • Local Government Areas (LGAs) in metropolitan Melbourne
  • City of Greater Geelong
  • Mitchell Shire, and
  • Surf Coast Shire
• have incurred direct costs because of the restrictions in effect from 21 September to 4 October 2021 and cannot and were not able to operate remotely.

Employing businesses must also:

• be registered with WorkSafe Victoria
• attest that the business is supporting its workers to access any paid leave entitlements during the construction sector shutdown, and supported their causal workers, where possible.

Non-employing businesses:

• the business owner must hold a WorkSafe Construction Induction Training Card (white card or ‘ticket’) or interstate equivalent issued by a comparable governing authority in another Australian state or territory.

Other eligibility conditions

• Businesses undertaking construction work at Fully Exempt State Critical Infrastructure Project worksites are not eligible for a grant.
• Businesses undertaking exempt construction work at shutdown constructions sites are not eligible for a grant.
• Businesses will not be eligible to receive a Business Costs Assistance Program Round Four – Construction grant if they have received support under any of the following programs:
  • Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two
  • Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two July Extension
  • Small Business COVID Hardship Fund.
• If an eligible business has previously applied for support under programs listed above and has not received an outcome on assessment, it will be eligible for the grant that provides the higher amount should the business be assessed as being eligible for more than one.

Businesses, sole traders and individuals who do not meet the eligibility criteria and who have lost hours or income may be eligible for financial support through the Commonwealth Government’s COVID 19 Disaster Payment. Please note the payment may not be available when the 80% vaccination target is reached, based on Commonwealth Government policy.

Eligible sectors

For a list of eligible sectors please see the list of eligible ANZSIC classes.

Information for other or previous grant recipients

Businesses that have received funding under one the following programs are not eligible for a grant under this program:

• Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two
• Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two July Extension
• Small Business COVID Hardship Fund.

Businesses that meet the eligibility criteria and have received assistance through the previous three rounds of the Business Support Fund, payroll tax rebate/waiver, or other COVID-19 business support programs are eligible to apply for a grant under this program.

For more information see frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Grant amount

The grant amount payable to an eligible business is determined by its payroll size:

• $2000 for non-employing businesses
• $2800 for employing businesses with annual payroll below $650,000
• $5600 for employing businesses with an annual payroll between $650,000 and less than $3 million
• $8400 for employing businesses with an annual payroll between $3 million and $10 million.

Please note that businesses that receive funding under the Business Costs Assistance Program Round Four – Construction are not eligible for automatic top-up payments under the Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two and the Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two July Extension.

Information you need for your application

When applying for this grant you will need:

• a valid Australian business number (ABN) for your business that has an ANZSIC class code that is linked to one of the eligible industry sectors
• if you employ people, your WorkCover Employer Number (WEN) or, if this is yet to be issued, a WorkSafe Application Reference Number (WRN)
• if you are a non-employing business, a WorkSafe Construction Induction Training Card (white card or ‘ticket’) or interstate equivalent issued by a comparable governing authority in another Australian state or territory
• a valid proof of identity document (Australian driver licence, Australian Passport, Medicare Card and Australian visa information and foreign passport).

Please make sure your ABN registration information is current, along with ASIC registration, or relevant regulator information where required.

Incomplete or incorrect information may delay your application assessment. Please complete the application correctly and provide all relevant documentation.

Assessing your application

We endeavour to process your application and notify you of a successful outcome within 10 business days. There may be delays in notifying you of an outcome if your application:

• does not meet all the eligibility criteria
• does not have correct evidence or documentation
• requires you to make changes
• is a duplicate application for the same business
• has incorrect information, such as ABN, WorkCover Employee Number (WEN) or bank details (for successful applicants)
• does not include current or accurate information registered with relevant regulators or partner agencies, such as the State Revenue Office, Australian Business Register or WorkSafe Victoria.

We will contact you to provide updates on your application or to seek additional information to assist with processing your application.

We consider the following circumstances when assessing your application:

• any adverse findings by a regulator regarding a business
• if your business is placed under external administration
• if there is a petition to wind up or deregister a company or business
• if your business is or becomes deregistered or unregistered (including cancellation or lapse in registration).

You can check the status of your application by logging into the Business Victoria Grants Portal.

Applicants with multiple businesses

You can only apply for one grant per ABN. If you have other businesses with a different ABN that meet the eligibility criteria for this program, you must submit a separate application for each ABN. Each business or ABN must satisfy all the eligibility criteria.

Not-for-profit organisations

Not-for-profit organisations that are not registered for GST and have an annual turnover between $75,000 and $150,000 can apply for a grant. To be eligible, your organisation must meet all other eligibility criteria.

How to apply

The program will remain open until 11:59pm on 9 November 2021 or when funds are exhausted, whichever is sooner.

Check your details on the Australian Business Register website are correct prior to submitting an application. This includes ensuring the industry classification (ANZSIC class) linked to your ABN registration correctly captures the business’ primary business activity.

Complete all questions in the application form and submit it, so we can assess your application as quickly as possible.

You must certify that your business meets all eligibility criteria.

The Victorian Government or our representatives may audit your application so you will need to produce evidence at the request of the Victorian Government.

If any information in your application is false or misleading, you may be asked to repay the grant.

Please read all the information on this page, the program guidelines, and the frequently asked questions (FAQs) before applying.

Program Guidelines

Business Costs Assistance Program Round Four – Construction Guidelines.docx (PDF 283.78 KB)

Business Costs Assistance Program Round Four – Construction Guidelines.docx (DOCX 235.69 KB)

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Read the full list of FAQs.

Source: Business Victoria