Anderson also points to upcoming postal and distribution restriction changes
The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) has welcomed the $3 billion in cash grants, tax relief and cashflow support for businesses impacted by trading restrictions during Stage Four Covid-19 restrictions.
While much of the detail around how to qualify for assistance has yet to be released, specific headline relief measures to note includes:
- $1.1 billion in cash grants though the Business Support Fund for businesses with payrolls up to $10 million
- $1.7 billion in payroll tax deferral for businesses with payrolls of up to $10 million for the full 2020-21 financial year
- establishment of a $251 million Licenced Venue Fund for hospitality businesses and licenced venues, as well as the waiver of liquor license fees for 2021
- $137 million in deferral of charges including liquor licence fees, the congestion levy and increases to the landfill levy
- $100 million of relief for sole traders in grants up to $3000 from the Sole Trader Support Fund
- grants of up to $20,000 to support alpine resort businesses cover their resort and other fees.
The package also includes provisions for supporting Victorian exporters with a $15.7 million export recovery package to address logistics and supply chain issues caused by Covid-19 and establish new export channels, VTA CEO Peter Anderson notes.
“Freight and logistics, as an essential service, has been spared much of the pain and hardship caused by Covid-19, however customers of transport have not been so fortunate.
“The support will assist hospitality, tourism, manufacturing, non-essential retail and other sectors of the economy – who are all consumers of freight – and it is important that as an industry we support our customers as best we can through this difficult time.”
VTA is campaigning to keep delivery curfew exemptions in place
Meanwhile, VTA spotlights Freight Victoria’s updated guidance for transport, freight and logistics industries around Covid-19 work restrictions for postal and distribution operators.
As part of step two, from September 28, subject to public health advice at that time, no restrictions will apply to postal and distribution operators.
Anderson points to Freight Victoria definitions around wholesale trade and warehousing, and postal and distribution, in assessing the new guidance:
- wholesale trade and warehousing (excludes supermarkets and chilled distribution, poisons and controlled substances): Facilities used for bulk sales, storage, breakdown, sorting, picking, packing, e-commerce pick/pack, bulk distribution
- postal and distribution (excludes supermarkets and chilled distribution): Facilities used for sorting of mail and parcels, cross-docking, loading for distribution, plus vehicle fleet for last mile delivery.