Stakeholder Update | mid-April 2020

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Application for Jobkeeper Scheme Now Open   Employers can now enrol for the Government’s $130 billion JobKeeper payment scheme, which supports businesses affected by the coronavirus to help keep more Australians in jobs.   The JobKeeper payment is open to eligible employers, sole traders and other entities to enable them to pay eligible employees’ salary or wages of at least $1,500 (before tax) per fortnight.   Businesses can enrol for the JobKeeper payment through the Australian Tax Office’s Business Portal, through the ATO’s online services using myGov for sole traders, or through a registered tax or BAS agent.   There are a several resources available to businesses, sole traders and employees to understand eligibility criteria and the process involved in accessing payments:   ·       ATO JobKeeper Payment summary webpage and downloadable guides Tourism Australia Coronavirus Seminar Series Tourism Australia is hosting a series of webinars on the coronavirus each week. Please subscribe to Essentials to get updates on how to register for future webinars. More Information

Destination NSW Update Destination NSW has developed a new suite of resources as part of its NSW First industry development program to help travel and tourism operators navigate these unprecedented times. The resources provide business owners with advice about how to stay in touch with customers, maintaining relationships with media and distribution partners, and opportunities to develop new areas of business. The six new guides are: Stay connected online: refresh and update your tourism business presence Dare to dream: tips for social media Telling great stories: working with the media Create new ways to explore: adapting your product Keep the conversations going: stay connected with distribution partners We will meet again in regional NSW: regional conferencing. They can be downloaded from the Destination NSW corporate website. Click for DNSW Corporate Website COVID-19 Survey Destination Sydney Surrounds South is seeking information about the impact Coronavirus is having on your business. Click the button below to take a short survey. Click for Survey Small Business Bushfire Webinar The fully accessible NSW Small Business Bushfire Information webinar is now live on the Service NSW webpage. More Information Free Live Webinar – How To Reinvent Your Business NSW Business Connect partner NetStripes is offering a FREE webinar for businesses to keep productive and spend meaningful time on their business now. It will cover topics that will address two main concerns business owners are grappling with at this point – managing cash flow and delivering services during these challenging times. DATE – April 30th, 2020 Book Now Working From Home Arrangements The Australian Taxation Office announced special arrangements to make it easier for people to claim deductions for working from home. People can claim 80 cents per hour for all their running expenses, rather than calculating costs for specific running expenses. More Information 60+ FREE Online Workshops and Webinars Over 60 free online workshops and webinars are available through Business Connect to support your NSW small business to manage cashflow, change your business model, sell goods and services online and market your business in a challenging environment. Webinar Information More Information $14 Million Boost to Business Connect Operators across the state are encouraged to register for the NSW Government’s expanding small business advisory program – Business Connect – to assist them navigate these challenging times. This week, Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said the NSW Government would inject more than $14 million into Business Connect to engage 30 additional advisors and ensure the program continues for another 12 months. Businesses can access support by visiting Business Connect or calling 1300 134 359. From next week, Business Connect consultant NetStripes will deliver free, three-hour webinars: Reinvent Your Business In Troubled Times. Hosted by NetStripes founder Dinesh De Silva, the digital marketing-focused program will provide strategies to protect cashflow, and ways that operators can deliver services in unique and innovative ways. View the four session times and register now. Click for Session Times and Registration $140 Million for Bushfire Affected Industries Member for Goulburn, Wendy Tuckerman MP has welcomed the NSW Government’s $140 million Bushfire Recovery Package to support forestry, horticulture and agriculture industries impacted by the recent bushfires. Click for Media Release