Treasurer announces $15 billion expansion of Jobkeeper
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Treasurer announces $15 billion expansion of Jobkeeper
The federal government has announced further funding for the Jobkeeper program to assist businesses and employees affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
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DepositphotosThe government has announced changes to the Jobkeeper program.
The federal government has announced a $15 billion expansion of the JobKeeper program to help cushion the blow of the coronavirus pandemic.
The expansion includes two major changes to the JobKeeper program as it moves beyond the initial September cut-off.
According to reports, the business turnover test and the employee eligibility test have both been updated, with workers set to only need to show that their GST turnover had fallen over one quarter, instead of multiple, to be eligible for the scheme's extension.
Jobkeeper changes - At a glance:
- Businesses will only need to show that their GST turnover had fallen over one quarter, instead of multiple, to be eligible for the scheme's extension.
- Workers will also qualify if they were employed on July 1, rather than March 1.
- Another $15 billion is being injected into the program.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Josh Frydenberg Facebook.
Workers will also qualify if they were employed on July 1, rather than March 1.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has said that around $13 billion of the extra funding would make its way to Victoria, with an extra 500,000 Victorian employees going onto JobKeeper through the September quarter.
The changes have been welcomed by Tourism Accommodation Australia, with CEO Michael Johnson commending the Government for responding to the unpredictable nature of COVID-19 with "agility", helping to boost confidence within the accommodation industry.
“TAA have continued to make the case to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Frydenberg that amendments to the scheme were necessary to ensure more businesses were eligible through what are clearly a highly volatile few months,” he said.
TAA CEO Michael Johnson. Source: TAA
“Today’s announced changes will increase the number of businesses who can access the scheme and keep their workforce engaged.
“These are reasonably minor adjustments that will deliver major benefits and we commend the Federal Government for their ongoing agility in responding to COVID-19.”
“We know that Australia’s accommodation industry has been one of the hardest hit sectors as a result of the pandemic and the next few months remain highly precarious.”
“We will continue to work cooperatively and collaboratively with Government to secure outcomes that keep hotels afloat and workers in gainful employment during this unprecedented crisis.”
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