You’ll notice less communication from Council between 22 September and 24 October, which is the lead up to the local government elections. This is because the Local Government Act places restrictions on council publications, including electronic publications, and on what councils can print, publish and distribute during an election period. However Council services continue to be delivered and you can find service information on our website.

You can also contact the Economic Development Team on 03 9249 4000 or email [email protected]

The Victorian Government is investing $3 billion to help businesses impacted by ongoing restrictions and prepare for COVID Normal business.

$3 billion in cash grants, tax relief and cashflow support will be delivered to Victorian businesses that have been most affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions. The package will help businesses survive and keep Victorians in jobs.

Business Support 

• Small and medium sized business: The third round of the Business Support Fund provides grants of $20,000, $15,000 or $10,000, depending on size, to around 75,000 eligible businesses with a payroll of up to $10 million. Applications open Friday 18 September 2020.
• Licensed Hospitality Business: The Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund provides grants of up to $30,000 for licensed pubs, clubs, hotels, bars, restaurants and reception centres, based on their venue capacity and location, plus waiving of liquor license fees until 2021.
• Sole Trader Support Fund ($100 million): The Sole Trader Support Fund provides grants of up to $3,000 to over 30,000 eligible sole traders in sectors such as retail, accommodation and food services, creative and media, hairdressing, gyms, events, education and training who operate from a commercial premises or location as a tenant.
• Business Chambers and Trader Groups: The competitive grants program provides grants to support local business groups and chambers of commerce in helping their members adapt to COVID Normal.

The package also provides additional funding, tools and resources to help businesses adapt and prepare for reopening under COVID normal settings including: 

• A $87.5 million Outdoor Eating and Entertainment Package to support hospitality businesses prepare for COVID Normal reopening across Victoria. This includes:
  • $58 million for grants of up to $5000 for hospitality businesses with an annual payroll of less than $3 million to help them adapt to outdoor dining
  • $29.5 million for grants of up to $500,000 per metro and regional city council, and $250,000 per rural council, to deliver reduced or waived permit fees, or invest in new infrastructure and equipment to support outdoor dining
• A $20 million voucher program to assist sole traders and small businesses in building their digital capability through off-the-shelf digital programs such as Shopify or Square online and workshops designed to help adapt to online operations.
• A $15.7 million package to help Victorian exporters get their products to market by addressing logistics and supply chain issues caused by the pandemic, and establishing new trade channels through virtual trade missions and assistance adapting their export strategies in a rapidly changing global market.
• A $8.5 million package to market and expand the ‘Click for Vic’ campaign to promote small Victorian producer and encourage more Victorians to support local businesses.
  
  For more information click here