Victorian business to receive cash grants under latest federal-state financial support package

The package includes a $85 million Small Business COVID Hardship Fund, accessible to businesses not eligible to apply under the Business Cost Assistance Program.

A $156 million Business Continuity Fund with grants of $5000 will also be available to 30,000 businesses affected by density limits, including gyms, cafes and restaurants.

The Licenced Hospitality Venue Fund will receive an additional $70 million, with grants of up to $20,000 available to venues already registered.

Tenants will also be eligible for rental relief after the state government reintroduced its Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme as well as a $80 million Landlord Hardship Fund to help landlords provide rental reductions to their tenants.

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas said the latest financial boost would bring the state government's total contributions to $13 billion.

He said the package was intended to relieve the "cumulative effect" of lockdown.

"We are not giving you money to essentially help you through what will be a difficult time going into lockdown, but we're giving you money because we know that you've had the cumulative effect of a difficult time," Mr Pallas said.

"Cash flow is a critically important part of that, making sure that we get money into the pockets of business, so that they have the confidence to open up.

"We'll help with business every step of the way and we will continue to stand with them to assist them through these difficult times."

Bohemia Cafe and Bar owner Steve Hickman said he welcomed any financial support from the state and federal governments, but was skeptical about the eligibility process.

"With all of these financial packages, you need to provide a lot of evidence," he said.

"They make it sound all great but until you see the devil in the detail, you don't know exactly what it is or how you'll get it."

He said he received $3500 from the government during Victoria's initial lockdown but was yet to receive $4000 promised under the state's latest lockdown package.

"We haven't received it yet," he said.

"We're just lucky we were only shut down for 12 days, but if it went any longer we'd be in a lot of trouble. There's going to be less income because of less customers, but what can you do about it?".

Workers and business owners had already welcomed bolstered lockdown support payments after Victoria's Minister for Industry Support and Recovery Martin Pakula announced $282.5 million in business grants as the state's five-day snap lockdown was extended by a further seven days.

Commonwealth disaster payments were also amended at the beginning of lockdown to ensure Victorian workers who had lost 20 or more hours of work were eligible for payments of up to $600 while those who lost eight to 20 hours would receive $375.

The latest announcement comes as health authorities added an additional coronavirus case to Victoria's daily numbers, bringing them to nine. That new case related to a worker at Moonee Valley Racecourse's drive-through testing site, where the positive case worked for two days while infectious.

Earlier, eight new coronavirus cases were recorded on Wednesday morning, all of which had been in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period. All were also linked to current outbreaks.

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