Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. NSW Records 16 New Local Cases, New Restrictions Reimposed NSW recorded 16 new cases of COVID-19 since the last time health officials spoke at 11 am on Tuesday. There’s also one mystery case where authorities still haven’t identified the source of COVID-19 detected in a nine-year-old child from Sydney’s…  Read more

The Australian Government’s JobKeeper scheme is set to end on the 28th March 2021. Since this program was introduced in March last year, it has provided a lifeline to many businesses, protected jobs, and helped protect Australia’s economy. Now that it’s about to end, you may be worried about your business. We’ve compiled our top tips to help you prepare your business for what’s next. Create a cashflow forecast. Cashflow…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Government Committed to Vaccinating All Australians by October Although the vaccinations are currently behind the target set for the end of February, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says the government stays committed to getting all Australians inoculated by the end of October. The Australian Defence Force will also assist…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Second Shipment of Pfizer Vaccine Arrives in Australia The second shipment with about 166,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived late Monday, as Australia entered the second day of a nationwide immunisation drive. Total weekly doses will be increased to 80,000 next week, from 60,000 doses this week.…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Victoria lockdown to end Victoria’s five-day lockdown is due to end at midnight Wednesday 17th February as no new local COVID-19 cases were announced. While most restrictions will cease, some will continue. For example, face masks are required in most circumstances and five visitors are allowed to homes. Public…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Australia Set for 10th Day of No Local COVID-19 Cases Australia is on track for its 10th consecutive day of no new local COVID-19 cases, with NSW hoping to ease restrictions this week after controlling a fast-spreading cluster. Meanwhile Victoria, which is hosting the Australian Open tennis tournament, has…  Read more

From 4 January, the Jobkeeper rate will fall to $1,000 per fortnight for those on the tier 1 rate and $650 per fortnight for those on tier 2. The new rates will apply until the JobKeeper program comes to its scheduled end date of 28 March. Businesses looking to claim JobKeeper payments for the period running from 4 January to 28 March will need to demonstrate a decline in actual…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s updates and some ideas that will help us all overcome this crisis. State-by-State Guide to COVID-19 Restrictions Ahead of Holidays As Australia plans to reopen in time for Christmas and the New Year, authorities are reminding people to follow the COVID-19 restrictions that remain in place. Over the…  Read more

The Australian Government announced that JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments will be extended, with changes starting on 28 September 2020. Below is a rundown of the changes to expect on these support schemes. Changes to JobKeeper The JobKeeper scheme will continue until 28 March 2021. The extension of the scheme will operate in two separate periods: Extension 1: 28 September 2020 to 3 January 2021 Extension 2: 4 January 2021 to…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update. Queensland Border Zone Extensions from October 1st Queensland’s border zone will be extended to 5 local government areas in NSW starting October 1st. These areas include: Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Glen Innes councils. South Australia-NSW Borders to Open at Midnight South Australia will reopen its…  Read more

The JobKeeper Payments Amendment Bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on Wednesday 26th August. We appreciate your patience as we process these changes This Bill introduces the extension of the JobKeeper scheme that was announced last month. The proposed rate changes will see the current $1500 per fortnight payment drop to $1200 for full time workers. and $750 for those working less than 20 hours per week from…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are doing well. Read on for this week’s update. Cashflow Boost and JobKeeper Audits The ATO has announced that it will be actively conducting audits on the cashflow boost JobKeeper scheme. If you receive contact from the ATO to review your JobKeeper eligibility, you will be required to provide documentation as proof that you meet the eligibility criteria.…  Read more

The ATO has released further guidance on the recent changes to the JobKeeper scheme in relation to the timing of an eligible employee. From JobKeeper fortnights commencing 3rd August, the key date for eligible employees has changed to 1 July. In the past, an employee had to be on the books as of the 1st of March in order to be eligible for the JobKeeper wage subsidy. This change is…  Read more

Since the government announced the $70-billion JobKeeper program to support businesses and their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, many small- and medium-sized businesses and non-profit organisations heavily relied on this scheme to stay afloat. According to a recent survey by the Australian Institute of Company Directors on the impact of COVID-19, over 40% of the respondents reported reliance on JobKeeper payments. 47% of SMEs indicated that the JobKeeper Scheme had…  Read more

7 August 2020 You may have heard the news that Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has announced the government will expand the JobKeeper scheme again. This comes a few weeks after announcements of JobKeeper 2.0 to start at the end of September. Below is a roundup of what has been announced and what we expect to see, but please note that this is not legislated yet and is still subject to change.…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update. Support for Victorian businesses As you have probably heard, the Victorian Government has announced updated restrictions for Melbourne and regional Victoria to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Stage 4 restrictions started from 6pm on Sunday 2 August for metropolitan Melbourne. Stage 3 restrictions are in place…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update. JobKeeper Changes Coming in September Last week the PM announced the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme will be extended from September through to March next year, with some changes. Please be aware there are still plenty of “unknowns” surrounding the next steps, and these changes are yet to…  Read more

Jobkeeper 2 Infographic The government has announced changes to the JobKeeper scheme. The Treasury’s review found that the subsidy was still “needed” but required a “test to ensure that JobKeeper is well targeted”. Be prepared This means there will be changes to your current situation and your entitlements will be affected. The details of the changes are being announced now and we will ensure our clients are fully informed as…  Read more

Welcome to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update. JobKeeper Changes Coming in September This week the PM announced the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme will be extended from September through to March next year, with some changes. This comes as businesses continue to struggle and as an increase in infections has been reported in the southeast. The…  Read more

The ATO has just released Alternative Tests for the JobKeeper payment which expands eligibility from the initial basic test.   This is good news for many businesses, particularly startups, those affected by last year’s droughts and those with variable revenues.   Basic Test If you satisfy the eligibility requirements for the basic test, you can ignore the alternative tests below.   The basic test is satisfied where your projected GST…  Read more

On 8 April 2020, the Federal Government passed a package of Bills through both Houses of Parliament (which received Royal Assent on 9 April 2020) to give effect to (amongst other things) the JobKeeper Scheme. Subsequent to this, a Legislative Instrument was released by the Treasurer containing the detailed rules of the JobKeeper Payment. Refer to the Coronavirus Economic Response Package Payments and Benefits) Act 2020, the Coronavirus Economic Response…  Read more