Find out and learn more about the latest information released by the Victorian State which highlights forthcoming about Grants and Information & Support for Victorian Businesses during this period.
Energy Efficient Communities Program – Dairy Farming Business Grants
Today, the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, the Hon Angus Taylor MP released guidelines for the Energy Efficient Communities Program – Dairy Farming Business Grants.
This grant opens today and closes on 17 August 2020.
The objectives are to support dairy cow farming businesses to:
- replace existing equipment with higher efficiency equipment
- install or replace a component/s to help an existing system run more efficiently
- carry out on-farm energy audits
- carry out monitoring of energy usage and emissions
The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are:
- reduced energy consumption leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farm businesses
- increased awareness amongst dairy farmers of how to improve their energy efficiency
- reduced energy costs for dairy farm businesses
There is an estimated $10 million available, and grants range from $5k – $20k.
Victorian Business Growth Fund
The $250 million Victorian Business Growth Fund (VBGF) is now open to support long‑term business growth opportunities. Set up to address barriers faced by successful SMEs that are ready to grow, VBGF will invest in businesses and take either an equity or debt stake rather than provide a grant. The fund manager will target a commercial return on investment and provide strategic insights, expertise and commercial experience to accelerate growth outcomes.
‘Securing your Business IT’ Webinars from AusIndustry
AusIndustry have engaged the MAXSUM Consulting to help business take control of their IT security with two key webinars. Forget the toilet paper, when COVID-19 struck, printers, monitors, tablets, network hardware and office furniture become a rare commodity as business rushed to get staff working from home – often risking of IT security.
‘Circling Back to Cybersecurity’: What you may have missed in the rush to get remote work ready and how to fix it!
- Whether your business continuity plan was non-existent, half-baked or fully built out pre-COVID-19, the move to remote working has pushed businesses well beyond any previous remote working comfort zones they may have had and propelled them into a whole new kind of normal.
In the rush to get battle-ready COVID-19 style, there are a multitude of steps that have been skipped, circumvented and side-tracked in the quest to get everyone ready to withstand the uncertain months ahead. Now that your team may have settled into some kind of new working-from home normal, it’s time to circle back around and consider some very important questions around your IT security provisions. WHEN: 24 June from 11:30am – 12:30 pm. Register HERE - ‘Phishing for love, masks and money in the time of COVID-19’: A look at the new threats coming your business’ way right now and how to spot them.
Did you know that IBM has reported a 14,000% increase in phishing emails since the start of the COVID-19 crisis? Just at a time when we are most sensitive to health and financial services updates, malicious actors have out-innovated businesses yet again and unleashed even more insidious and inventive ways to play on our human vulnerabilities.We look at how phishing has changed in the age of COVID-19, what you and your team need to be looking out for, and how your business can actually use this as a chance to start getting cybersecurity right in your business. WHEN: 8 July from 11:30am – 12:30 pm. Register HERE
Claiming the $150,000 Instant Asset Write off at Tax Time
If you’ve purchased assets for your business, you may be eligible to claim an immediate deduction under the instant asset write-off expansion. From 12 March to 30 June 2020 (inclusive), the instant asset write-off threshold for each asset increased to $150,000 (from $30,000). See:
- Instant asset write-off for eligible businesses
- Exclusions and limits (how the car limit applies to vehicles)
- Simpler depreciation for small business
The LATEST Changes to COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria (with thanks from Small Business Victoria)
Over the weekend, the State of Emergency in Victoria was extended for another four weeks to continue to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and keep Victorians safe. There are important updates about which of the current restrictions remain in place and which have been deferred to 12 July. From Monday, 22 June, 2020:
- Restaurants, pubs and auction halls will stay at a maximum of 20 people in any one space until 12 July.
- Businesses that were set to open on Monday like gyms, cinemas and theatres can do so – but again, only with a maximum of 20 people.
- Ski season and accommodation facilities with communal spaces will also open, but with increased screening and safeguards in place.
- Those who can work from home must continue to do so until at least 31 July. If you do have people on the job, take a zero-tolerance approach to sickness. If someone has symptoms, send them home and ask them to get tested.
- Guidelines for the hospitality, beauty and tourism industries are available on our website, with further updates to restrictions available in due course.