Our Federal and State Members are hoping the government’s latest Job Keeper assistance package announced on Monday will help local employers to retain their staff.
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton said many towns in the west had not yet felt the health implications of the Coronavirus pandemic however all had most definitely felt the adverse economic effects that it was causing.
State Member for Barwon Roy Butler said what help is available is changing daily and he knows that for some people it’s not coming fast enough but it was “a positive step”.
Under the new Job Keepers scheme, employers will be paid $1,500 a fortnight to help them hold on to their employees.
An employer would need to keep their employee on the books and be paying them.
The employer would pay $1,500 to each employee per fortnight and seek reimbursement from the Federal Government.
Payments will apply to sole-traders and also casuals (who have been with their employer for 12 months).
The payment has been costed for six months, is backdated until the beginning of March and will be administered through the Australian Taxation Office.
A person cannot receive both a Job Seeker payment and also be paid under the Job Keeper program.
The Federal Government has also increased the amount a partner of a Job Seeker recipient can receive from $48,000 to $79,762.
