Small Business Grants

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:13): My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer update the council on the progress of the state government's distribution of the $10,000 assistance package for small businesses and non-government organisations in order to assist them with dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:14): Briefly, the government received approximately 21,000 applications for these $10,000 grants, primarily to small businesses but other non-government organisations that met the eligibility criteria were also able to apply.

I am advised that as of the close of business, I think it was, yesterday, some 16,000 (approximately) $10,000 grants had been distributed, so $160 million in life-saving, business-saving, organisation-saving grants had been distributed on behalf of taxpayers to 16,000 organisations. I am advised that just under 1,000, I think it is, of the 21,000 have been deemed to be ineligible for the grant so that there are still approximately 4,000 applications that still have to be assessed.

In some cases, further information is requested of the applicant to see whether or not they meet the eligibility criteria, and that sometimes delays the assessment. I pay tribute to the hardworking team of officers within that particular section of Treasury who have worked very hard to get as much money out as quickly as possible to those businesses that needed the funding. As I said, in a certain number of cases they have had to seek further information, and we would hope to assess the eligibility of the remaining 4,000 (approximately) applications that we have received as soon as possible.