Small Business Grants

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (14:32): Thank you for your protection. My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer inform the chamber whether the applications for the small business grants have now closed and, if so, how many applications have been made?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:32): I am pleased to report to the chamber that officially, I am told, at midnight last Sunday, nearly two days ago, applications closed for round 2. I am advised that there was a late rush: 208 applications were received on Friday and over the weekend, which took the final total to 8,915, of which 7,698 were for what we refer to as the employing grants, or the $10,000 grants, and 1,217 were for what we refer to as the non-employing grant, or the $3,000 grants.

More pleasingly, RevenueSA reported to me yesterday, I think it was, that of those applications 8,077—the overwhelming majority—have already been paid. So those small businesses and qualifying organisations have all received their $10,000 or $3,000 cheques. I am told that just over 7,000 of those (7,074) were $10,000 cheques and 1,003 were $3,000 cheques.

So far, total funds granted total $73.7 million, and I think the government indicated broadly a week or so ago that on behalf of taxpayers—because this is not government money: this is taxpayers' money—it burst through the quarter of a billion dollar mark in the two rounds of the small business grants, so more than $250 million of taxpayers' money has been given to deserving small businesses and other qualifying organisations through the two grant rounds.

The final point I want to make is that, after the closure of the first round, there were any number of very creative and I am sure in almost all cases truthful stories as to why applications weren't able to be lodged prior to the initial closure of the first round. One or two of them might have been a touch creative, almost akin to the 'dog ate my homework' type explanations as to why the applications had not been submitted in time. Of course, the fact is the government then decided to make a second round of applications available with slightly different eligibility criteria, and some of those who missed out in the first round were able to qualify for the second round.

I make it quite clear that the applications closed on Sunday evening at midnight and that there has been a lot of notice over two rounds of grants over many months now for businesses and for those who act on behalf of businesses—accountants and advisers, etc.—to have got their applications in prior to the closure of applications.

So I make it quite clear that, as the minister responsible, I will not be supporting any pleas for late applications to be considered, because it would be unfair to all of those organisations who did comply with the time line, which was well advertised, of midnight on Sunday night.