Support for sectors that were significantly affected by delay to full border reopening
Nine programs to support international education, tourism, aviation and events to partially offset some of the additional costs or lost revenues
Applications for support programs to open soon
Further support measures will continue to be delivered to respond, as necessary, to greater spread of the Omicron variant
The McGowan Government has launched a $77 million Safe Transition Industry Support Package to support businesses and individuals in sectors most affected by the decision to delay the full reopening of Western Australia's borders.
The package includes nine support programs for the international education, tourism, aviation and events sectors.
The $77 million Safe Transition Industry Support Package includes:
International Education support:
$6 million Industry Support Program - grants of $50,000 and $100,000 respectively to assist eligible small and medium-sized education providers impacted by the closure of international borders;
$8 million Student Quarantine Support Program - $2,000 payments available to assist international students with quarantine-related costs studying at Western Australian education institutions in Semester 1, 2022; and
$2 million University Services for Students Support Program - providing a supplementary $500 payment to universities for each impacted international student to provide support services (e.g. transport and welfare services).
Tourism support, with eligible businesses to have a choice of applying for either the:
$20 million Tourism Support Program - to provide immediate assistance comprising $10,000 to sole traders and $20,000 to employing businesses to offset expenses incurred in preparation for the initially scheduled full border opening; or
$15 million Tourism Deposit Refund Program - to provide assistance of up to $50,000 to eligible tourism businesses that have refunded deposits from some cancelled interstate and international bookings.
Other tourism and travel-related support includes:
$10 million boost to the existing Aviation Recovery Fund as part of the Reconnect WA package - taking the total in this Fund to $75 million; and
$3 million Travel Agent Support Fund - offering grants of up to $10,000 for eligible home-based businesses and $20,000 for eligible brick-and-mortar businesses.
Events support:
$10 million extension and expansion of the Getting the Show Back on the Road Program - to cover up to 75 per cent of lost ticket sales where a State Government mandate directly requires an event to be cancelled; self-cancelled events linked to the border delay decision; and eligible substantially scaled back events that proceed; and
$3 million Event Suppliers Support Program - providing payments to eligible event suppliers for ticketed events with $10,000 grants for sole traders, $20,000 for small businesses and $50,000 for large businesses with pre-COVID annual turnover of more than $1 million.
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