No images? Click here
VIVID SYDNEY RESCHEDULED TO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER
In the interest of community health and safety, the NSW Government this week announced that Vivid Sydney will be rescheduled to 17 September – 9 October 2021.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism, and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said NSW must work together to contain the current outbreak to allow the State to stride into recovery.
“We all want to see Sydney shine through the spectacular show of creativity and innovation that is Vivid Sydney in September and October this year,” Mr Ayres said.
“The recent outbreak has presented a new challenge for everyone, and the health and safety of our citizens and entire event community involved in Vivid Sydney is our foremost concern.
“Destination NSW will continue to work with NSW Health and other agencies to deliver a COVID-safe Vivid Sydney later this year, with support from our event partners, artists, sponsors, and suppliers.
“Vivid Sydney will only proceed if it’s safe to do so.”
Full details of the revised Vivid Sydney 2021 program will be available online in the coming weeks as venues and event owners finalise logistics. Ticketholders will be able to transfer their ticket to the new event date or request a refund via the relevant ticket agent.
For further information about the event, go to www.vividsydney.com.
VITAL SUPPORT FOR NSW VISITOR ECONOMY
The NSW Government is providing targeted support for the State’s accommodation sector to ease the pain of lost bookings over the winter school holiday period.
The cash-flow boosting funding will enable eligible accommodation premises that have lost room nights, between 25 June and 11 July inclusive, to apply for grants up to $5,000.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said this $26 million initiative was critically important for accommodation providers with occupancy rates plummeting over the past month.
“It is heartbreaking that this recent outbreak of COVID-19 occurred right on the cusp of the winter school holidays, meaning Sydneysiders, NSW residents and interstate visitors were not able to fulfil their travel plans across the State,” Mr Ayres said.
“The sector has reported a dramatic decline in occupancy rates, with some Sydney properties reporting only two per cent occupancy in July 2021.
“This program is for all eligible accommodation premises across NSW, as the current restrictions not only affect Greater Sydney operators but also those in regional NSW who lost their main source market from metropolitan Sydney or interstate.
“There are more than 38,000 accommodation providers in NSW – from hotels and motels to holiday home rentals. I encourage all businesses to look at the Service NSW website for more information – including detailed eligibility criteria – as it’s published in the coming weeks.
“Now it is up to all of us to stop the spread of the virus so we can get back to travelling and enjoying our State’s experiences and attractions as soon as possible, which is what businesses really need.”
There will be two tiers of grants available to accommodation premises through the initiative:
- Tier 1: For accommodation premises that have had a cancellation of 10 room nights or less, there is a grant of $2,000
- Tier 2: For accommodation premises that have had a cancellation of 11 room nights or more, there is a grant of $5,000.
To be eligible, businesses must be registered for GST and/or hold an ABN, be located in NSW and the accommodation premises must be an entire property, i.e. not holiday letting of a spare room in a residence. Where an owner/operator owns multiple accommodation premises (identifiable by differentiated street addresses), each accommodation premises is eligible for the grant.
Visit the Service NSW website for more information.
SUPPORT FOR COMMERCIAL TENANTS AND LANDLORDS UNDER COVID-19 FIGHTING FUND
Eligible commercial tenants and landlords will receive greater support and certainty during the current restrictions with the NSW Government acting quickly to implement the Retail and Other Commercial Leases (COVID-19) Regulation 2021 as part of the $5.1 billion COVID-19 economic support package.
Commercial and retail landlords will be required to attempt mediation before taking certain actions, such as recovering a security bond, locking out or eviction against a tenant impacted by the Public Health Orders.
Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said this would provide certainty for businesses and landlords in this challenging time.
“One of the biggest issues right now for so many small businesses right across NSW is rent. This package says to landlords and tenants before you take any action, sit down, talk to each other and come to an agreement on what the next few weeks looks like,” Mr Tudehope said.
“It could be a payment plan, a reduction in rent, or an agreement not to take any action until restrictions end, but we all need to work together to ensure small businesses get through this lockdown and continue to create jobs, deliver vital services for local communities and power our economy forward.”
A $2 million boost to the NSW Small Business Commission will support additional staff to meet the demand for mediations and assist retail and commercial tenants and landlords.
As part of the $5.1 billion COVID-19 economic support package, commercial and retail landlords will also be eligible for payments of up to 100 per cent of their land tax owed in 2021, when they provide their tenants with at least that amount in rent reductions from 13 July.
For more information on mediation support and the Small Business Commission, visit www.smallbusiness.nsw.gov.au. For more information on the $5.1 billion support package, go to www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19.
WALLABIES CONFIRM 2021 DOMESTIC TEST SCHEDULE FOR ETORO RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Rugby Australia has confirmed the remainder of the Wallabies’ domestic Test match schedule for 2021.
The Wallabies will face Argentina’s Pumas at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle as part of the eToro Rugby Championship, in a re-match of their dramatic 15-all draw at the same venue last year.
Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) will be the place to be on the afternoon of Sunday 12 September, when the reigning World Champions, the Springboks, square off against Dave Rennie’s side on Sydney’s hallowed turf. The Test will be the Springboks’ first overseas Test match since their Rugby World Cup victory in Japan in 2019.
General public tickets will go on sale for Newcastle Test on Friday 23 July at 10am with the SCG match to follow soon.
Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos said: “Rugby fans across Australia are once again in for a festival of Rugby with the 2021 Rugby Championship being played in Australia and New Zealand. I would like to thank our Government partners and health authorities for their continued diligence and partnership in ensuring the competition will be safe for all players, staff and fans.”
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said: "The eToro Rugby Championship 2021 schedule has been amended due to travel restrictions, and this is a fantastic opportunity for NSW to showcase our beautiful cities, our unbeatable hospitality and share the elation and camaraderie that comes with international sport.”
Every Wallabies Test will be live and on demand with extended coverage on Stan Sport and free-to-air on the Nine Network.
MORE FUNDING SUPPORT FOR COASTAL COUNCILS NOW AVAILABLE
The latest round of funding under the NSW Government’s Coastal and Estuary Grants Program is open with more opportunities for councils to protect their local beaches and coastal wetlands.
Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock said coastal councils were encouraged to apply for funding to assist with planning and managing local coastlines and estuaries.
“From Tweed Heads to Bega, we have listened to councils and opened the latest round of grants to support the State’s coastline, today and in the future," Ms Hancock said.
“These grants will help councils plan for the future and protect these unique natural assets which contain native flora and fauna and are popular places for recreation.”
Work funded under the program includes coastal dune revegetation, wetland management and water quality monitoring, as well as scoping studies. Councils can also apply for up to $500,000 in funding to assist with exempt activities that are low risk actions and therefore do not need to be in a certified plan.
Exempt activities include beach scraping, dune stabilisation, littoral rainforest regeneration, beach access point management and restoring natural defences to coastal and estuarine hazards.
The 2021–22 funding round for implementation grants closes on 17 August. Councils can apply at any time during the 2021-22 financial year for funding towards planning and studies.
For more information, visit the NSW Government website.
ONLINE PORTAL SPEEDS UP PLANNING IN NSW
Assessment times across NSW will be slashed by up to 30 days with all councils and Government agencies now using the Planning Portal.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said all development applications and complying development certificates across the State must now be processed online through the Government’s portal, in line with the Premier’s mandate.
“Since the Premier’s mandate was announced in late 2019, we have provided councils with tools, advice and funding to get them all onto the planning portal by 1 July this year,” Mr Stokes said.
"ePlanning has transformed a cumbersome and opaque paper-based process into a streamlined digital service enabling people to submit applications online and track applications in real-time.
“More than 80,500 DAs have been submitted via the portal to date from January 2019, representing $91.28 billion in investment.”
Minister for Digital and Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the reform was a big win for homeowners, local councils and the construction industry.
“The ePlanning portal saves time for applicants, it saves time for councils and it reduces duplication and administrative costs,” Mr Dominello said.
“The tool enables councils to post real-time performance data including the status of individual DAs and other planning applications and expected completion dates for projects.”
HUNTER VALLEY ZOO JOINS FEATHERDALE WILDLIFE PARK AND MOGO ZOO
Strong Australian domestic tourism has driven Elanor Investors Group and Atlas Advisors Australia’s acquisition of Hunter Valley Zoo in Nulkaba, NSW.
The $10 million deal, which settled this week, will see Hunter Valley Zoo join Featherdale Wildlife Park in Western Sydney and Mogo Zoo in Batemans Bay in the $60 million Elanor Wildlife Park Fund.
Hunter Valley Zoo boasts an amazing diversity of native and exotic wildlife including koalas, kangaroos, lions, giraffes, meerkats, monkeys and reptiles.
Guy Hedley Executive Chairman at Atlas told The Australian Financial Review that nature-based domestic tourism was on the rise and wildlife parks represented a good investment opportunity, especially when located within easy access of major population centres.
“Wildlife parks and zoos have remained resilient and profitable despite COVID-19 posing the greatest challenges the Australian tourism sector has ever faced,” Mr Hedley said.
“Individuals and families are keen for outdoor adventures that connect them with nature while also providing life-long educational experiences.”
Mr Hedley also commented on the Group’s confidence in Australia’s domestic tourism industry and what they see as a long-term trend toward domestic tourism.
“We are looking to take on more opportunities in this thriving tourism sub-sector while also expanding our asset portfolio to include nature retreats, luxury resorts and high-quality hotels,” he said.
To find out more about Hunter Valley Zoo, visit the website.
NEW CEO TO JOIN AFTA
Dean Long has been announced as the new CEO of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA). Mr Long is well acquainted with the travel sector, having previously worked at AFTA for five years, from 2014 until 2019, as the Federation's National Manager - Strategy & Policy. He then became head of the Accommodation Association, which is now in the process of merging with the Australian Hotel Association. AFTA Chairman Tom Manwaring welcomed the appointment. "We couldn't have asked for a better choice than Dean Long given his background across key sectors, his extensive experience within AFTA, and his expertise and networks across Government at all levels," Mr Manwaring said. Mr Long will join AFTA by mid-October.
NIGHT SKY DIVE NOW AVAILABLE IN BYRON
Visitors to Byron Bay can experience the ultimate thrill of freefalling at night, with Skydive Australia launching a 10,000 feet night jump in the region. The experience occurs once a month on the night of a full moon and includes a three-month membership to the Australian Parachute Federation, a merchandise voucher, certificate of achievement, and more. The next night jump in Byron Bay will be held on 24 July. For more information, go to the website.
GET THE LATEST FROM THE NEON GRID
The NSW Government’s 24-hour Economy Strategy and team, part of Investment NSW, encourages the business community to consider how Sydney can extend daytime economic vibrancy into the night, support the most affected sectors through a strategy for growth, and collaborate with industry and local government to awaken hubs of activity and entertainment across Greater Sydney. By signing up to the Neon Grid, a guide to Sydney’s 24-hour economy, businesses can access industry information, events and news about support programs to assist Greater Sydney’s transformation into a 24-hour economy centre that is vibrant, diverse, inclusive and safe. Click here to sign up now.
