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FUNDING LIFELINE FOR ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS
NSW zoos and aquariums will receive a much-needed funding lifeline, with the Federal Government this week unveiling a $94.6 million support package to help Australian operators get through the COVID-19 crisis.
This funding will assist exhibiting zoos and aquariums with the fixed operational costs associated with caring for their animals, and help Australian zoos and aquariums remain viable and ready to welcome visitors when restrictions are eased.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said facilities such as the Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo are major tourism drawcards for regional areas.
“Keeping our regional zoos and aquariums in the best shape possible as we deal with this pandemic will be vital to helping regional communities get back on their feet, sustaining local jobs,” Deputy Prime Minister McCormack said.
Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said the initiative would provide a lifeline for these popular tourism attractions across Australia who have had many of their revenue streams dry up during this crisis.
“We shouldn't underestimate the huge positive flow-on effects our zoos and aquariums provide to our economy. They bring thousands of visitors into communities who then spend millions of dollars visiting other attractions, sleeping in our hotels and dining in our restaurants,” Minister Birmingham said.
Eligible exhibiting zoos and aquariums will have access to a grant that contributes towards up to six months of its animal welfare operating costs. This includes animal feed, enclosure, health and other specialised care expenses, and utilities directly related to the housing and caring for animals.
Austrade will work with the Zoo and Aquarium Association to identify eligible members, as well as state and territory tourism organisations to identify non-members which may be eligible for financial assistance. View the full release online, and see the fact sheet for further details.
NSW COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS UPDATED
The NSW Government has announced an update to COVID-19 restrictions relating to small social gatherings at home, students’ return to school and retail activities in May.
There will be three key changes that will take effect across NSW next month:
- From Friday 1 May up to two adults and their dependent children will be allowed to visit another household
- Face-to-face teaching will commence from 11 May through a staggered return to classroom learning, and the NSW Government will consider accelerating a full return to school as soon as possible
- There may be increased retail activity, with some businesses choosing to re-open. It is important these shops maintain social distancing and hygiene requirements.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said this update on visits to households had been made to reduce social isolation and improve mental health.
“It extends the existing guidelines of being able to leave home for ‘care or medical purposes’. The two adults need not be related,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The last thing any of us want to see is a huge spike in cases. We need anyone with even the mildest of symptoms anywhere in NSW to stay home and come forward for testing.”
There is no limit on how far people can travel within NSW so long as existing social distancing rules are respected and the reason for travel is consistent with one of the approved categories for leaving home.
Health officials advise it is important when visiting another household that social distancing is maintained and extra hygiene precautions are taken. When visiting, meeting in an outdoor environment such as a home garden, backyard or verandah will help reduce the risk.
The two-person gathering limit still applies to public places.
For the latest information on COVID-19 go to NSW.gov.au
TOURISM BUSINESSES TAKE NEW APPROACH IN NSW
Staying connected with NSW while staying home has never been easier with tourism businesses showcasing experiences and attractions online, or delivering products directly to doorsteps statewide and beyond. Turning adversity into opportunity, these businesses are taking advantage of the curiosity and compassion of would-be travellers by providing them with entertainment, information and a reason to start planning their next holiday in NSW. Here is a sample of the state’s latest online tourism offerings:
Narooma Oyster Festival: It might have been cancelled this year due to current restrictions but oyster lovers need not miss out on the popular South Coast festival. Organisers are encouraging fans to hold their own festival in their lounge room by buying local oysters and screening a special documentary featuring celebrity chef Paul West interviewing oyster farmers from Narooma, Pambula, Merimbula and Batemans Bay. Visit the festival website for a list of South Coast farm gates and outlets selling fresh oysters, and to view the documentary from Saturday 2 May.
Crystalbrook Collection: The luxury accommodation brand has launched #athomewithcrystalbrook – a collection of food and cocktail recipes, sustainability-focused and kid-friendly DIYs and wellness activities to keep us all happy and healthy at home. The Crystalbrook team will continue adding to the collection; follow their Facebook for updates.
Local Travel Planner: A wine tour but make it virtual. Local Travel Planner has transformed its Taste of the Highlands experience into an at-home and online series. ‘Taste offs’ between pairs of wines will be held over seven weeks – order the Light and Bright or Winter Warmer series (or both) and settle in each Saturday for an armchair sommelier tasting of the Highland’s finest from Centennial Vineyards.
Destination NSW features innovative businesses and attractions like these in each edition of Insights with the aim of inspiring other tourism operators to develop new and different ways to promote their products and experiences to audiences worldwide.
If your business has a virtual tour or online experience you’d like to share with the thousands of Insights readers please email product@dnsw.com.au.
Alternatively, if you know of other experiences not promoted here, please join the movement and share them on social media using the hashtag #LoveNSW.
Please follow VisitNSW (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) and Sydney (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) for holiday inspiration and a showcase of NSW’s best attractions and experiences.
NSW WINE INDUSTRY RECEIVES A BOOST, EXPLORES NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Wineries and vineyards impacted by last summer’s bushfires have received a welcome boost with more than 200 businesses to date receiving smoke rebate claims from the NSW Wine Industry Association (NSWWIA).
NSWWIA is administering the fund as part of the NSW Government-supported smoke relief package, and financial support remains available to businesses that have not yet lodged a claim. Applications must be submitted online.
Any producer or winemaker who would like to get a finished wine tested and who has not already made a maximum claim of $1200 can arrange testing via the Australian Wine Research Institute or Vintessential. All tests and applications must be submitted by the end of May 2020.
NSWWIA has also shared information about the opportunity for local wineries to be stocked through Coles and Woolworths’ affiliated stores thanks to the Buy Local Wines program. The initiative was established to support smaller producers on the back of drought, bushfires and COVID-19.
The partnership with Endeavour Drinks Group (a Coles and Woolworths subsidiary) is being offered as a six-month special support program for NSW wine producers. See this guide from NSWWIA for more information.
CREATE NSW LAUNCHES FUNDING FOR ARTS, SCREEN AND CULTURAL SECTOR
Create NSW has announced new funding initiatives to support independent artists and small to medium arts, screen and cultural organisations impacted by COVID-19.
The initiatives include accommodation assistance; new support for creatives to engage with online platforms; and a suite of activities to provide employment or development opportunities, and audience engagement and skill-sharing for industry across the State.
Key elements of the initiatives include:
- Over $1 million for accommodation assistance – a six-month rent and outgoings waiver to support 38 arts organisations housed across Create NSW buildings
- $450,000 for a new COVID-19 Support Round – funding is available across four program categories; Digitise, Creative Koori Digital, Health and Wellbeing and Regenerate events
- $700,000 for new Screen Slate Development Fund – NSW production companies and producers can apply for a maximum of $100,000 to develop a slate of three or more projects for TV Drama, Factual, Features and Online
- $350,000 funding increase to Small Project Grants – this quick response grant mechanism offers grants from $500 to $5,000 towards eligible projects
- $180,000 for new rounds of Creative Leadership – six new fellowship opportunities (each valued at $30,000) for individual artists and groups to work with the Art Gallery of NSW, the State Library of NSW, Sydney Youth Orchestra, Hayes Musical Theatre and Byron Writers’ Festival.
- Webinars, factsheets and how-to videos – to support well-being and facilitate skills development for arts, screen and cultural workers.
To find out more about the various programs and to apply for funding, go to Create NSW’s COVID-19 initiatives page.
$395 ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE TO SAFEGUARD COUNCIL JOBS, SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE
The NSW Government has unveiled a $395 million economic stimulus package to safeguard council jobs, and local services and infrastructure in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the State’s 128 local councils are a critical part of the NSW economy, especially in many regional and rural towns where they are sometimes the largest employer.
“This is about keeping people in jobs which will allow councils to continue to provide essential services in their communities throughout the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and bounce back faster once we come out the other side,” Mr Perrottet said.
The package includes a $250 million increase in low-cost loans to eligible councils through the State’s borrowing facility provided by TCorp to kick-start community infrastructure projects. TCorp will also be offering principal and interest payments deferrals on existing council loans upon request for the next six months.
Other measures include:
- Up to $112.5 million from the NSW Government’s ‘Jobs for NSW’ Fund to support a Council Job Retention Allowance of $1,500 per fortnight per employee for up to three months (eligibility criteria applies)
- $32.8 million to assist councils meet the cost of the 2020-21 financial year increase in the Emergency Services Levy.
SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL JOINS MAJOR FILM FESTIVALS ACROSS THE WORLD AND YOUTUBE FOR WE ARE ONE: A GLOBAL FILM FESTIVAL
Sydney Film Festival has joined 20 film festivals from around the world to launch We Are One: A Global Film Festival, a 10-day digital festival on YouTube beginning on 29 May.
We Are One will bring together global artists, storytellers and curators to provide relief and entertainment to people all over the world for free.
Available on YouTube, the festival will feature programming curated by 20 festivals, including Berlin International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and many more, immersing audiences in stories from around the world and providing a voice for filmmakers on a global stage.
“From 29 May, Sydney Film Festival will be part of an unprecedented event: a global, digital and free film festival," Festival Director Nashen Moodley (pictured with Tim Minchin) said.
“The Festival is truly delighted to partner with these great festivals to celebrate our international community of storytellers and audiences.”
We Are One: A Global Film Festival will run from 29 May to 7 June on YouTube. Programming will be available for free, and will include films, shorts, documentaries, music, comedy, and conversations. A full schedule will be available closer to the festival start date.
JOBKEEPER PAYMENT EXTENSION TO HELP BUSINESS CASHFLOW
The Australian Taxation Office is extending the time available for businesses to pay their employees, and still be able to claim back the first JobKeeper payments. Businesses suffering from a significant reduction in turnover due to COVID-19 will have until 8 May 2020 to ensure all eligible employees have received a minimum of $3,000 in gross wages for the first two fortnights of the JobKeeper support period. This extension allows businesses further time to consider their circumstances and remove any cashflow pressures arising from financing arrangements that have not been finalised. Enrolments opened at the start of last week and so far, more than 500,000 businesses have enrolled covering more than 3 million employees. Businesses have until 31 May 2020 to formally enrol to claim JobKeeper payments. For more information, visit the ATO website.
COVIDSAFE: NEW PUBLIC HEALTH APP
The Australian Government has launched the new voluntary coronavirus app, COVIDSafe. The app is a public health initiative to assist authorities control the spread of coronavirus through early notification to possible exposure. The initiative uses technology to automate and improve what state and territory health officials already do manually in identifying people who have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with coronavirus. It is intended this will allow officials to quickly stop further spread of the virus in the community. State and territory health officials can access app information only if someone tests positive and agrees to the information in their phone being uploaded. Health officials can use the app information only to help alert those who may need to quarantine or be tested. To date, the COVIDSafe app has been download by more than 2.5 million Australians. Read more information about the COVIDSafe app
REGULATIONS RELEASED TO SUPPORT COMMERCIAL TENANTS AND LANDLORDS
New regulations published in NSW will give immediate effect to the NSW Government’s COVID-19 rental relief measures, reflecting the National Cabinet’s Code of Conduct agreed to by all states. The changes will support and guide tenants and landlords in negotiating agreements to take advantage of $440 million in land tax relief which will be shared across commercial and residential sectors. Eligible landlords will be able to apply for a land tax concession of up to 25 per cent of their 2020 land tax liability on relevant properties so long as they pass on the full savings in the form of a rent reduction to their tenants. It is expected eligible landlords will be able to apply for land tax rebates from Service NSW from 4 May 2020. Read about the NSW Government’s land tax support package on the Service NSW website.
ACCELERATED PLANNING PROJECTS TO DELIVER JOBS AND BOOST THE ECONOMY
A major energy infrastructure development, new schools and upgraded regional community facilities are among the first wave of projects to have assessments fast-tracked by the NSW Government to boost the State’s economy and create thousands of new jobs. The NSW Government has announced 24 initial projects to be processed as part of the new Planning System Acceleration Program. The projects have the potential to create almost 9,500 new jobs during construction and once complete; inject $7.54 billion into the State’s economy; and deliver more than 325,000 square metres of new public open space, parks and environmental conservation lands. Among the initial projects are Snowy 2.0 main works delivering large-scale energy storage and quick-start electricity generation for NSW, University of Newcastle Honeysuckle Campus (Stage 1A), the new Warnervale Public School on the Central Coast and Young High School Library and Community Facility. First tranche projects will be assessed within four weeks. View the fast-tracked assessment criteria and list of projects at Planning NSW.
INTERNATIONAL ETOURISM COURSE NOW AVAILABLE
International tourism educator — the UNESCO Chair at Università della Svizzera Italiana (in Switzerland) — has reopened its course on digital communication to assist tourism businesses build capability during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organisation promotes e-learning as a tool to support the resilience of tourism businesses in difficult times, and as such, has launched the initiative to provide more operators with the chance to study eTourism: Communication Perspectives. The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is open to learners worldwide and is an introduction to the world of eTourism — outlining how information and communication technologies (ICT) can assist tourism businesses, what the latest applications and technologies are, how to run a user test and analyse the efficacy or a website or mobile app and how to plan, run and evaluate eTourism related activities. For more information, view the course outline.
NSW GOVERNMENT BILL RELIEF FOR ENERGY CUSTOMERS
Households can now access more support to pay energy bills through a $30 million boost to the emergency support Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) scheme by the NSW Government. Energy Minister Matt Kean said the NSW Government was doing everything it can to ease cost-of-living pressures and had more than doubled the budget for the EAPA Scheme next financial year. “For ease of access, residential energy customers can now apply for EAPA vouchers directly through Service NSW and will be called for an assessment without having to leave their house,” Mr Kean said. The EAPA assessment threshold has been increased temporarily so the annual maximum limit of vouchers for households with electricity and gas is now $1,600. Further, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders across NSW are encouraged to apply for the Seniors Energy Rebate now. For information and to apply: Service NSW (EAPA or Seniors Energy Rebate) or call 13 77 88.
