Thousands more South Australian businesses apply for JobKeeper
More than 8000 South Australian businesses joined the $1500-a-fortnight payment in the past 14 days as the PM flags there could be changes to the JobKeeper scheme after June.
SA Business
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More than 52,000 South Australian businesses are now using JobKeeper payments to help pay employees’ wages in the coronavirus shutdown.
It’s an increase of about 8500 SA businesses using the $1500-a-fortnight wage subsidy in the past 14 days.
New Treasury figures show more than 6.1 million Australians are now receiving the payments through 869,600 businesses, up from 4.7 million workers mid-last week.
About $7 billion has already been paid through the JobKeeper scheme.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday flagged possible changes to JobKeeper after a review in June, but dismissed speculation it could end before September 27.
Mr Morrison said the “parameters and guidelines” of the six-month scheme would be “maintained for the integrity of that program.”
“The timetable of the program has been well set out,” he said after Friday’s National Cabinet.
“We’re only seven weeks into that time frame, and so it would be very speculative to be considering anything other than the time frame that has been set out.”
Business SA chief executive Martin Haese reiterated his call for JobKeeper to remain in place for six months, adding the Federal Government “must remain open to some form of extension, even if that is more targeted to specific industry sectors.”
He called for changes for small business partnerships and trusts with more than one working owner, which can only receive one JobKeeper payment.
“The current rules disadvantage many small business owners who chose to operate through such legal entities,” he said.
Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox said changes could make the payment “more efficient and fairer”, including lowering the threshold for larger businesses to apply from a 50 per cent drop in turnover to a 30 per cent drop in turnover.
He also said businesses should be able to nominate employees who have not agreed to be on the payment.
“The current rules mean there is an incentive for employees not to agree for their employer to nominate them so that the employee can avoid the greater flexibilities available under the changes to the FWA,” he said.
Mr Willox also said government should consider extending the scheme “should conditions warrant it”.
Mr Morrison said the Education Minister was considering extending free child care beyond its June 28 cut off, but dismissed calls from the sector to make it permanent.