JobKeeper payment rollout begins for 43,000 South Australian businesses
JobKeeper payments will start to flow to more than 43,000 South Australian businesses this week, helping them pay wages for hundreds of thousands of workers during the coronavirus shutdown.
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Jobkeeper payments will flow to more than 43,000 South Australian businesses from this week, helping to pay wages for hundreds of thousands of workers.
Payments will roll out to more than 728,600 businesses nationwide, ensuring about 4.7 million employees receive at least $1500 a fortnight during the coronavirus crisis.
Across SA, 43,465 businesses struggling with the fallout of COVID-19 applied to receive the temporary Federal Government payments.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, pictured, said it would be an “economic lifeline” for millions of workers.
“This payment is giving working Australians their best chance of keeping their job and keeping them connected to their employers so business can bounce back in the recovery phase,” he said.
It comes as Treasury modelling estimates SA will lose 87,100 jobs in the first half of 2020. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics yesterday revealed about 66,000 people have lost their jobs since March 15, when Australia recorded its 100th case.
The hospitality sector has been the hardest hit, with an estimated 24,500 people losing their jobs.
However, SA recorded the lowest decline in wage growth.
The total change in wages has dropped in SA by 4.5 per cent – well below the national average of 8.2 per cent.
Premier Steven Marshall said South Australia’s handling of the health crisis would allow it to “accelerate” a return to work. “We have already done the best in the nation in terms of education, now we need to be the best in the nation in terms of getting people back to work,” he said.
As political leaders prepare to unveil their road map to lift restrictions, the National COVID-19 Co-ordination Commission is working on a toolkit for businesses to help them be “work-ready” for when Australia reopens.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said political leaders recognised the need to reopen Australia as soon as it was safely possible, noting the shutdown was costing the country about $4 billion a week. He said outbreaks were expected once restrictions were eased.
“What matters is how you deal with it, and how you respond to it, and it is important that businesses, employees and employers have the tools to deal with the COVID-19 environment and ensure they are all working together to support a COVID-19-safe workplace,” Mr Morrison said.