‘Hours on hold’: Aussies find Covid payments a disaster

Small business owners are waiting weeks for desperately needed Covid-19 support payments from the government.

Small business owners are waiting weeks for desperately needed Covid-19 support payments from the government.

Since July, 1.1 million Covid -19 Disaster Payment claims were granted in NSW, totalling almost $986 million in initial and recurring payments.

In Victoria, nearly 195,000 claims have been paid since July 23, worth $196 million, while South Australia has had nearly 48,000 claims granted totalling around $27 million.

On Sunday alone, Services Australia processed over 73,000 claims Covid-19 Disaster Payments, adding to the nearly 820,000 Australians receiving payments so far.

But not everyone is getting the help they need.

Six weeks into the Greater Sydney lockdown, corporate speaker and small business owner Justin Herald said he has been calling the NSW government's financial support hotline but has been instead left “hours on hold”.

Mr Herald said his wife, who owns a Medispa, was also forced to shut down at the end of June and lodged a claim two weeks after, but has yet to receive any money.

He’s also tried the NSW government’s business concierge service which takes contact details and promises a staff member will call back.

Corporate speaker and small business owner Justin Herald and his wife Rene haven't been able to access payments since applying in July. Source: Supplied

Businesses have been forced to close during the lockdown, as streets turn into a ghost town. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

“Dealing with the grant process has been extremely frustrating. For some reason it has taken a long time to get nothing,” Mr Herald said.

“The process the NSW Government has set up is archaic and doesn‘t make it easy for small businesses to get assistance.

“I personally have sat on hold for four hours trying to find out what was happening to my application only to be told nothing.”

It comes as the website set up by the NSW government to handle applications for lockdown grants for businesses went down again on Tuesday.

Thousands of businesses have been forced to close during the lockdown. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Last week, the NSW government expanded its Jobsaver program, which provides weekly payments for businesses suffering a downturn of 30 per cent or more.

The threshold for eligible businesses was lifted from $50 million to $250 million.

But accountant and bookkeeper Stacey Price said her several attempts to contact Service NSW has been unsuccessful and instead has been left on hold for “two to three hours” at a time and with “no definitive answer”.

Ms Price added that small businesses who experienced a decline in turnover, were left “confused” if they were eligible for payments.

Accountant and bookkeeper Stacey Price has made several attempts to contact Service NSW and has been unsuccessful. Source: Supplied

“Being able to speak to someone and get a clear and concise answer around the downturn criteria, if your business has organically grown since 2019 is near impossible,” she said.

“Over three hour wait times on hold, only to be hung up on or to be told they don’t know the answer, or to be told the case will be escalated and to “ring back” in a week or so to see if they have resolved things.

“Frustration is rising and business owners are desperate. Accountants are pushed to the max trying to understand the forever moving goalposts, only to not have enough clear criteria on if clients are eligible or not for funding.”