Moko Eastwood one of first to receive NSW govt small business grants
A pub owner who has become one of the first to receive a COVID-19 emergency government small business grant has spoken of his relief. FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN APPLY FOR THE GRANT
Northern District Times
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An Eastwood pub owner whose business was hit hard by the coronavirus said he is very relieved after being one of the first to receive the state government’s small business grants.
Paul Dirou who is the general manager at Moko Eastwood said the $10,000 small business grant offered a huge relief after his pub was forced to stop operating in late March when the Morrison government announced the closure of pubs and licensed venues.
“The $10,000 has really helped because we’ve got no income at the moment. Zero,” Mr Dirou said.
Mr Dirou, who received the funds today, said the money will go towards providing much needed relief for costs he “can’t shake” such as insurance and utility costs.
“Our electricity has gone right down but we’ve still got cool rooms with stock,” he said.
The general manager said insurance for his small pub was still a big expense and continued to cost $3,500 a month.
While it has been three weeks since their forced closure, Mr Dirou said it felt “much longer” after most of his 18 staff were stood down.
Mr Dirou said reconfiguring their business model wasn’t a viable option for his pub. “We’ve decided to hibernate rather than reconfigure because we couldn’t see that working for us,” he said.
When the government starts to look at easing restrictions Mr Dirou said a “one-size fits all policy” shouldn’t be applied for all pubs saying social distancing could be better practised in small pubs and bars than larger licensed venues.
“We had been trading quite responsibly while maintaining social distance before the closures because we could as a small venue. We could police it quite effectively,” he said.
Moko Eastwood is one of the 2,500 small businesses who have been approved for grants of up to $10,000 as part of the NSW government’s $750 million Small Business Support Fund.
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said getting money quickly to small businesses to ensure they could stay in business and help keep people in jobs was vital.
“We’re making it quicker and easier for eligible businesses to apply and get this relief package,” Mr Dominello said.
“Small businesses that fall into the list of highly impacted industries will be able to apply online and get fast approval, with funds transferred within five days.”
Mr Dirou said he was impressed with the ease and speed of the application process after first applying for the grant last Monday and receiving the funds today.
“I got my money this morning and applied on the public holiday last Monday,” he said.
“It was a very straightforward and easy process. I basically just needed the March BAS (Business Activity Statement),” he said.
Criteria for eligible businesses to apply for the small business grant:
- Between 1-19 employees
- A turnover of more than $75,000
- A payroll below the threshold of $900,000
- Be heavily impacted by the COVID-19 shutdowns
Applications for the grant must be received by 1 June 2020. For more information on eligibility or to submit an application visit www.service.nsw.gov.au