Queensland announces $27 million aid package for businesses hit by coronavirus, as PM unveils $2 million for vaccine research

Queensland has unveiled a $27 million aid package for businesses impacted by coronavirus, and is asking the Federal Government to match the funding.

An electron microscope image of the 2019-nCoV virus from the US National Institutes of Health. Picture: NIAID-RML via AP

The Queensland Government has also announced a $27.25 million aid package to help business owners impacted by the coronavirus.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the economic impact on Queensland’s tourism, agriculture, fishing and education sectors was comparable to any natural disaster.

“The overnight downturn in Chinese tourists, students and export markets is having enormous impact,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“This $27.25 million is a way of addressing some of those losses and setting us up for recovery once the virus is contained.”

Funding will go towards:

• $7 million for international tourism promotion;

• $4.8 million targeted for the Tropical Far North and Gold Coast regions;

• Waiving fees for fishers;

• Waiving fees associated with liquor licences;

• Deferring tourism lease payments;

• Rebates for marina and jetty fees; and

• Waiving quota fees for rock lobster and coral trout.

Ms Palaszczuk called on the Federal Government to match the commitment “dollar for dollar”.

“The Morrison Government needs to get serious, acknowledge this crisis will have a significant impact on Queensland industry and step up for our business owners,” she said.

An electron microscope image of the 2019-nCoV virus from the US National Institutes of Health. Picture: NIAID-RML via AP

“Federal support would allow us to provide a $2,000 resilience grant for up to 6,000 small business owners and it would trigger $700,000 in export grants for small to medium enterprises allowing them to travel to China and reconnect with partners once borders re-open.”

The Premier said she had written once again written to the Prime Minister Scott Morrison today asking him to reconsider his objection to activating Natural Disaster Relief Arrangements.

Earlier Mr Morrison announced a $2 million grant program for Australian researchers to develop a vaccine for coronavirus.

He announced the cash pool for grants this morning at the Peter Doherty Institute in Melbourne where experts have been working to understand and respond to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Researchers from across the country will be able to apply for money from the Medical Research Future Fund in hope of developing a coronavirus vaccine and for research into it.

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Mr Morrison said one of the reasons Australia had been able to contain the spread of coronavirus was because of its extraordinary scientists and institutes such as Doherty, the National Incident Room, the National Medical Stockpile and the National Trauma Centre.

“Right now, this research is helping to protect and save lives in Australia, by allowing us to test early,” he said.

“It means that we can find and isolate cases which helps with the quarantine so we have our border measures, but we also have our internal measures. And these two things come together. “And that’s why we’re contributing to the funding for a vaccine, to look at the next stage going forwards.”

The open and competitive grant opportunity will complement world-leading work already undertaken by the Doherty Institute, CSIRO and University of Queensland and their collaboration.

Information will be available on GrantConnect soon at https://www.grants.gov.au