# Website providing overview of Australian COVID-19-related federal & state business measures



## Jack Malarkey (Jan 11, 2016)

The business.gov.au website provides a helpful overview of the various Australian federal and state and territory COVID-19-related support measures available to businesses: https://business.gov.au/risk-manage...onavirus-information-and-support-for-business.

Phone enquiries: 13 28 46 (very high demand resulting in extended wait times)

Email enquiries: https://business.gov.au/Email-us.


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## raybal5 (Jul 29, 2019)

Rideshare is not listed as an essential service. The whole thing about government restrictions is to maintain social distancing and this cannot be done inside a car. There is no way we can provide 4 square metres per person inside the car. And in most cases, cannot keep people more than 1.5 metres apart. Therefore, we should not continue to drive. Especially when we have no idea who our passengers are and what Covid19 risk they might bring to us or in some cases, us to them.


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## Dan Mation (Dec 24, 2018)

Well that's up to you, but delivery and transport is considered essential, which you are. You're allowed to work if you choose to.

I hear ya on the risk, though. And it sucks. I've had a fever and a cough all week, so I can't work, but since I've not been overseas or contact-traced, *I am not eligible for testing by ACT Health*. That means I don't qualify for Uber's sick-pay. And that also means ACT Health can't contract-trace my passengers for the week prior, since I don't officially have Covid. I mean, I probably *don't* have it, but still, it's pretty dopey.

*If you do want to be safer, switch to deliveries only.* The pay stinks, but there's a lot of work right now. You're never closer than a long arm reach, and not for more than a few seconds. Should be very hard to catch anything doing that.

Note very well though: even if you're working, as a sole trader you may be eligible for payments and early access to super. *You just need to show you've had a 20% reduction in turnover*. I think most people have just with the loss of most of our drunk people.

There's more linked here...

...but the gist is, if you've lost 20% of your old turnover, **even if you're over the ~$1000 a fortnight Jobseeker payment threshold**, you can apply through MyGov to get:

The full $550 a fortnight coronavirus supplement (it doesn't scale, so you get the whole thing regardless of income).
The first support payment of $750 (but not the second unless you qualify for a pension or similar).
Early access to up to $10,000 of your super this financial year, and another $10,000 next financial year.
Also check with your bank if you have a home-loan, because most are allowing you to defer payments if you've lost income.

Think long and hard about taking money out of your super or deferring loan payments, since both will cost you more in the long run, but especially if you can use money and breathing room that to get, for example, a heavy rigid license or security license upgrade or healthcare qualifications, it might work out better in the end.

$20,000 in the bank, a bit of money every fortnight, and six months time-off from my loan will give me a lot of options...


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