COVIDSafe Outdoor Activation Voucher Program Guidelines

Program summary

The COVIDSafe Outdoor Activation Voucher Program supports businesses and community organisations across the State to offer safe outdoor retail, personal services, recreation and dining options for the Victorian public.

Eligible community organisations, not for profits, trader associations and creative and other businesses, such as gyms, dance studios and hairdressers, may apply.

Vouchers will be allocated on a first-in basis to applicants that are assessed as eligible, up to the Program funding cap. Applicants must supply correct information to receive a voucher and must ensure that ABN registration information at the Australian Business Register (ABR), used for assessing eligibility, is current and accurate at the time of applying. Successful applicants will be allocated a voucher and invited to claim the voucher.

Successful organisations can then use the $2,000 voucher to implement a plan to move their existing indoor business activities outside safely. Successful applicants must provide proof that they have undertaken the work (as per their work plan) within three months following receipt of the voucher. Failure to do so would constitute a failure to comply with the terms of funding as set out in these Guidelines and result in the voucher being repayable on demand.

Program dates

1 - Eligibility to receive a voucher

1.1 - The entity must:

1. hold an active Australian Business Number (ABN) and have held that ABN on and from 15 October 2021
2. be registered with the responsible Federal or State regulator¹
3. operate from a Victorian location², excluding the City of Melbourne Local Government Area
4. be registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) on and from 15 October 2021³
5. have annual Victorian payroll of up to $3 million for the 2019-20 financial year on an ungrouped basis as determined by the State Revenue Office (SRO)⁴.

1.2 - The entity must also be one or more of the following:

1. a business operating in an eligible industry sector identified in the list of eligible ANZSIC classes (as identified by the ANZSIC class linked to the business’ ABN⁵). Refer to Eligible ANZSIC classes for eligible codes.

or

a Victorian trader association that works on behalf of Victorian businesses only and either has the eligible ANZSIC class registration number 9551 - Business and Professional Association Services linked to the organisation’s ABN or is a trader association that has received a grant under the Business Chambers and Traders Groups Program⁶

or

a charity or not-for-profit organisation registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC).

1.3 - The person registering for the voucher must be able to attest that the entity has:

1. a workable plan to move indoor activities outdoors safely, including satisfying any permit or regulation requirements, as outlined in section 11 of these Guidelines;
2. identified eligible expenditure of at least $2,000; and
3. plans to spend the funds within 3 months from the date of receiving a voucher.

1.4 - The entity must select the correct voucher round (regional or metropolitan) based on the location at section 1.1.3.

1.5 - The entity must not have received funding under the Outdoor Eating and Entertainment Package that closed on 11 December 2020.

1.6 - The person applying must have a Victorian Driver Licence or Learner Permit, Seniors Card or Proof of Age Card to confirm identity.

2 - Mandatory requirements for claiming a voucher payment

2.1 - The person applying to claim the voucher payment on behalf of the voucher holder⁷ must be listed on the Australian Business Register as either the owner, co-owner or associate of the entity as set out in Section 6 of these Guidelines.

2.2 - The person applying must provide the following information about the proposed use of the $2,000 funding as part of a plan to move some or all of their business activity outdoors safely:

1. identification of the business activities to be moved outdoors;
2. the type of outdoor area/s where the business activities will be conducted;
3. the address where the business activities currently occur; and
4. nominate eligible expenditure items of at least $2,000, as outlined in Section 3 below.

2.3 - The person applying on behalf of the voucher holder must attest that:

1. the voucher funds will be spent within three months following the date of receipt of the voucher payment;
2. the business activities will be moved outdoors safely in accordance with any relevant laws, regulations, permits and COVIDSafe guidance⁸ (as outlined in Section 11);
3. the entity will take all necessary steps to apply for and receive any relevant permits, consents, licenses or insurance for the outdoor activity, where applicable (as outlined in section 11);
4. evidence of eligible expenditure will be provided to the Department within three months of receiving your voucher payment
5. the entity intends to continue trading after claiming the voucher funds; and
6. the entity will take part in any evaluation surveys for the program as required.

3 - Eligible expenditure

3.1 - The voucher payment must be used by the entity to implement the plan to move their business activity outdoors safely. The voucher payment must not be used for any activity that is already undertaken outdoors.

Expenditure claimed for reimbursement can include, but is not limited to, the following items:

1. equipment to enable outdoor activity, including:
   • tables and chairs
   • mats and other ground cover
   • safety barriers and screens
   • safety bollards
   • outdoor umbrellas
   • advertising hoardings and A-frames
   • gas or electric heaters and
   • retractable blinds and awnings;
2. point-of-sale devices;
3. minor electrical upgrades (i.e., installation of outdoor power points);
4. installation of outdoor lighting;
5. minor works such as improving access to an outdoor seating area or installing in-ground sleeves to lock down/secure barriers, umbrellas and advertising hoardings;
6. costs directly associated with obtaining necessary permits for outdoor activity;
7. costs directly associated with obtaining or extending insurances to enable outdoor operation;
8. training of owners and staff to adapt to COVID-19 outdoor operating environment;
9. marketing to promote the new outdoor activity; and/or
10. other costs specific to the type of business or organisation adapting to the new outdoor activity.

3.2 - Eligible expenditure using the $2,000 voucher payment must be made within three months following the date of receiving the voucher payment.

3.3 - The voucher payment may be used to pay for one or more eligible expenditure items to facilitate the outdoor activity, for a total sum of $2,000.

3.4 - The voucher payment may be used for part of the cost of an eligible expenditure item.

3.5 - If the voucher payment cannot be used for the eligible expenditure nominated in the application to claim the voucher, the voucher payment may be used to pay for other items of eligible expenditure set out in section 3.1 above.

3.6 - Evidence of eligible expenditure, including receipts for goods or services or evidence of payment of permit fees to be given to the Department within three months of receiving the voucher payment. If you fail to produce evidence of eligible expenditure within three months of receiving the voucher, the voucher will be repayable on demand.

4 - Ineligible expenditure

4.1 - The voucher payment cannot be used for the following expense types:

• business operating expenses (other than costs of permits, consents and licences related to operating outdoors)
• alcohol, food, groceries, and drinks
• gambling
• personal items such as clothing and accessories (other than protective wear related to operating outdoors safely).

5 - Voucher amount

5.1 - Voucher holders may receive a voucher payment of $2,000.

5.2 - An entity as defined by its ABN can only claim one voucher under this program across all voucher rounds.

6 - Assessment of eligibility

6.1 - Final and full eligibility will be determined once a voucher holder applies for the voucher payment. The Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (the Department) reserves the right not to pay the voucher payment if the applicant at any stage in the process is found to be ineligible.

6.2 - The person applying must supply correct and accurate information for eligibility assessment in order to receive a payment. It is up to applicants to ensure that ABN registration information on the Australian Business Register (ABR) is current and accurate at the time of applying for a voucher.

6.3 - The person applying must meet the eligibility criteria at the time of assessment by the Department. As part of the assessment, the information provided by applicants may be subject to verification with other government agencies (state and federal) such as the Australian Business Register, Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Consumer Affairs Victoria, VicRoads and the State Revenue Office.

6.4 - Any of the following circumstances may be taken into consideration in any decision about whether to award a voucher or make a voucher payment:

• duplicate applications by a trustee and a trust;
• fraudulent amendments to public registers describing the business;
• any adverse findings by a Government agency or local council regarding a business or its operation;
• a business is, or notice has been given that it will be, placed under external administration;
• there is a petition for bankruptcy or to wind up or deregister a company or business; and
• the business is or becomes deregistered or unregistered (including cancellation or lapse in registration or of any relevant permit).

6.5 - Decisions on all matters relating to the awarding of a voucher payment under this Program are at the Department’s absolute discretion.

7 - Applying for a voucher

7.1 - Eligible businesses, trader groups and registered charities and not-for-profits may apply for a voucher-based on their regional or metropolitan location. Location will be determined from the entity’s ABN information as described in section (1.1.3) of these guidelines.

7.2 - Vouchers will be allocated on a first-in basis to applicants assessed as eligible up to the Program’s funding cap. Successful applicants will be notified that they have been allocated a voucher and will be sent a claim form link.

7.3 - The person applying for the voucher on behalf of the entity must provide one of the following to confirm identity:

• Victorian Driver Licence
• Learner Permit
• Seniors Card
• Proof of Age Card.

8 - Who can claim a voucher?

8.1 - The person claiming the voucher payment on behalf of the business or entity must be a person listed on the Australian Business Register as either the owner, co-owner or associate of the business.⁹

8.2 - Registered contacts of the business or entity, such as accountant, tax agent or BAS agent cannot claim a voucher payment on behalf of the business or entity.

8.3 - The person applying to claim the voucher payment must provide details of a current proof of identity document. This must be one of the following:

• a driver licence or learner permit issued in any Australian jurisdiction; or
• an Australian Passport; or
• a Medicare Card; or
• a foreign passport for those issued with an Australian Visa.

8.4 - If the current proof of identity is unable to be confirmed, applicants will receive a follow-up email with instructions to amend their proof of identity details. If the applicant does not then rectify proof of identity details, they cannot receive the voucher payment.

9 - Applying to claim a voucher payment

9.1 - The voucher can only be redeemed during the designated three week claim period.

9.2 - The voucher is non-transferable and can only be claimed by the entity that applied for and was assigned the voucher.

9.3 - The voucher payment will be paid into the bank account nominated on the claim form.

9.4 - Any unclaimed vouchers will expire at the end of the three-week claim period and will not be available to be redeemed.

9.5 - The Department will require evidence of expenditure to be provided within three months of receiving the voucher. Recipients of a voucher will be sent a form to confirm expenditure and attach receipts.

10 - Voucher process

11 - Compliance with laws and regulations

11.1 - Voucher payment recipients must comply with all Council and State Government laws and regulations, where required, with respect to:

• COVIDSafe workplaces¹⁰;
• Liquor Licensing;
• the Food Act 1984 (Vic);
• the Tobacco Amendment Act 2016 (Vic);
• the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic);
• Council local laws, regulations and guidelines including those related to footpath trading, commercial street furniture, use of public open space regulations and guidelines (NB: Council local laws, regulations and guidelines may differ from one local council to another. Please check with your local council for applicable local laws, regulations and guidelines); and
• any laws, regulations, permits, consents and licence requirements that ordinarily apply to the business.

11.2 - Voucher payment recipients must hold all relevant insurances, including public liability insurance.

12 - Post project evaluation

12.1 - By receiving a voucher payment, all voucher payment recipients agree to comply with the Department’s performance monitoring and evaluation processes. The voucher payment recipient may receive an evaluation survey from the Department and may be required to participate in program evaluation activities.

12.2 - The evaluation surveys may occur for up to one year following receipt of voucher payment. This is a non-negotiable requirement for all voucher payment recipients in the program. Non-compliance could impact future applications to the Department’s programs. Successful program outcomes may be used in program evaluation reviews and Departmental marketing collateral.

13 - Compliance and audit

13.1 - Applicants are subject to a risk assessment, which verifies business details filed with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commissioner, Consumer Affairs Victoria and/or other applicable regulators.

13.2 - Applicants may be subject to audit by the Victorian Government or its representatives and will be required to keep the evidence of how the voucher payment was spent (e.g. invoices for equipment purchased or leased, costs directly associated with permits and compliance, costs directly associated with staff training, marketing expenditure, promotional expenditure, etc.) at the request of the Victorian Government, for a period of four years from receipt of the voucher payment.

13.3 - If any information in the application is found to be false or misleading, or the voucher payment is not applied for the purposes of the business in accordance with the terms of funding as set out in these guidelines and the application, the voucher payment will be repayable on demand.

14 - Privacy statement

14.1 - Information provided for this program will be used by the Department for the purposes of assessment of eligibility, program administration and program review. In registering for a voucher, the person applying on behalf of the entity consents to the sharing of information as outlined in Section 6.4 above.

14.2 - If there is an intention to include personal information about a third party in the application, the person applying must ensure the third party is aware of and consents to the contents of this privacy statement.

14.3 - Any personal information about the person applying or a third party will be collected, held, managed, used, disclosed or transferred in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and other applicable laws. Enquiries about the privacy of personal information and the Department’s privacy policy can be emailed to the Department’s Privacy Unit at: privacy@ecodev.vic.gov.au.

15 - Other information about this program

15.1 - The Department reserves the right to amend these guidelines and application terms at any time as it deems appropriate.

15.2 - The Department will endeavour to notify all applicants of the outcome of their application for the voucher payment within 15 business days.

16 - How to apply

16.1 - The COVIDSafe Outdoor Activation Voucher application form(opens in a new window) is available on the Service Victoria website.

16.2 - Further information may be found at vic.gov.au or through the Business Victoria Hotline at 13 22 15.

Footnotes

1. Where required by relevant and applicable legislation. Responsible regulators are the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC); the ACNC for charities and not-for-profits; and Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) for incorporated associations
2. Victorian business location may be confirmed against the premises listed in ABN information on the Australian Business Register (ABR), and applicants may be requested to demonstrate location and operation if required.
3. A business or enterprise must register for GST if it has a GST turnover of $75,000 or more. Not-for-profit entities with annual turnover between $75,000 and $150,000 that are not registered for GST and are registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission are eligible to apply. Businesses with annual 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 turnover of $75,000 or more that are not required by relevant taxation legislation to be registered for GST are eligible to apply, subject to the provision of a statutory declaration from a registered tax agent. Businesses that backdate their GST registration date will not be eligible. Commonwealth, state and local government agencies or bodies are not eligible to apply for this program.
4. Applicants in the ANZSIC Class Code of 8601 (Aged Care Residential Services) are not required to meet this eligibility criteria.
5. Applicants should check that that the industry classification (ANZSIC class code) linked to their ABN registration correctly captures their primary business activity. This includes ensuring that the industry classification (ANZSIC class code) linked to the business’s ABN registration correctly captures the primary business activity.
6. This Program opened 23 September 2020 and closed 9 November 2020.
7. The voucher holder is the entity allocated the voucher.
8. See COVIDSafe information, including Sector Guidance and COVIDSafe workplaces information.
9. Please refer to the business’s ABN details registered on the Australian Business Register (ABR) for who is registered as an associate of the business. https://www.abr.gov.au/business-super-funds-charities/applying-abn/what…
10. See COVIDSafe information, including six principles of COVIDSafe workplaces and additional industry obligations