The Prime Minister announced on Tuesday that the JobKeeper payment will be extended by six months to 28 March 2021.
From 28 September 2020, businesses will be required to reassess their eligibility by reference to their actual June and September quarter turnovers to demonstrate that they have suffered an ongoing significant decline in turnover.
Businesses will need to demonstrate that they have experienced the relevant decline in turnover in both of those quarters to be eligible for the JobKeeper Payment in the December quarter.
A two-tiered payment will also be introduced from 28 September. Employees who were employed for less than 20 hours a week on average in the four weekly pay periods ending before 1 March 2020 will receive the lower payment rate.
WORKPLACE RESPONSIBILITIES
Employers have an obligation to ensure the health and safety of workers in ‘the workplace’.
The definition of ‘the workplace’ is ‘the location at which an employee provides work for an employer’. With more workers conducting business outside their usual workplace (from home, in the car, at a café) it is becoming more complex to manage this. Every situation should be looked at closely to assess any mental / physical risk to a particular employee.
The risk of the coronavirus infection coming into the workplace needs to be managed to ensure an employer does not become liable if their employees or customers contract it. Safe Work Australia has established industry specific guidelines businesses should follow Safe Work Guildelines
We recommend introducing a ‘Covid-19’ policy to your business to set out the rules and regulations you have established to ensure the health and safety of people in your workplace. We are able to assist with drafting these policies specifically to suit your situation.
To discuss the above and what it means for your business, please contact your primary consultant (Jarrad, Amelia or Anne) or get in touch with us here