Council encourages Goondiwindi businesses to apply for Border Zone funding – and advocates for support to be extended across the region

Goondiwindi businesses affected by the border restrictions will soon be able to access a share of the $14.55 million Border Business Zone Support package that was announced by the state government last week.

Mayor of the Goondiwindi Region the Honourable Cr Lawrence Springborg AM has welcomed the announcement, but has expressed concern that the support does not appear to have been granted to businesses outside of Goondiwindi itself.

“The effects of border restrictions are much more substantial this time around, so this announcement of support is extremely welcome and I strongly encourage all eligible local businesses to apply,” the Mayor said. “However, Council has written to the state government to request that all border towns be included in this support package.

“At the moment, it appears to be restricted to a very select Goondiwindi postcode area, and Council is therefore strongly advocating for the inclusion of other border towns in our region such as Talwood, Texas and Yelarbon, whose residents and businesses have been just as impacted by these border restrictions as businesses in Goondiwindi,” he said.

“Our region’s Local Disaster Management Group conducted a survey this month to measure the impact of border restrictions on local business. The results have been quite confronting: more than 93% of respondents indicated that they would lose revenue as a direct result of the restrictions on border crossings, with more than 60% having to reduce hours or even terminate employees.

“From the data gathered from 95 responses at the time of the survey, the responding businesses were facing a forecast economic impact of at least $10 million over the next three months, with the total economic impact to our region’s 1,900+ businesses likely to be significantly higher.”

Affected businesses may be eligible for up to $35,000 in support payments through two separate grants: the 2021 Covid-19 Business Support Grant and the Covid-19 Border Business Zone Hardship Grant. For information about specific eligibility criteria, including a map of the eligible border regions, visit: https://www.business.qld.gov.au/starting-business/advice-support/grants/covid19-support-grants.

Cr Springborg is encouraging local business owners to get in contact with the Rural Financial Counselling Service if they require assistance managing their current circumstances or applying for any of the above grants. This confidential service is free of charge and delivered by skilled local professionals. Contact your local Small Business Financial Counsellor on 1300 732 777 or www.rfcssq.org.au.

The Mayor is also reminding residents that they can watch a recording of the Goondiwindi Region COVID-19 Border Restrictions webinar hosted by Council last week.

The hour-long webinar with key decision-makers from Queensland Government departments (such as the Office of the Chief Health Officer and Queensland Police Service) offers some specific, local advice around the challenges and concerns facing Goondiwindi Region residents. It includes some important questions posed by residents and businesses, with answers directly from the relevant department.

“I’m extremely appreciative to the guest speakers who were all very generous in sharing their knowledge about the latest border restrictions with our residents,” Cr Springborg said. “I encourage anyone who may have missed the live webinar to watch the recording as there’s some very good information shared in there about vaccine requirements, e-gates and plans for the upcoming harvest.”

You can watch the webinar recording at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nHhlmcutyw.