Covid19 Recovery Resource – GrOwing Forward Together
Updated 09/06/2020
The Denmark Chamber of Commerce are working to ensure the ongoing resilience and vitality of our entire community.
This guide is about recovery; supporting our businesses to re open and operate within the new guidelines, as well as a place to find new opportunities, grants and resources.
It follows our Covid19 Support page, which has great information and links regarding Government Jobkeeper programs and other places to find important information and resources.
Unfortunately, not all of our businesses will be re opening. We offer our most heartfelt sympathies with those who have had to make these really difficult decisions.
We are here to support our members through these tough times, so please use us! Reach out if you want information, someone to run ideas by, or someone to help you make the really tough decisions.
Thankfully, there is a lot of support out there, so this resource aims to pull it all together in the one place for you.
We also have an Eateries Guide and a Retail and Services Guide, which are both being updated as restrictions ease and businesses start re opening or broadening the way they are operating.
Please let us know if you would like to be a part of these guides or if you have updates: news@denmarkchamber.com.au
General Inquiries and Support
info@denmarkchamber.com.au
news@denmarkchamber.com.au
9848 2065 (M-F, 9am-3pm)
denmarkchamber.com.au
Business Links and News
DCC social media connects you to up-to-date news and links for all things business as well as Chamber events and news. If you don’t follow us, you are missing out on local information for your local business.
Local Business Updates and News
We love to share your business updates and news! Discover Denmark is a social media platform that connects both locals and visitors to your business.
Business Great Southern
The team at Business Great Southern offers a wide range of individualised support, mostly for free! They are our number one suggested source for knowledge and support!
BGS have created a COVID-19 Business Hotline where people can book in directly:
Ph: 9841 8809
Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA
Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA have these fantastic guides to help you get the latest information regarding staff, government regulations and adapting your business to survive in this environment.
As part of Phase 4, from Saturday 27th June, the follow changes will occur:
• All existing gathering limits and the 100/300 rule will be removed. Gathering limits will only be determined by WA’s reduced 2sqm capacity rule;
• The 2sqm rule will include staff only at venues that hold more than 500 patrons;
• Removal of seated service requirements at food businesses and licensed premises, meaning Western Australians can once again enjoy a beer while standing at a pub or bar;
• No requirement to maintain patron register at food businesses and licensed premises;
• All events will be permitted except for large scale, multi-stage music festivals;
• Unseated performances will be permitted at venues such as concert halls, live music venues, bars and pubs;
• Gyms can operate unstaffed, but regular cleaning must be maintained; and
• The casino gaming floor reopening under agreed temporary restrictions.
For WA’s major sport and entertainment venues, a 50% capacity rule will apply. Therefore, under Phase 4 the temporary capacity of Optus Stadium will be 30,633 for sport events (35,000 for concerts), HBF Park can hold 10,150 (16,500 for concerts), RAC Arena can hold 7,150 (8,250 for concerts).
Work Safe Resources
Safe Work Australia has published new COVID-19 work health and safety guidance for workplaces.
Guidance for managing risks from COVID-19 is now available for:
- Accommodation services
- Mobile consultants and client engagement services
- Tertiary education
- Gyms and fitness centres (including personal training, group fitness classes and bootcamps) on work health and safety, workers’ compensation and COVID-19.
- Early childhood education and care and In-home services.
- Beauty salons and day spas (including tattooing and body piercing services) on work health and safety, workers’ compensation and COVID-19.
- Hairdressing and barbers and In-home services industries.
- Cultural Institutions (including museums, galleries and libraries) on work health and safety, workers’ compensation and COVID-19.
- Cinemas and work health and safety, workers’ compensation and COVID-19. Workplaces including venues where films are shown, such as indoor, outdoor, and drive-in cinemas.
Mandatory Hospitality Training
As WA’s hospitality and tourism businesses re-open, they will need to have new hygiene practices in place.
The WA State Government has mandated that as a condition of re-opening, ALL venues must ensure that ALL staff undertake the AHA COVID-19 Hospitality & Tourism Hygiene Course.
The AHA Hospitality & Tourism COVID-19 Hygiene Course has been backed by the Western Australian Government and is designed to provide you with hygiene awareness and procedures.
Other Hospitality Guidelines
Food businesses including cafes, fast food establishments, restaurants, pubs, clubs, hotels, roadhouses, taverns and casino will be allowed to re-open subject to mandatory conditions such as only serving alcohol ancillary to a meal and ensuring alcohol is only consumed at a table (not counter service, or bar service).
The Hospitality Industry must comply with these requirements so that we may move forward to Phase 3 and a closer return to normality.
All food businesses are required to mitigate the risks of COVID-19. The requirements for the safe operation of your premises are outlined below:
- maintain a strict limit of a minimum of two square metres (2sqm) per person
- maintain hygiene and frequent cleaning
- self-complete a COVID Safety Plan (available below) prior to re-opening (or expanding beyond ‘takeaway only’) and display a COVID Safety Plan Certificate
- ensure staff have completed the AHA Hospitality & Tourism COVID-19 Hygiene Course before returning to work
- maintain attendance records of patrons for the purposes of contact tracing (not including takeaway services)
- carefully manage waiting areas to ensure social distancing
- All businesses need to do their part to comply with these requirements and help mitigate the risks of COVID-19.
COVID Safety Plans are an important part of ensuring that re-opening businesses does not increase the risk of spreading COVID-19. Failure to complete a COVID Safety Plan may mean your business is putting the community at risk. Authorised officers under the Emergency Management Act have the power to close premises and businesses that put the community at risk in this way.
All businesses
All businesses are required to mitigate the risks of COVID-19.
Businesses that were closed by the directions under the Emergency Management Act must
complete a COVID Safety Plan prior to reopening and display a COVID Safety Plan Certificate
in a visible location on the premise. Other businesses may chose to do a safety plan.
Maintain attendance records – not required after June 27th
It is a requirement for businesses to maintain attendance records of patrons. This will assist
Public Health with contact tracing in the event of a positive COVID-19 case in your premises:
• Records can be physical (i.e. secure sign-in book managed by staff) or electronic but
as a minimum must include a name and contact information for each patron (e.g. phone
number or email)
• Records are not required for patrons who visit the premises for a short period time and
have minimal face-to-face interaction. For example, someone returning a book to a
library, or someone ordering take-away.
• Records must not be used for purposes other than contact tracing (i.e. contact
information is not to be used for marketing purposes)
Businesses should implement a process consistent with any privacy obligations they have for
obtaining and safely maintaining these records of patronage for the purposes of assisting with
contact tracing if needed.
Keeping Your Workplace Clean and Safe
Safe Work Australia offers guidelines and information across 23 industries so that businesses can return to work in a COVID safe environment.
Cleaning to prevent spread of Covid19
Signage and resources for businesses
Tourism Council WA
Recovery Tool
The tool is designed to support businesses to identify strategies on how they will respond to various stages of restrictions being lifted to support recovery, covering key themes:
- Assess the current situation
- Business continuity action plan
- Staff management
- Financial analysis
- Operational recovery
- Marketing and communications
The Business Recovery Tool provides businesses with a COVID-19 Recovery Plan following the completion of the module to assist businesses to recover and build resilience.
If you would like to access the COVID-19 Business Recovery Tool, please send us an email and we will assist you to access the Tool.
Grant Opportunities
The Great Southern Development Commission maintains a register of available grants and can help you to find links to many agencies and organisations offering funding opportunities.
There is a range of regional funding programs for business, industry and community organisations.
The Regional Arts WA Relief grants are designed to assist regional artists, arts organisations and communities to meet their immediate needs.
This could include asset replacement or purchase, support for arts practice (including self-directed residency/research and development), small projects and professional development opportunities.
The Regional Arts Fund (RAF) Relief program will be open from 1 July 2020, on an ongoing basis until all funds have been expended.
All RAF Relief projects must be completed by 30 June 2021
Denmark Community Foundation grants are now open.
A $4 million Tourism Business Survival Grants package, which will be available for tourism operators dealing with exceptionally difficult circumstances is now available — with grants of $25,000-$100,000.
Australia Post Community Grants
Lotterywest Crisis and Emergency Relief Fund gives up to $20 million in grant funding for Western Australian not-for-profit community sector organisations and local government authorities to
provide crisis and emergency relief services to:
- People currently experiencing hardship that are at risk of becoming entrenched in disadvantage due to the crisis
- People newly experiencing hardship as a result of COVID-19; and
- Those that are most at risk of serious infection (immune compromised, older people, diagnosed chronic medical conditions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples).
State and Federal Government stimulus packages and financial support
More information on Jobkeeper etc can be found on our Covid19 Support page.
The Regional Arts Fund (RAF) Quick Response Grant assists regional artists, arts organisations and communities to take up professional or skills development or small project opportunities that would otherwise be limited by the timing of other funding programs.
The Regional Arts Sector Investment (RASI) program supports regional Western Australian arts and cultural organisations, with funding of up to $60,000 per annum for a period of 2.5 years.
The Regional Economic Development Grants (RED Grants) program is a $28.8 million (over five years) State Government initiative that invests in local projects to stimulate economic growth and development in regional Western Australia.
The Regional Artist Fellowships of $50,000 support up to four outstanding, established regional WA artists and/or arts workers’ creative activity and professional development for a period of up to two years.
The Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund will provide up to $5 million in grants to regional and metropolitan publishers and content service providers of public interest journalism.
The State Natural Resource Management Program recognises the efforts of WA’s local, not-for-profit and volunteer-based NRM groups by supporting them to achieve on-ground outcomes and expand their influence and impact into the wider community.
Promotion Opportunities
Tourism Council WA will be reviving its Holiday in WA campaign
Ahead of travel restrictions easing, Tourism Council WA will be reviving its Holiday in WA campaign, with a focus on encouraging Western Australians to book direct with tourism operators.
The campaign will include television and digital advertising, alongside public relations activities which promote the virtues of booking direct and supporting local tourism operators.
Tourism businesses can leverage the Holiday in WA ‘Book Direct’ message in the following ways:
- If you’re a Quality Tourism Accredited Business, ensure you have updated your Accreditation logo across all assets, including printed material, website, and building and vehicle signage;
- Quality Tourism Accredited Businesses should ensure their ATDW listing is up to date, as the Holiday in WA website pulls images and descriptions from ATDW;
- If your business is not a Quality Tourism Accredited Business, register for the program and meet the standard to gain access to the logo and other program benefits. More information is available here.
‘We’re Available’ with The West Travel
In partnership with The West Travel, Tourism Council WA is inviting members to put forward their business to be included in a segment featuring tourism operators that are open for business.
The segment will list businesses which are currently operating and what they have on offer to educate consumers on what is available in their region during travel restrictions.
If you’d like to be considered for inclusion, please send us an email with what your business is offering.
Government Assistance
CCIWA have developed this very informative COVID-19 Government Assistance Guide to explain what is available, who is eligible and how businesses can access the measures.
COVIDSafe and the law – Can I be told I have to download the app?
Downloading the COVIDSafe app is completely voluntary. It is against the law to require another person to download, or operate, the COVIDSafe app.
For example, an employer must not require the download or use of the COVIDSafe app as part of employment, or disadvantage someone if they refuse to download the app. An operator of a business must not refuse entry to a customer just because they have not downloaded or used the app.
What’s the penalty for trying to force someone to download the app?
Contravening an emergency determination made by the Minister for Health under the Biosecurity Act 2015 is a criminal offence punishable by a maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment, or a fine.
JobKeeper updates
It’s time to take the next step and make a monthly business declaration for JobKeeper. You have from the 1st to the 14th of each month to complete this via the Business Portal using myGovID or our online services if you’re a sole trader. Go to the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) summary of JobKeeper key dates for more information.
Coronavirus business support line
We have a team of dedicated customer representatives who can help you if your business has been affected by the coronavirus. We’re available between 8am – 8pm across Australia, seven days a week. Call 13 28 46, send us an email or use webchat on the website.
Support for small business dealing with coronavirus
WA Government small business stimulus/relief package
Payroll tax measures for eligible Western Australian businesses impacted by the coronavirus
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Taking care of your mental health and wellbeing during coronavirus is important and support is available. For personal crisis and mental health support services you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 at any time. Go to the emergency support and assistance page for information about additional services that can help you.
Other Local Support
The Shire of Denmark
The Shire of Denmark is also working to support Denmark’s many and varied businesses. They are available to provide support and help guide you through the various hurdles you may be facing with your business.
Key personnel to contact:
Kevina Richardson – Business Continuity Officer
Renee Wiggins – Community Engagement Officer
9848 0300
https://www.denmark.wa.gov.au/
Denmark Community Resource Centre
The Denmark CRC is available to help with any Jobkeeper & Centrelink enquiries and also are managing community volunteer support.
9848 2842 reception@denmarkcrc.com.au
Walpole Community Resource Centre – http://walpoleonline.com/covid-19-support
Great Southern Centre for Recreational Excellence – news for tourism businesses