Sarah Courtney,Minister for Small Business, Hospitality and Events
The Tasmanian Government recognises thesignificant contribution small businesses, hospitality and events make to the Tasmanian economy and the impact restrictions related to COVID-19 have had on the sector.
Our events sector is critical for driving visitation around our state, which in turn helps support our hospitality and small businesses, particularly in regional areas.
Today I am pleased to announce a new round of funding will be made available through the Event Infrastructure and Critical Support Small Business Grant program.
Funding of $2.5 million, from our $80 million investment in small business, will be used for a competitive merit based grant round to assist eligible Tasmanian businesses.
This new program is targeted to support those local small businesses which have high barriers to entry in terms of capital or specialist skill or equipment requirements, and which provide critical event support infrastructure and other services that are essential to the running of events as part of the recovery of the visitor economy.
For example, this includes provision of critical infrastructure, such as marquee hire, portable toilets, AV and technical support, as well as professional event organising businesses and promoters.
This is not funding for individual events, or for those who attend or participate in events – it is about supporting the providers of critical infrastructure and services that, without which, we would not be able to run major events at all.
Grants will range from up to $5,000 for smaller business, to up to $100,000 for businesses with a larger turnover.
Full eligibility criteria and detailed guidelines will be made available in coming days via Business Tasmania at business.tas.gov.au.
The program will open for applications on 19 October 2020 and close 13 November 2020.
We know this is a very challenging time for events organisers, which is why we are delivering Event Ready Grants for events that can operate now, as well as developing a framework for larger events to occur in the future in a COVID-19 safe way.
Tasmanians love our iconic events, from Festivale, to Wooden Boat Festival and AGFEST, and we want to ensure that they are able to thrive in the future. The Tasmanian Government remains committed to supporting this important sector to ensure we regain the economic and community benefit that it delivers for Tasmanians.
