Yahoo Finance When millions of Aussies will receive $100 boost
Australian adults living in NSW will soon receive cash boosts of $100 designed to support the local dining and tourism industry, with the state government revealing when regional NSW will score the support.
Under the state’s $500 million Dine & Discover stimulus program, businesses in Sydney’s The Rocks and regional NSW’s Broken Hill will be the first to participate in the voucher scheme from early February, Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said.
From late February, the pilot scheme will include the Northern Beaches, the Sydney CBD and Bega Valley Shire.
Then, pending the results from the pilots, the government expects a statewide rollout will begin in March to run until 30 June 2021.
The scheme was initially set to begin in December 2020, however the COVID-19 breakout forced the government to postpone.
How does the Dine & Discover voucher scheme work?
Under the scheme, every adult NSW resident will be eligible for four $25 vouchers worth $100 in total that they can spend on participating businesses.
Two of the vouchers will be for hospitality businesses, and these can be used Monday to Thursday excluding public holidays.
The other two vouchers are for entertainment and recreation and are to be used at arts venues, live music events and cultural institutions. These can be used any day of the week, excluding public holidays.
NSW residents can access the vouchers through the Service NSW and can search for participating businesses through the app or the Service NSW website.
The vouchers can only be redeemed in person and can’t be spent on alcohol, gambling, accommodation, tobacco or retail.
The vouchers also can’t be combined, and must be spent in one go. That means that if a diner spent less than $25 on an eligible meal, they will not receive the remaining sum to be spent with other vouchers.
Businesses urged to register now
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello urged eligible businesses to register for the scheme early to avoid any hiccups as the vouchers are rolled out.
He said Service NSW is launching an app for participating businesses that they can use to track voucher usage over the program.
“After applying online, NSW businesses will be able to track the progress of the application through their MyServiceNSW Business Profile. Business owners will then receive a step-by-step process on how to get ready,” Dominello said.
“With a high uptake of the vouchers expected across the state, the Business Profile provides one, easy to use location for businesses to stay on top of voucher transactions.”
Businesses will be reimbursed within five business days for the value of the vouchers redeemed.
“All eligible businesses will receive an email from Service NSW with details on how to register. I also urge residents to do yourself a favour and download the Service NSW app now in anticipation of the rollout.”
Businesses must have a COVID Safety Plan in place and must be registered as COVID-safe to be eligible for the package.
They also must operate in one of these industries:
cafes and restaurants
pubs, taverns, bars and clubs
scenic and sightseeing transport
cinemas
museums, galleries and historic sites
zoos, botanic gardens, wildlife parks and nature reserves
performing arts operations, theatres and entertainment centres
amusement, theme and water parks
recreational activities such as go-karting, indoor climbing, mini-golf, billiards, bowling or ice-rinks
outdoor adventures
travel agencies and tours.
Businesses can register by following the prompts here.
Zero cases of community transmission
The voucher rollout comes as NSW posts a third consecutive day of zero cases of community transmission.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has flagged an easing of some of the restrictions established in late December amid the outbreak, but has warned some, like mandatory masks on public transport could be in place indefinitely.
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