Economic Recovery Fund – small business energy grants

$20 million in 2024-25 for Round 2 of the Economic Recovery Fund. This will support up to 8 000 eligible small businesses and not-for-profit organisations with grants between $2 500 and $50 000 to invest in energy efficient equipment or other improvements to reduce and manage their energy usage and costs.

Applications for Round 2 are expected to open in August 2024. Further details about the grant scheme will be available on the Office for Small and Family Business website.

Payroll tax – bulk billing exemption for general practitioners

General practitioner wages related to bulk billed services will be exempt from payroll tax from 1 July 2024. The exemption is designed as an incentive for general practitioners to bulk bill patients. In addition, an amnesty on wages paid to certain general practitioners and other medical service providers to 30 June 2024 will be legislated to alleviate the administrative burden for businesses.

Indexation supplementation for non-government organisations

$18.4 million over four years to support non-government organisations (NGOs) in meeting the costs associated with wage and inflation pressures in 2024. The pressures impact a range of NGOs which provide services in the social, community, home care, child protection, homelessness and disability sectors. The government provides standard indexation having regard to longer term indexation factors and while this principle is retained for future years, the government has recognised the impact pressures will have on NGOs in 2024-25.

This initiative is in addition to the supplementation to NGOs that was announced in the 2022-23 Mid-Year Budget Review and 2023-24 Budget.