By Taylah Eastwell
Dandenong Ranges businesses suffering from ongoing power outages are eligible for new grants.
The government recently announced that prolonged power outage payments of $2,500 per week are available for businesses with an annual payroll of less than $10 million. To be eligible, businesses must have been without power as of 12.01am on Thursday 17 June.
Businesses will receive the payment directly from Ausnet each week for up to three weeks, with power expected to be restored by July 10.
The news comes after Acting Premier James Merlino announced on Thursday 17 June that affected households can apply for power outage payments of $1680.
Minister for Emergency Management, David Littleproud said the disaster recovery funding arrangements will assist businesses who remain without power and may do so for some weeks to come.
“We know that being without essential power is incredibly difficult and we want to help businesses to get the support they need that best suits their circumstances.
Acting Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Danny Pearson, said the payments support up to 1,200 affected businesses.
“We understand the pain felt in the community caused by these catastrophic events,” Mr Pearson said.
“These measures will help businesses by giving them the financial support to pay wages, rent and other activities required to keep businesses operating,” he said.
Ausnet has established a dedicated claims process for customers impacted by the storm, which can be accessed on the Ausnet website or by calling 13 17 99.
