COVID-19 Support Package

Actions by the NSW Government in recent times with regard to the protection of Lord Howe Island in response to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an immediate cessation of tourism to the island as of 22nd March 2020 with the LHI Public Health Order by the NSW Minister for Health.

It is recognised that there are Commonwealth and NSW Government packages that will assist businesses and individuals in this difficult time. However, the LHI Board understand the pressure this has put on many businesses on Lord Howe where tourism is responsible for most business functions in some capacity. The Board considered how it might be able to support businesses during this time and resolved on Wednesday 29 April at its Board meeting to implement the LHI COVID-19 support package.

The package in the table below outlines a range of fees that are directly related to undertaking tourism based business activities which will be waived or reduced for a three month period (one quarter).

Due to different trading and revenue arrangements some businesses have more immediate cash flow challenges and others may be facing these in future months. At the time of writing the usual quarterly fee notices were about to be issued. These include a range of fees for different purposes. Some are payable in advance (eg lease fees) and others are for services already incurred (eg electricity usage).

To simplify matters and to enable any fee relief to become available as soon as practical, fee relief will be administered as a credit on the fee notice. This allows flexibility for a business or individual to enjoy the credit immediately through a reduction in payment due now, or alternatively retain it as a credit against future quarterly fee notices/payments.

If you would like to further discuss your personal situation with regard to payment plans or other arrangements please call or email John van Gaalen on 6563 2066 or John.vanGaalen@lhib.nsw.gov.au