COVID-19 threatens small businesses with imminent closure

Small businesses in in Australia (Image representational)

Small businesses in in Australia Source: SBS

Virus threatens small businesses with imminent closure. It's led to urgent appeals for additional government assistance to help businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.


A national survey by Small Business Australia has found one-third of small businesses will close for good if they don't get additional help. 

Executive Director Bill Lang says the situation is dire.

Based on responses to the survey, it's estimated over 974,000 small business owners have drawn down on savings to keep afloat during the pandemic. 

More than 550,000 have dug into superannuation. And almost 93,000 have sold real estate.

We need the federal government to provide some more direct financial support to help the businesses to meet their expenses, and in many cases, for the owners to draw an income. We also need to make sure that should the businesses have to close no small business owner is made legally bankrupt as a result of being put out of business because of the virus.

To hear the full audio, please click on the audio player above. 

People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 meters away from others. Find out what restrictions are in place for your state or territory.

Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.

SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments. News and information is available in 63 languages  at  https://www.sbs.com.au/language/coronavirus

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