Vic government relaunches $1200 vouchers to help small businesses go digital

Victorian small businesses can once again apply for rebates of $1200 for subscriptions to selected digital products, after the state government relaunched its Small Business Digital Adaptation Program last week. 

The program was originally launched in November 2020 to give eligible Victorian small and micro businesses, including sole traders, a financial incentive to trial and then purchase digital subscriptions from 14 providers. 

SmartCompany understands more than 8000 businesses received rebates in this first phase, which ran until the end of February, and the program has now been extended to offer extra support to Victorian businesses during the current lockdown and beyond. 

The government reopened the program on August 19 and businesses can apply for the rebates until December 5.

To qualify for the rebate, businesses must trial a subscription from the approved list of suppliers and then purchase a 12-month subscription to the same product. Once the purchase has been made, the business then applies to the government to receive $1200 back. 

The approved list of suppliers includes Xero, MYOB, Reckon, Intuit, Lawpath, Mr Yum, Shopify, Square, Squarespace, Trade Trak, Australian Good Food Guide, Ecwid Inc, ServiceM8 and the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce. 

These suppliers also provide product-specific support and training to businesses that use the rebate program, and businesses can also choose to participate in free digital workshops offered by Small Business Victoria as part of the $20 million program. 

Speaking to SmartCompany, Victorian small business minister Jaala Pulford said the government wants to help businesses “build digital capability by giving them the chance to get a tech edge and learn new skills”. 

“This program gives businesses access to tools they might not otherwise have had, which will help them adapt, recover and grow,” she added. 

The program’s relaunch coincides with announcements of additional financial support payments for Victorian businesses affected by the current lockdown across the state. 

Full details of those additional support payments is available in this article. 

More information about the Small Business Digital Adaptation Program, including details of where to sign up, is available from the Business Victoria website here.