A legislative package to implement the Government’s economic response to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), announced between 12 and 20 March 2020, has become law.
The legislative package contains the following Bills, which received assent on 24 March 2020:
- the amended Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus Bill 2020 as Act No 22 of 2020 (the Omnibus Bill — see below)
- Boosting Cash Flow for Employers (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Bill 2020 as Act No 23 of 2020
- Assistance for Severely Affected Regions (Special Appropriation) (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Bill 2020 as Act No 24 of 2020
- Appropriation (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Bill (No 1) 2019–2020 as Act No 25 of 2020
- Appropriation (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Bill (No 2) 2019–2020 as Act No 26 of 2020
- Structured Finance Support (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Bill 2020 as Act No 27 of 2020
- Australian Business Growth Fund (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Bill 2020 as Act No 28 of 2020, and
- Guarantee of Lending to Small and Medium Enterprises (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Bill 2020 as Act No 29 of 2020.
Schedule 11 of the Omnibus Bill was amended by Parliament as follows:
- the Coronavirus Supplement is extended to full-time students on Youth Allowance, Austudy and Abstudy, and
- the Minister for Families and Social Services has been granted the additional power to amend the stimulus payments in response to circumstances relating to COVID-19 by legislative instrument up until 31 December 2020.
