Frequently asked questions

The focus of the TEAG program is to assist tourism businesses isolated by the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Jasper for 14 or more days, for example closure to access roads.

The closure period of 14 days can be intermittent. For example, if you were closed, reopened then closed again for reasons out of your control, you are able to apply for assistance as long as the total number of days closed is 14 or more days.

Consequently, you may not be eligible for assistance under the TEAG program if closure was caused only by direct damage to the business and you were still able to operate.

You may receive assistance under programs for direct damage and the TEAG program, providing relevant eligibility criteria are satisfied.

The assistance programs available for repair of direct damage are:

• Extraordinary Disaster Assistance Recovery grants available to small businesses with fewer than 20 full-time equivalent employees (Delivered by QRIDA)
• Tourism Recovery Assistance Grant available to tourism businesses with between 20 and 200 full-time equivalent employees (Delivered by DTS).

Yes, you may submit an application before your insurance claim is resolved. However, any funding approved will not be provided under the program until an outcome from insurance is known. Any relevant amount of insurance received will be deducted from the amount approved.

You may be eligible for assistance under the TEAG program. Eligibility under these circumstances will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Contact us to discuss your circumstances before applying (email tourismgrants@dtis.qld.gov.au).

You may be eligible to be considered for assistance under the TEAG program in these circumstances. A factor considered in assessing your application may include the nature of your retail operation, for instance if it only sells consumables that may not be necessarily related to servicing the tourism operation.

In these circumstances, any income earned during the period the tourism operation was closed would be included in the calculation for grant support.

As your business has not been closed to tourism operations, eligibility for assistance under the TEAG program would not be demonstrated.

Yes. Lack of power or unsafe power connections are acceptable causes of isolation under the TEAG program.

Your business is unlikely to be eligible for assistance under the TEAG program because other aspects of your business remained open to trading.

If your tourism business remains closed to operations because of isolation caused by Tropical Cyclone Jasper, you may consider delaying your application submission until your business reopens to usual operations.

However, it is important to note the TEAG program applications close on 11 March 2024.To be considered for assistance, you must submit your application by this date.

In circumstances where tourism businesses have only recently commenced, alternative proposals for demonstrating income shortfalls due to a business be isolated by Tropical Cyclone Jasper may be considered. Contact us to discuss potential options (email tourismgrants@dtis.qld.gov.au).

In circumstances where tourism businesses have undergone expansion, alternative proposals for demonstrating income shortfalls due to a business being isolated by Tropical Cyclone Jasper may be considered. Contact us to discuss potential options (email tourismgrants@dtis.qld.gov.au).

The level of assistance you may be eligible to receive is calculated on the reduction of income levels relative to the same period 12 months earlier. However, the purpose of the assistance is to help with working capital expenses such as salaries and wages, rent and purchase of supplies such as fuel.

Net revenue is your business's total sales for the relevant period, minus items such as commissions or discounts, if paid.

This shading is applied to attribute some of the income shortfalls to the impacted tourism operation, based on the principle that the business should be responsible for a portion of the risk of such disaster events.

The TEAG program has limited funding to an amount of $10 million. To ensure available funding is allocated to the highest priority applicants, a merit-based process is being applied on the following basis:

• Disaster impact on the operation (40% weighting)
• Importance of the operation to the tourism industry and regional economy (30% weighting)
• Financial strength and viability of the operation (30% weighting).

Successful applicants must enter into a funding agreement with the department. Approved funding will be paid on evidence of expenditure on eligible working capital expenses such as salaries and wages, rent and supplies such as fuel. In principle, payment will be made as a lump sum in full upon approval of the evidence provided.