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If you're having difficulty paying your household energy bill because of a short-term financial crisis or emergency, such as unexpected medical bills, or reduced income due to COVID-19, you could be eligible for Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) $50 vouchers.

If you’re an employee who works from home, you may be able to claim a deduction for expenses relating to that work to cover:

• Running Expenses
• Occupancy Expenses
• Phone and Internet Expenses

Please note that this information is general in nature only, and may not apply to your individual situation.

This 'shortcut method' is available for the 1st of March 2020 to 30 June 2021 only.

The new $1 billion JobTrainer program will provide up to an additional 340,700 training places to help school leavers and job seekers access short and long courses to develop new skills in growth sectors and create a pathway to more qualifications.

Courses will be free or low cost in areas of identified need, with the Federal Government providing $500 million with matched contributions from state and territory governments.

The High-Risk Settings Pandemic Payment is to provide lump sum financial assistance to limit the financial hardship of eligible individuals working in high risk settings who are, or were, unable to work and earn an income as a result of having tested positive with COVID-19.

The High-Risk Settings Pandemic Payment grant program commences on 15 October 2022 and replaces the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment that ends on 14 October 2022. The High-Risk Settings Pandemic Payment supports eligible workers in high-risk settings to not attend work for a seven day period of workplace exclusion if they test positive to COVID-19, in order to mitigate the risk of infection within the high-risk setting.

The amount of High-Risk Settings Pandemic Payment that is payable is determined by the number of hours the person would have worked during their period of workplace exclusion due to testing positive with COVID-19. All eligible people who test positive with COVID-19 on or after 00:01am, 15 October 2022 and are excluded from work in a high-risk setting for 7 days, will receive:

• $750 if they would have worked 20 hours or more; or
• $450 if they would have worked a full day or at least 8 hours and up to 20 hours of work.

Only one payment can be claimed for each period of infection.

For the purposes of High-Risk Settings Pandemic Payment, a “high-risk setting” means a setting or workplace in which the person works that involves close personal care and support services involving frequent close contact in the following settings:

• Aged Care, including home care that involves close personal care and support services involving frequent close contact.
• Disability care, including disability home care that involves close personal care and support services involving frequent close contact.
• Aboriginal healthcare, including workforce employed by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, community health care, Aboriginal drug and alcohol services and support services involving frequent close contact.
• Hospital care, including day hospitals and smaller facilities, paramedical, ambulance, patient transport and support services involving frequent close contact.

The number of times a person can receive a High-Risk Settings Pandemic Payment will be capped at three in a six month period. The payment count will start from 1 July and take into consideration any prior claims, including previous Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment claims from this date.

While many businesses have been adversely affected by COVID-19 and are reducing their workforces, there are some areas of the economy which have an increased demand for workers.

This includes jobs in health and care sectors, transport and logistics, some areas of retail, mining and mining services, manufacturing, agriculture and government sectors, among others.