But one case has been detected in hotel quarantine after nearly 9000 tests were received on Monday.There are current six active cases.Meanwhile, thousands of businesses will soon be able to hire new apprentices as the federal government chips in half of their wages as part of a $1.2bn scheme. Employers will receive up to $7000 a quarter to hire or keep apprentices as the government expands the program it launched last year. Scott Morrison will use a speech on Tuesday to underscore the importance of continuing to train and re-skill people during the COVID-19 recession. “At the outset of the pandemic, we made keeping apprentices in their jobs one of our first priorities,” the Prime Minister will say.“These apprentices would likely have been the first to go. “Such a loss would have been devastating for our economy, as years of training would have been lost and possibly never recovered.”The initial rollout of the scheme saw all 100,000 positions taken up. The funds injection is expected to support about 70,000 more people in apprenticeship or trainee positions.Frankston restaurant owner Mandy Lingard said the scheme had been “fantastic” as she was able to offer employees job security.“It’s put us in a position where we can ensure the quality and authenticity of our food and service remains,” Ms Lingard said.Her restaurant, Dava Thai, suffered when some chefs were forced to return to their home countries, but the program allowed Ms Lingard to give apprenticeships to four staff.“I said to them, ‘I’ll invest in you, if you invest in me’,” she said.TOURISM SUPPORT TAP TO FLOW ON More help is on the way for businesses reliant on tourism including tour operators and the aviation sector, with Josh Frydenberg set to announce extra support within the week. The Treasurer on Monday indicated the “other measures” would be targeted to specific industries once the JobKeeper wage subsidy payments stop at the end of the month.Speaking from Cairns, he said the government’s first choice would be for businesses to get back to supporting themselves but conceded some would not be able to. “We signalled JobKeeper was ending and that was really important so businesses could make adjustments to those operations because some businesses will restructure,” Mr Frydenberg said. “What we’ve sought to do is give businesses every opportunity to … get to the other side.”The federal government has delivered more than $42bn in direct support payments to Victorians since the start of the pandemic. More than $26bn has been issued via JobKeeper, according to Treasury data. Almost $9bn has been paid out in cash flow boosts and $4.8bn has been spent on increased welfare payments.
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