Cash for public housing tenants, rates rebates, suspended fees and funding for arts and entertainment businesses are just some of the components of a wide-ranging stimulus package the ACT Government announced on Friday.

Key points: A $137m stimulus package will target vulnerable households and small businesses in Canberra

A $137m stimulus package will target vulnerable households and small businesses in Canberra Chief Minister Andrew Barr says it is likely the first of several stimulus packages to come

Chief Minister Andrew Barr says it is likely the first of several stimulus packages to come Arts and entertainment industries will also receive dedicated support through the plan



Chief Minister Andrew Barr said this first package would be one of many during the course of the pandemic.

It was unveiled just as two more cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the ACT.

"There will be more to come, there will need to be more to come," Mr Barr said of the stimulus package.

"There will be a second, most likely a third and possibly even a fourth over the coming 12 months."

Among the initiatives are a $150 rebate on rates bills for every household and a $2,622 credit for businesses, a $250 cash payment to public housing tenants, a $20 million fund for contractors to undertake simple works on government assets, and $500,000 in arts grant funding.

A further decision was made to postpone the ACT budget, in line with the Federal Government and the other states and territories.

In accounting for the postponement, the ACT Government said it was "not possible to develop and set out fiscal and economic strategies for the full year."

But the Government said the move would not impact on the ongoing delivery of Government services, or the Government's ability to pay its staff.

ACT records two more cases — bringing the territory's total to six

Two men who had recently travelled overseas were identified as the ACT's fifth and sixth cases of COVID-19.

ACT Health said the fifth case was a man in his 70s, while the sixth was aged in his 50s.

People who sat in certain rows in close proximity to the fifth case were asked to call the Communicable Disease Control Section of ACT Health on (02) 5124 9213.

They are:

People in rows 42-46 on Flight EY450 from Abu Dhabi to Sydney, which arrived at 6:00am on March 18.

People in rows 3-7 on Flight VA640 from Sydney to Canberra, arriving at 11:00am on March 18.

Others who travelled on these flights were asked to monitor their health, but were not required to contact ACT Health.

ACT Health Chief Health Officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said the sixth case was not considered to have had any close travel contacts, due to his specific travel arrangements.

Both men, along with their close household contacts, were self-quarantining, Dr Coleman said.

The Australian National University also confirmed one of its interstate students had been diagnosed with the virus, and was being treated.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said 81 people had been tested for coronavirus at the newly opened drive-through assessment centre at EPIC Park since Friday morning.

She said 150 people who arrived at the centre to be tested were turned away because they did not meet the criteria for testing.

"I'm advised that the drive-through respiratory centre is working well, with minimal waits," she said.

So what's in the ACT Government's coronavirus stimulus package?

In a press conference on Friday, Mr Barr said the stimulus package was designed to complement the Federal Government's, with a focus on the sectors most affected by coronavirus.

"Some are obviously booming, many are not ... we don't need to be giving tax relief to supermarkets at the moment," he said.

Here is a breakdown of what you can expect:

Households

$150 rates rebate for every household

$150 rates rebate for every household $200 rebate to households receiving the utilities concession

$200 rebate to households receiving the utilities concession Vehicle registration, public transport ticketing and parking fees to be frozen at current levels



Businesses

$2,622 credit to commercial rates bill

$2,622 credit to commercial rates bill $750 rebate to small businesses through their next electricity bill

$750 rebate to small businesses through their next electricity bill Businesses that pay up to $10m in wages will be able to defer payroll tax for 12 months

Businesses that pay up to $10m in wages will be able to defer payroll tax for 12 months Affected industries will receive a one-off six month waiver on payroll tax

Affected industries will receive a one-off six month waiver on payroll tax Taxi and rideshare fees waived

Taxi and rideshare fees waived Food and liquor licence fees waived

Food and liquor licence fees waived $20m fund for simple infrastructure works on public buildings

$20m fund for simple infrastructure works on public buildings Funding for clubs to retain casual staff

Funding for clubs to retain casual staff Public sector staff in events or entertainment redeployed to maintenance works

Community

$500,000 in arts grant funding brought forward

$500,000 in arts grant funding brought forward $7m package for non-government organisations to meet increased demand for social services

$7m package for non-government organisations to meet increased demand for social services Additional funding for Lifeline

'Dire' economic outlook prompts stimulus

Mr Barr said they had designed the package so that many changes to fees, rates and bills would be made automatically.

"A number of them roll out as quickly as possible, others are just automatically deducted in relation to future bills so people will know they won't have to contact us and it was just going to happen," he said.

"We're not in a position to field 170,000 phone calls from every rate paying household so we're applying these things automatically."

He described the economic implications of the pandemic as "dire" and "grim", and likened the responses from various governments to war-time strategies.

"What we are looking to do is cushion that impact as much as we can," he said.

"But our efforts can only go so far, we understand that, I want people to know that from the start of this process."

Canberra's businesses will suffer as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Minister Andrew Barr says. ( Supplied )

The Chief Minister singled out commercial landlords as having to join government and the banks in offering relief to those unable to make rent or pay bills during the crisis.

"Those conversations are taking place now at a national level with many of the large retail institutions, the Westfields and the like," Mr Barr said.

"That's going to have to extend now to many of the smaller landlords because they'll find that if they let tenants go, if they foreclose on them, there will be no tenants, there will be no income."

Residential landlords were also strongly urged not to evict tenants who failed to make rent.

"Now is not the time to be evicting people — there will not be other tenants," Mr Barr said.

"I know many are already offering rent-free periods for their tenants to help them through this. That is to be encouraged and I thank those landlords."

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Canberrans have also been encouraged to support local businesses, where practical.

"If you decide to stay at home, you can still support local business through online activity," Mr Barr said.

"Many businesses have had most of their customer base just disappear in this last week, so now is the time for Canberrans, in a different way, to adapt, to innovate, but to support those local businesses.

"If we are kind to one another and we exercise our common sense we will get through it."

'It's theft': Hospital staff told not to take masks, hand sanitiser

At the same press conference on Friday, Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith confirmed that staff at Canberra Hospital had been reprimanded after certain items had gone missing.

"My understanding is it's more like masks and hand sanitiser that has gone missing, but there are a number of items that people are considering that they may want for their own families," Ms Stephen-Smith said.

"This is property of Canberra Health Services and taking home items like masks and hand sanitiser is theft."

Measures have been put in place to add extra security around items that have been going missing.