Whyalla Support Package frequently asked questions

Whyalla-based businesses impacted by the Whyalla Steelworks' challenges and administration may be eligible to have their state taxes deferred with no interest or penalty tax applied.

Taxes that can be deferred include payroll tax, land tax and the emergency services levy. RevenueSA will work with impacted businesses to arrange to defer any taxes or levies due.

To apply for a deferral email payrolltaxenquiries@sa.gov.au using the subject line: 'Application to defer taxes/levies due'.

In your email please include:

• your taxpayer or owner number
• amount you wish to defer (if known)
• summary of how your business is impacted by the administration of the Whyalla Steelworks.

Taxation officers will provide confirmation of approved deferred payment via email which will also outline the conditions of the deferral.

This payment is designed to support South Australian and Whyalla-based businesses who are owed one or more eligible debts (creditors) by OneSteel as at the date it was placed into administration (19 February 2025).

Recipients must also:

• be a legal entity established in Australia
• hold an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be registered for GST
• not be an excluded entity under the Scheme guidelines

This support is available for businesses based in the City of Whyalla, as well as other eligible South Australian-based creditors. Applicants may need to satisfy other eligibility requirements as part of the application process.

View the Guidelines for full eligibility criteria.

The South Australian Government will facilitate grant payments to eligible applicants of up to $5 million per employer group, or total value of the eligible debt owed, whichever is lesser.

Applicants will not receive 'double-compensation'. Any dividends payable through or arising from the OneSteel administration process will be assigned to Government as a condition of any grant payment.

The South Australian Business Creditor Assistance Scheme enables eligible local businesses (based within the City of Whyalla LGA boundaries identified in the Scheme guidelines) with a debt greater than $5,000 to receive an interim payment of up to 50 per cent of the eligible debt (up to $1 million).

Interim payments will be made after an initial assessment by the Department of the materials provided by prospective Whyalla-based businesses against the eligibility criteria.

Interim payments are designed to fast-track grants to support business operations of these Whyalla-based businesses until the remainder of a business' debt owed (if any, up to $5 million) can be covered, which will occur after further verification of the eligibility of the applicant and any debts.

Applicants will be required to provide the following evidence:

• a copy of your business’ bank statement, showing the bank name and logo, business’ bank account name(s), BSB and account number
• a Certificate of Currency for any business insurance policy
• a Statutory Declaration confirming details like eligibility, total debt owed, and information on any trade creditor cover insurance.

Further information may be required by the Department as part of the application process depending on the applicant’s circumstances.

Applicants will also be required to submit a simple Proof of Debt form (including supporting evidence), which is available through OneSteel administrators (KordaMentha), to KordaMentha to register as a creditor and participate in the administration process.

This document (and any supporting documentation) must then be submitted to the Department as part of the evidence requirements of the application process.

Only one application can be submitted per Australian Business Number (ABN).

This means if an eligible business is owed multiple debts by OneSteel, a single application must be submitted for the total amount owed to that eligible business.

Whilst applications are to be submitted per ABN, for the purposes of determining grant amounts and the application of the $5 million cap, applicants will be considered and the $5 million cap will be applied per Employer Group (where relevant). The same grouping and cap applies to both South Australian and Whyalla-based businesses.

Please contact us with any questions around your eligibility.

The SA Business Creditor Assistance Scheme was designed to streamline payments to impacted businesses, while not interfering with the administration process underway.

All grants will be conditional upon the applicant:

• registering as a creditor and participating in the administration process, including submitting proof of debt to the administrator (KordaMentha)
• not being double-compensated in respect of the eligible debt
• formally assigning to the Government the benefit to any dividend or other proceeds payable to the applicant out of the assets of the company, in the applicant’s capacity as creditor
• confirming their intention to continue to operate during the administration process and further committing to making payment of the debts that they owe to their subcontractors.

Applicants with a trade credit insurance policy can apply under this Scheme for any eligible debt that is not recoverable or claimable under their policy.

As part of the Statutory Declaration, applicants will be asked to confirm their level of cover and entitlement under the policy, whether you have made (or are eligible to make) a claim, and for what amount.

Yes. Eligible applicants who are Whyalla based businesses may be able to access further support under the Whyalla Small Local Business Support Grant program.

Submitting this Proof of Debt form does not mean your business will be considered for a payment through the SA Business Creditor Assistance Scheme.

You will need to complete an application via the Department of State Development website.

The South Australian Business Creditor Assistance Scheme is available to South Australian businesses only.

Creditors from other jurisdictions are encouraged to register with OneSteel's administrator KordaMentha to participate in the administration process.

There may be instances where a business’s understanding of debt owed by OneSteel does not align with what’s immediately apparent to administrators.

If this is the case for your business, a support officer will be in touch to discuss your unique situation.

For eligible Whyalla based businesses, the South Australian Government will only provide Interim Payments equal to 50 per cent of debts owed as recorded by KordaMentha (and up to the $1 million cap). Should a greater debt amount be identified throughout the administration process, your business will receive the remainder of debt (up to the $5 million cap) through the second tranche of the payment scheme.

Not necessarily. Payment made by the South Australian Government is a grant calculated according to eligible debts owed by OneSteel or its entities. It is not payment of invoices owed and does not ‘resolve’ the debt.

Invoices and debt will be considered resolved once the administration process is finalised.

As part of the South Australian Business Creditor Assistance Scheme grant agreement, recipients commit to reassigning any proceeds received through the administration process to the South Australian Government.

We recommend that you contact an accountant if you require advice on how debt owed and/or the grant payment may affect your tax, invoicing, and other business accounting.

To be eligible for this grant, you must have an Australia-wide grouped payroll of less than $1.5 million in 2023-24.

To be eligible for this grant, the applicant must be a South Australian business that is conducting business operations and have their principal place of business registered at a premises within the City of Whyalla as at 1 February 2025.

Please refer to the full guidelines for more information on City of Whyalla LGA boundaries.

To be eligible for this grant, applicants must demonstrate a decline in revenue of 20 per cent or more when comparing any consecutive 3-month period against the same period in the previous year. Applicants can pick any 3-month period after 1 May 2024.

The application form will ask for evidence including BAS statements, a bank statement, and Certificate of Currency for your business insurance policy.

There are different requirements for businesses that have been operating for less than 15 months. View the Grant Guidelines for full information.

Applicants will not be precluded from applying for payment under this program if they have applied for or received funding under the Whyalla Creditor Assistance Payments program.

This funding may be used to meet most business costs, including utilities, salaries and rent. Recipients may also use this grant to:

• Seek financial advice

• Adjust the business to be viable in the changed local context

• Develop the business and extend reach through marketing and communications activities

• Retain and support existing employees.

Applications are open until 30 May 2025.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Once approved, payment will be made within 15 days.

Applications may be considered from small businesses that do not explicitly meet the eligibility criteria, on the condition they are located within the City of Whyalla LGA and significantly impacted by the decline in production at the Whyalla steelworks.

This includes new business that have not operated for at least 15 months prior to 1 February 2025.

Eligibility under exceptional circumstances will be considered by the Treasurer, or their delegate, on a case-by-case basis. The Treasurer, or their delegate, is not obliged to approve any application.

Should you have any questions about your eligibility or the application process, please contact us.

Delivered by RDA Eyre Peninsula (RDAEP) in partnership with Resources and Engineering Skills Alliance (RESA), the Career Transition Service provides eligible workers with access to professional and personalised career counselling.

A Career Practitioner can help with job search and resume advice, provide information on employment opportunities in the region, and links to other support organisations.

They’ll also work with participants to develop a tailored and individualised career transition plan – identifying the fee-free vocational education and training participants can undertake to support their transition to new employment.

Training subsidised by the South Australian Government through this initiative may include:

• vocational education and training qualifications as listed on the Subsidised Training List
• vocational education and training occupational tickets and high-risk licences (e.g. forklift, first aid, confined space).

The following activities will not be funded:

• accredited training under Training Contract arrangements
• qualifications not available on the subsidised training list
• higher education qualifications
• purchase of tools and equipment or PPE clothing
• industry licences and clearance (e.g. police clearances, security licences)
• travel or accommodation
• wage subsidies.

Free training opportunities are available to workers and contractors from the Whyalla steelworks and its supply chain who have been impacted by loss of work from 1 May 2024.

To access these free training opportunities, impacted workers must:

• live in South Australia
• be over 16 years of age
• be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, a permanent Australian resident or eligible visa holder.

Workers who do not meet the criteria above may be able to access assistance from other support organisations. The Career Practitioner can help you identify these opportunities.

1. Complete the Registration Form available from the Career Transition Service. Registration is not an approval to enrol in training.
2. Once you have met with a Career Practitioner, and identified what training you are seeking to undertake, they can help you to identify a training organisation and gain approval. This training must be linked to your career transition plan. Pre-approval to undertake training is mandatory (i.e. before you enrol with the training organisation). Training which has already been completed or paid for cannot be reimbursed.
3. If approved, you and the training organisation will receive an email from the Career Transition Service to confirm the training being funded and the enrolment process.

Workers must be enrolled in approved training before 30 June 2025.

The South Australian Government is helping Whyalla-based apprentices who have been displaced to retain and progress their apprenticeships.

The Whyalla Apprentice Retention Package is designed to support apprentices who are (or were) physically employed in the LGA boundaries of the City of Whyalla, and:

• Are at risk of having their training contract terminated, or are already subject to a pending or active training contract suspension, or
• Whose apprenticeship has been terminated arising from a downturn in their employer’s business on or after 1 February 2025.

Impacted apprentices are encouraged to contact the South Australian Skills Commission (SASC) to access support, wages, and placement with a new host employer.