Justice Minister Andrew Little has announced that the government will provide $40M to assist in subsidising the cost of mediation and arbitration, for resolving rent issues between businesses and landlords impacted by COVID-19.
Little said ‘This funding will ensure that tenants and landlords, even if financially constrained, will be able to access dispute resolution services. I continue to encourage businesses and landlords to work towards reaching a fair agreement on the payment of rent and using this funding to access mediation and arbitration services if that helps.’
Further detail about eligibility for and availability of the subsidy will be made available soon, and it is said that the process will be up and running within eight weeks.
Watch this space!