As the owner of a small airport transfer service in Melbourne, David Silver has had a tough two years.
"My business has been in lockdown for 266 days," he said.
"But it's really more than that, because our international borders have never opened, our borders with other states have only briefly been open."
During the middle of the year, he received a salve — businesses like his would be eligible for the state's Business Costs Assistance Program (BCAP) grants while lockdowns were in effect.
The payments were initially weekly, for each week Melbourne was locked down.
As lockdowns dragged on, those who were previously eligible were given automatic approval to keep receiving the grants, which were then moved to a fortnightly schedule.
However, Mr Silver is one of a number of business owners who told the ABC they had experienced long delays and conflicting information about the payments in recent months.
"This is a major frustration that I feel from people within my industry and from people in general."
Round five of the BCAP grants was announced on September 30 as part of a boosted business support announcement, adding another $2.27 billion to the more than $4 billion jointly funded by the Commonwealth and state since late July.
Businesses eligible for the grants can receive between $1,000 and $8,400 per week, depending on the size of the business.
Recently, non-employing businesses have had their weekly amount cut from $2,800 to $1,000 in the latest round.
"My expenses haven't reduced 64 per cent in October, and I still can't trade," Mr Silver said.
Melbourne woman Kate (not her real name), has also had her payment cut to $1,000 because her business is exempt from paying WorkCover insurance.
Kate — who is using a pseudonym because she is concerned speaking to the media would affect her payments — says she should still be eligible for the higher payment but has been unable to get clarity from Business Victoria.
"I'm used to being independent and value being able to earn my living," she said.
A petition to reinstate the $2,800 minimum weekly payment has gathered more than 1,800 signatures.
The Victorian government said the grant recognised that businesses employing workers had higher overhead costs, including worker wages, superannuation and WorkSafe premiums.
It said such businesses would more likely be paying more for rent, utilities and equipment.
Delays in processing payments
The cut in funding is compounding other stresses surrounding the timing of the grants.
Most business owners and sole traders receive an email from Business Victoria notifying them of their payment, then the grants arrive in the week after that.
Mr Silver, a sole trader, received the most recent email a week later than he should have and is yet to receive the next grant.
"It's incredibly stressful, because how do we tell our landlords, lease companies, our electricity companies or gas companies that we can't pay you this week, as promised, because we haven't received the grant money from the government," he said.
Mr Silver said he had contemplated closing his transfer business a number of times over the extended lockdown, but had persevered.
"I know some commercial hire car drivers that can't even afford to feed their family because they literally don't have [any money] in their pocket. And they're clinging on, waiting for this next payment," he said.
The Victorian government said processing of initial BCAP5 payments had taken longer than previous rounds because of the extra work needed to confirm eligibility and payment amounts, due to factors including regional local government areas entering and leaving lockdown and a new tier of payments.
It said this involved cross-referencing information with data from bodies including the State Revenue Office and WorkSafe to ensure probity and fairness.
Bridges Robinson Roe, who owns the Beauty Platform in Mill Park, told the ABC he last received a fortnightly payment on September 14.
He runs the business with his wife, Nhi, and together they employ three full-time nail technicians and a handful of casual staff, all of whom have been stood down without pay.
He said Business Victoria had told him his payments were still being processed, but he had not received any further information about when the grants would arrive and how much they would total.
The situation, he said, was "frustrating".
"I think I'm in a better financial position than most small business people to be able to weather the storm," he said.
However, he has paused his mortgage, drawn on personal savings and put his house on the market to counter the growing costs of running a business that was unable to operate.
Another business owner who did not want to be named for privacy reasons said they were still waiting on payments from September 9.
The BCAP scheme has two phases. The first is tied to lockdowns, so will end now the state has hit 70 per cent vaccination.
Its second phase has tighter classifications and will only be available for industries that remain closed or heavily restricted.
The payments are separate to the Commonwealth's disaster payments, which will also soon come to an end.
Shadow Minister for COVID-19 Recovery Coordination, Tim Smith, called on the government to "get the cash grants out the door".
"People have still not got the grants that they desperately need to survive on," he said.
A Victorian government spokesperson said the payments for October had started.
"Transfers to recipients' bank accounts can take up to five business days, depending on the arrangements of the recipient's financial institution," he said.
"The second fortnightly payment for October will be made next week."
