What our members are doing

	Has partnered with Beyond Blue to launch a dedicated Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service. The free service will offer 24/7 practical information, tools and counselling to support Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assisting its not-for-profit partners such as Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN) to help them deliver their programs digitally to students, including donating laptops to schools and students who might not otherwise have access to online learning. Matching employee donations to several not-for-profit organisations supporting those impacted by COVID-19. Providing pro bono support to the Australian Red Cross to help them more efficiently onboard and mobilise volunteers during the pandemic. Providing unlimited paid leave for ADF reservists called up for community emergency projects. Extending its Employee Assistance Program services (including grief counselling and emotional support) to impacted friends and community members. Providing flexibility in work arrangements including working from home, where possible; access to various and extended leave options; encouraging virtual video connection and online social support.
	Has introduced a number of measures to ensure the safety of their employees and communities including: A crisis management team, stood up to manage business continuity and stakeholder engagement, they regularly report to the Board. A pandemic working group, meets daily to monitor the evolving situation. A pandemic action group, established to implement actions which arise out of the working group. An operational pandemic working group has been stood up for each geographical location, reporting and acting on specific requirements for each location. Working with whole of industry to ensure safe continuity of supply. Measures to support vulnerable customers: Full 24/7 call centre restored working from home with minimum disruption. COVID-19 Customer Support Program – for customers in financial stress because they have lost their job or business, or their health has been impacted. This includes: Fast-tracked access to a program allowing deferred payments until 31 July. Access to a payment plan that allows customers to pay in instalments. No disconnections during the deferred payment period for Support Program customers. Waiving disconnection and reconnection fees for small businesses that have been forced to temporarily close. Maintaining AGL’s existing priority service to customers on life support. Progress team established, assessing what customers will need post COVID-19 to support the recovery. These measures are in addition to AGL’s previously established hardship programs most recently used to provide relief during the summer bushfires. To support employees and ensuring business continuity: Measures are in place to reduce the risk to the workforce with more than 4,000 staff and outsourced partners working from home. Teams whose roles are essential to maintaining generation are continuing to work on-site, with appropriate support. Measures to protect employees and mitigate the risk of infection at generation sites include: 24-hour medical assistance on site. Restricted access, increased cleaning and social distancing. Staggered meal breaks, separate shift teams and reduced entry and exit points. Isolation panning and communication to operational staff and their families. Reducing payment terms to small business suppliers of AGL to 14 days. Supporting the Energy Charter's 'We Got You' campaign to support customers experiencing hardship.
	Has implemented safeguards that meet official Australian Government COVID-19 guidelines and taken additional steps aimed at minimising the potential impact. To support the health and wellbeing of their people, clients and the community around us, all staff are now working remotely across all Australian offices.
	Amcor plants continue to operate while taking a host of precautions to protect colleagues, customers, and business partners. Business continuity plans have been implemented across plants and raw material supply chains to manage risk and maintain productivity, while keeping people safe.
	Employing 500 staff to their Hardship team to help process support requests (including loan payments) faster. Launched a dedicated JobKeeper assistance customer helpline to ensure eligible customers are identified quickly and their applications for finance hardship are expedited. A support package for small business and home loan customers, which has the potential to inject $6 billion into the Australian economy and assist in the recovery from the current COVID-19 crisis. For small and medium business customers, this means: a decrease in variable interest small business loan rates in Australia by 0.25 per cent per annum, effective from 27 March; a six-month payment deferral on loan repayments for term loans, with interest capitalised; making available temporary increases in overdraft facilities for 12 months; and a new two and three-year fixed rate of 2.59 per cent per annum for secured small business loans up to $1 million effective 3 April (a reduction of 0.80 per cent per annum). For home loan customers, this means: a decrease in variable interest home loan rates in Australia by 0.15 per cent per annum across all variable rate indices, effective from 27 March; introduction of a two-year fixed rate of 2.19 per cent per annum for Owner Occupiers paying Principal & Interest - their lowest fixed-rate home loan on-record; and Ability to request a deferral of home loan repayments for up to six-months, with a review at three-months, with interest capitalised. Pledged $1.5 million between the Brotherhood of St Laurance, The Smith Family and the Financial Counselling Foundation to support the financial wellbeing of vulnerable Australians. The organisations will use the funds for education, employment, aged care and financial counselling programs targets at disadvantaged people further affected by COVID-19. Measures have been introduced to ensure safety of employees and customers and ensure banking services can continue as far as practical, including restrictions around travel, large group gatherings and non-authorised visitors to office buildings.
	Aon’s Infectious Disease Response Task Force has established a resource site to support organisations in mounting effective infectious disease (pandemic) response. Produced a COVID-19 Response Tool Kit which outlines key planning topics and decision points to consider as part of pandemic preparedness and response efforts. The Tool Kit is a resource for clients and industry to have information and insight on risk exposures and the human capital concerns emanating from an infectious disease event or outbreak. You can download it here.
	Critical facilities and essential field sites will remain operational. Staff will work remotely wherever possible. Offices and field depots will remain open for essential activities only, such as their Integrated Operations Centre. APA is supporting the Energy Charter's 'We Got You' campaign to support customers experiencing hardship.
	On 31 March, ASX released a Compliance Update that provides regulatory relief and updated guidance to support listed companies and investors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The package includes: practical guidance on disclosure obligations, including earnings guidance and decisions not to pay a dividend or distribution; temporary emergency capital raising measures to help facilitate capital raisings in the short-term (until 31 July 2020); action on misleading COVID-19 announcements, including suspension and censure; reporting deadline relief on a case-by-case basis for listed entities with a 30 September, 31 December or 31 March balance date (those with a 31 May or 30 June balance date will be reviewed in due course); support for ASIC’s ‘no action’ position on upcoming AGMs; reporting relief for ASX/NZX dual-listed entities to facilitate the operation of the class waiver announced by the New Zealand Financial Markets Authority; and reminder about the requirement for market announcements to be given to ASX for release to the market first. Employees have been working from home with exceptions for a core group to manage ongoing market functions.
	Activated its Pandemic Response Plan. To ensure the health of employees and to sustain operations through the pandemic, they have implemented several enhanced protocols, including travel restrictions, enhanced workplace hygiene practices, and limiting visitor and public access to facilities.
	Supporting the Energy Network Relief package, which offers support to eligible small business and residential customers across Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia. Relief measures for customers under the package include: network charges will be rebated for small business customers experiencing financial stress and who are mothballing as a result of COVID-19; for small retailers, network charges will be rebated for residential customers that go into default as a result of COVID-19; network charges will be deferred for residential customers of large retailers who go on payment plans or hardship arrangements put in place as a result of COVID-19; support retailers in not disconnecting any residential or small business customers who may be in financial stress, without their agreement, before 31 July 2020 and potentially beyond; and support retailers in not disconnecting any large business customer, without their agreement, before 31 July 2020, and potentially beyond, if that customer is on-selling energy to residential or small business customers (for example, in residential parks or retirement villages). Implemented a number of practice changes to the way they operate including limiting face-to-face interactions, strict isolation protocols in accordance with the Government’s requirements, additional cleaning of their sites and workplaces, additional personal protective equipment for staff, telephone contact with customers before crews arrive, phone notification of future outages, rather than face-to-face. Have a range of contingency plans to respond should significant shifts in demand for power supply occur which includes a strong focus on completing urgent tasks on their network to ensure it is as resilient as possible in the event of weather or other events. Supporting the Energy Charter's 'We Got You' campaign to support customers experiencing hardship.
	Australian Unity has introduced a number of measures across their company to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on its members, customers, employees and the communities in which they live and work. For banking customers, financial assistance options may include: the ability to temporarily pause repayments of loans, including credit cards; temporary interest rate relief on lending for customers experiencing financial distress; temporary emergency limit increase for overdraft facility customers; and early access to term deposits without incurring any fees. For dental services, Australian Unity has made the decision to redirect their attention to emergency and urgent dental treatments only following advice from the state and federal governments. For visitors to their dental centre a number of extra precautionary measures have been introduced including very high standards of hand hygiene, reducing the number of appointments and employees at each clinic, additional time allowed between appointments to better enable social distancing, hand sanitiser stations and cleaning of treatment rooms after each patient. For retirement community services, work is being done across their retirement communities to ensure all necessary precautions are being taken and putting plans in place to maintain everyone’s wellbeing. Some changes include cancellation of large inter-community social events, access for Australian Unity corporate employees and contractors has been minimised, closure of a number of communal areas. For home care services, additional training for personal protective equipment, infection control and hand hygiene for all customer-facing staff has been undertaken.
	Reaching out to assist customers who are suffering financial difficulties as a result of COVID-19, including those who cannot afford the minimum loan or credit card repayment amount and customers who have received overdue notices for loan or credit card payments. Assistance the Bank may provide includes: tailoring a payment arrangement; deferring or reducing loan repayments for a defined period of time; extending your loan term; and capitalising arrears.
	Donating critical supplies to local hospitals and first responders in several areas near their active projects. Bechtel is looking for additional ways to help those who are on the front lines in this fight in the weeks ahead.
	Any eligible business customer with facilities up to $10 million can defer repayments of their business loans for six months, with interest capitalised into these existing loans. For business customers with facilities over $10 million, relief will continue to be considered on a case by case basis. Business customers who operate as Commercial Property landlords will be required to provide assurance to the Bank they will not take any action against their tenants for the non-payment of rent for the period of their payment relief. Cut its variable and fixed business loans to help support business customers in a challenging time for the sector and the economy. Other announced support includes: business loan variable reference rate cuts of 1.00% p.a. for residentially secured business loans and 0.75% p.a. for non-residential and unsecured; small business fixed rate cuts up to 0.82% p.a. depending on the term and security of the loan; business variable and overdraft rate cuts of 0.25% p.a. announced in early March; the waiver of fees for the restructuring or consolidation of loans; the waiver of interest rate reductions for early withdrawals on term deposits prior to maturity; the waiver or deferral of a range of fees and charges; the $40 billion SME Guarantee Scheme, to help small business access working capital to assist with the impact of COVID-19; the Bank’s financial assistance package for all affected businesses; and the Small Business Relief Package which allows eligible businesses to defer principal and interest repayments for six months. For personal customers, Bendigo has introduced a variety of support measures, including: reducing its one, two and three-year fixed rates for all owner-occupier and investor home loans by up to 70 basis points; allowing residential mortgage customers financially affected by COVID-19 to apply for six months relief on their loans; and increasing select term deposit rates to provide customers with an attractive investment option in this historically low interest rate environment. Their agribusiness specialist, Rural Bank is also providing a range of assistance measures to work with impacted farming customers to understand their individual circumstances and apply the most effective means of support. This is in addition to existing support provided to those recovering from prolonged drought and bushfires. Operationally, nearly all of the Bank’s corporate site employees have shifted to work from home arrangements, while the Bank’s branch network remains open.
	To support its workforce through COVID-19, BHP has introduced: social distancing at all BHP locations and stipulated individuals should remain an appropriate distance apart as per health and safety guidelines. This applies to sites, camps and offices, and is being worked through for transport; increased cleaning at all sites and offices, plus regular testing of workplace cleanliness and hygiene standards; clear and regular communication about the strict hygiene protocols in place at all operational sites and offices - includes handwashing, sanitation, food and drinks; BHP has banned international business travel globally and domestic and international commuting continues in a limited manner in line with country-specific advice; protocols such as flexible rostering have been introduced to support workforce requirements; temporarily relocation of some non-residential workers, for example to Western Australia, to meet tighter border control restrictions; temperature checks and three-question surveys before boarding BHP operated planes and buses, to assess individuals’ health; resources to support mental health and resilience, including if working from home; access to BHP's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for employees, contractors and their families, at any time; a $6 million fund to support its labour hire companies and their employees for one-off payments for people quarantined after entering Australia and pay for labour hire employees not entitled to sick leave but affected by COVID-19; a range of mental wellbeing initiatives across the company to adapt to the changing environment and ensure the health and safety of their workforce is supported; a new 15 minute ‘Family Connection’ routine for personnel to call home and check in on loved ones during their shifts; and a COVID-19 messenger service and 24hr 1800 hotline (1800 144 800) to answer questions from their employees, contractors and their immediate families and help keep them informed. To support the communities in which they operate, BHP has: established a $50 million (AUD) Vital Resources Fund to help regional Australian communities in BHP’s areas of operation through support for health and community services, mental health and resilience, Indigenous communities and job seekers. $25 million has already been committed, to view the full list click here; committed $3 million AUD, through the BHP Foundation, to the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. The Foundation will provide $2 million to support the University of Queensland to develop a potential vaccine currently in clinical development. The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne has received $1 million for its Australasian COVID-19 Trial (ASCOT) to test the effectiveness and safety of potential COVID-19 treatment drugs in patients hospitalised with the virus; accelerated payments to small, local and Indigenous suppliers in Australia to deliver $100 million (AUD) more quickly to those businesses. In addition, small business payment terms have been reduced to seven days (from 30 days) hired an additional 1,500 people to support its workforce operating across Australia. The roles will be offered as six-month contracts to cover a range of skills; used their supply chain to supply food supplies to childcare centres, school canteens and not for profit organisations; donated $2 million (AUD) to the Royal Flying Doctor Service in WA to support regional health. This adds to donations from others in industry; worked with hospitals and ambulance services to replenish medical supplies including masks, gowns and gloves; provided more than A$3.3 million through the Vital Resources Fund to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander controlled community health services across Australia, as part of new partnerships established to support communities through the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will support peak Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health bodies and local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical services to continue to deliver comprehensive and culturally competent critical health care services, distribute supplies and educate communities about transmission risks associated with COVID-19; and postponed all face-to-face engagements with Traditional Owner groups until further notice to minimise the risk of COVID-19 exposure to Indigenous communities.
	Put in strict protocols to protect their employees and contractors which are being reviewed by their health and leadership teams on a daily basis. For critical plants like the Port Kembla Steelworks, access has been restricted, people are working from home and instigated health/temperature checks for employees entering the premises.
	Activated a COVID-19 support plan in over 30 countries. This brings the Group’s financial commitment to over EUR$50 million. The plan involves: actions identified by BNP Paribas' teams across the various regions the Group is present in, and adapted to specific local needs to help hospitals and vulnerable populations across 30 countries volunteering engagements by BNP Paribas employees who, in their working hours, make themselves available to support associations mobilised to face the crisis assistance for pupils to access computers, digital keyboards and digital inclusion programs and; support NGOs in several countries who are providing food aid to the disadvantaged, refugees, isolated elderly, and women and children who are victims of violence.
	Boeing has donated 100L of Isopropyl Alcohol from their Melbourne factory to Peninsula Health to make hospital-grade sanitiser to help fight the spread of COVID-19.
	Boral are continuing to take measures to help manage the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus including strict hygiene, social distancing and quarantine protocols. Boral has a dedicated internal COVID-19 management team who are responding to emerging government restrictions, mandates and guidelines. At this point in time, construction is considered an essential industry in Australia so they continue to work safely to supply the market. To improve social distancing effectiveness, Boral is asking their teams to work with you through digital channels as much as possible. Importantly, to comply with social distancing guidelines they have immediately discontinued the requirement for signatures on dockets.
	Brisbane Airport Corporation is working closely with its airline partners to offer additional support, looking to accommodate up to 100 aircraft free of charge in response to government-mandated travel restrictions that have grounded a significant proportion of airlines’ fleets. The decommissioning of the cross runway, Runway 14/32, was brought forward to create additional parking space for grounded aircraft. Brisbane’s new runway remains on track for completion later this year but the community day and runway fun run planned for June has been cancelled given current health advice. Brisbane Airport Corporation is working with impacted retailers at Brisbane Airport to create BNE Marketplace. Launching to the public on 16 April, BNE Marketplace is an online airport retail store giving consumers access to sought after products, some at heavily discounted prices.
	BP Australia’s liquid fuel supply chain continues to operate as normal and all sites – including retail sites, terminals and the refinery – remain operational. BP has introduced a number of additional safety measures at all company-operated retail sites: Increasing sanitising procedures in store and on the forecourt, ensuring employees are washing their hands regularly, and wiping fuel pumps and dispenser handles with disinfectant. Encouraging the use of contactless payment Closing in-store seating areas On 30 March BP announced they are offering health care workers free small coffees or bottled water from their Wild Bean Cafes. AirBP has donated 35,000 N95 masks to the Royal Flying Doctor Service PPE stockpile to keep their frontline staff safe.
	On March 29, Bupa announced they would delay the annual 1 April premium increase for all customers for six months. To help residents and their loved ones through this period they’ve set up an initiative, Visits by Mail, and will continue to develop new ideas that support their wellbeing. Bupa has rolled out new iPads for residents across their aged care homes so they can keep in touch with their loved ones more regularly. On March 26, Bupa announced it will provide more than $50 million in assistance for customers suffering financial hardship due to COVID-19. Customers who have received the Commonwealth coronavirus supplement or are sole traders can apply through their website. Assistance provided will vary based on individual circumstances. Bupa also confirmed that all customers with a hospital policy would be covered for COVID-19 related claims, irrespective of the terms of that policy. Customers will be able to claim psychology, counselling, speech pathology, physiotherapy, occupation therapy and dietetic services delivered through telephone or video consultations, subject to their policy. Introduced additional special leave provisions for full-time, part-time and casual employees to access up to two weeks’ of COVID-19 paid discretionary leave, depending on their individual circumstances. To support an increased focus on wellbeing during COVID-19, new and existing Bupa health insurance and general insurance members, as well as eligible Bupa Optical, Bupa Dental and Bupa Hearing customers, can now access the 28 by Sam Wood program at no cost for three months and benefit from guided 28-minute workouts, meals plans, shopping lists and mindfulness support from Sam Wood and the 28 Team. BUPA has rolled out new iPads for residents across their aged care homes so they can keep in touch with their loved ones more regularly.
	Caltex will continue to follow the advice of relevant government departments to minimise the spread of COVID-19. They have undertaken the following matters: Increased frequency of cleaning and sanitisation of their stores Providing customers with clean and sanitised hand washing facilities where possible Suspended the use of reusable coffee cups and in-store sampling Serving food products in individual original packaging where possible. More broadly, they have plans in place to ensure they can continue to reliably supply fuel and deliver every day needs to their customers.
	Chevron Australia has announced a combined combination of $2 million to assist community members and local businesses impacted by the current COVID-19 health crisis in Western Australia. As the operator of the Wheatstone natural gas facility, located near the town of Onslow in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, Chevron Australia has launched the AUD$1 million Chevron Onslow Relief Fund – providing financial support and critical health services to Onslow residents, Aboriginal communities, local businesses and the unemployed. Chevron Australia has also pledged an additional AUD$1 million to essential service providers the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service, Foodbank WA and Lifeline WA through a collaborative industry effort led by The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA. Chevron’s global commitments to date total $7 million.
	In each of the regions, across their offices, sites and villages, CIMIC’s teams are implementing local action response plans including rigorous preventative infection control and social distancing measures including: Ensuring any team members experiencing cold or flu symptoms, seek medical advice and do not attend work Performing additional cleaning and sanitation services across all sites, villages and offices Reducing face-to-face meetings through flexible work arrangements, rotation of critical roles and enhanced use of technology Enabling our office-based team members to work from home Suspending non-essential visitors to our sites and offices Staggering start/finish times for workdays and mealtimes Introducing additional bus services to ensure physical distances are maintained between team members travelling Suspending all work-related travel for non-operational team members, both international and domestic, until further notice Adapting village food preparation to enable pre-packed takeaway meals.
	CEO Chuck Robbins has written an open letter to customers, partners and governments around the world offering their support and assistance to enable business continuity. Including the latest commitment of $225m towards global responses. On 7 April CISCO announced it will be donating an additional $5million to the WHO’s One World: Together at Home campaign. They have established a global website with a range of resources, including a CISCO Webex kids colouring pack for children who are staying at home. Offering free access to a number of their security, collaboration and data centre products to existing customers and new customers to enable them to achieve business continuity all available at the one site https://www.cisco.com/c/m/en_us/covid19.html They have permanently opened support cases for all essential and emergency services customers to enable their business continuity plans and ensure vital technology and communications infrastructure are operational. They have also built out additional infrastructure to support the surge in remote, secure connectivity and collaboration as a result of offering their products for free and the flexing out of additional capacity for government agencies. Cisco has rolled out a new round of support incentives to help partners and customers overcome rising Covid-19 challenges, with US$2.5 billion in financing at the centrepiece. Delivered through Cisco Capital - the vendor’s financial division - the new Business Resiliency program is designed to mitigate cash flow concerns in the channel through “payment holiday” schemes and customer deferral options. Cisco has developed the CX Offer for Temporary Field Hospital, which delivers a packaged IT infrastructure kit that can be set-up within just 5 days of delivery, to support surge hospital tents. The scalable, modular kit is designed for ward extension, overflow and surge capacity supporting up to 100 beds. It provides secure wired and wireless connectivity access for data and voice.
	Citi Australia has financial hardship options based on individual circumstances that include varying levels of payments and frequency of payments. The Citi Foundation announced it will provide US$65 million to support COVID-19 related relief activities globally. This will see nearly US$36 million in charitable contributions from Citi and nearly US$30 million in grants from the Citi Foundation. On May 12, Citi Foundation announced it was providing $230,000 to the Brotherhood of St. Laurence to prevent and alleviate poverty in Australia. The money will be used to help vulnerable young people directly impacted by the early economic fallout of the pandemic.
	Clayton Utz has established crisis management teams and alternate crisis management teams. The firm also has a pandemic policy and critical incident protocol for influenza, and have set up an intranet site for employees so they can access up-to-date, accurate and relevant information on COVID-19. From Monday 16 March all partners and employees have been encouraged to work remotely to reduce the number of people on-site in their offices. Clayton Utz has also suspended all international travel, cancelled all client events and events they were due to host in their offices and asked partners and employees to consider convening meeting by telephone or VC.
	To protect their employees, Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has introduced a number of measures including: Office-based employees are working remotely. Separated shifts and virtual shift handover in bottling plants. Field teams are stocking grocery stores at non-peak periods to limit potential exposure. Introduced a leave management strategy and have redeployed staff across sales channels and functions based on business criticality. Further precautionary measures include additional procedures and restrictions for all site visitors, additional hygiene and sanitisation routines in all facilities, altered work processes and shift routines to minimise risk and meet demand, contingency build measures for key products, and enacting plans with third-party transport providers to protect service capability. To support its stakeholders, CCA has: Provided a free 24-hour customer support and counselling service to support customers who are struggling with the unprecedented impact of COVID-19. Supported customers to sell online through food aggregators. Working with customers to develop payment plans where appropriate. Donated 15,000 beverages to OzHarvest in partnership with Optus Stadium that would have otherwise been sold at AFL games. They have set up a work from anywhere guide for team members. Click here to view. The Coca-Cola Foundation is donating $250,000 to support the Australian Red Cross COVID-19 Care Collective helping emergency relief efforts and the delivery of essential services to vulnerable people across the country.
	From 21 April, Coles has reopened online orders to all of its customers after restricting its service to those who were vulnerable and isolated. On 28 March, Coles announced that it would be offering 5000 new jobs, on top of the 7000 workers it had recruited over the past fortnight. This latest recruitment drive will bring the company’s total number of new employees to 12,000, all hired over a few short weeks. Coles has opened pop-up distribution centres in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, creating jobs and increasing the capacity and speed of their supply chains. On 27 March, Coles announced its new Coles Online Priority Service for customers who are unable to easily access a Coles Supermarket. This service will allow these customers to purchase their essential items online and have them delivered to their home. On 24 March, Coles announced they would be extending their Community Hour from 7am – 8am to emergency service workers, healthcare workers, the elderly and people living with a disability on different days. On 22 March, Coles announced they will be donating additional food and household goods to the retail value of $1 million every week to their charity partners SecondBite and Foodbank to assist Australia’s most vulnerable communities during this time. This additional support will help boost their ongoing food donation program. Coles Online is one of the world’s best and largest home delivery services and has been temporarily diverted to the Coles Online Priority Service (COPS), allowing Coles to focus on delivering food and grocery essentials to elderly and vulnerable members of the community, including retirement and nursing homes. On 18 March, Coles issued a joint online statement with Aldi, IGA, Woolworths, to reassure the public that they are doing everything possible to get as many products onto all shelves as they can, often under very difficult circumstances. Coles has affirmed that supermarkets will not close (even in the context of a lockdown). Current stock shortages are a demand issue, not a supply issue, but they need time to get stock to the shelf. Coles is employing an additional 5,000 workers. The government has allowed student VISA working hours to be extended so they can work more hours and shifts. Over the Easter long weekend Coles donated more than 8,000 packs of Easter eggs to nurses and doctors at hospitals across the country as a small gesture of thanks for their tireless efforts in the ongoing fight against COVID-19. The Easter eggs are in addition to 200,000 hot cross buns donated to food rescue organisation SecondBite over the Easter break, supporting disadvantaged Australians doing it particularly tough right now. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Coles has introduced a new local sourcing program which aims to provide a revenue stream to small producers who have been forced to close or limit trade.
	CBA has launched a dedicated JobKeeper assistance customer helpline to ensure eligible customers are identified quickly and their applications for financial assistance are expedited: 13 26 07 CBA has launched a mass communication campaign to help customers access the support and information they need. This new campaign, centred on a detailed Financial Guide for Customers, aims to provide clear, concise, consistent and reliable information to help customers navigate the large volume of recent announcements, as they try to comprehend what support they are eligible for and how to access it quickly. CBA is receiving thousands of calls a day from customers looking to request a deferral in their mortgage, personal loan or credit card repayments, and are looking to hire 500 additional staff to work through the backlog. CBA is offering a range of support for personal customers, including: Reducing their one, two and three year fixed-rate home loans by 70 basis points to 2.29 per cent as part of efforts to help spur on the economy. Providing home loan customers requesting financial assistances to defer their mortgage payments, with interest capitalised, for six months. Payments to support customers who have been granted a six-month deferral to offset interest on interest costs during the six month deferral period. Any customer that missed their credit card minimum repayment in March, we will automatically be refunding their late fees and interest for the month of March. For businesses, support includes: Automatically deferring principal and interest repayments for loans to eligible small business customers with total lending limits with CBA up to $5 million. Eligible business customers with total lending limits between $5-10 million can choose to defer principal and interest repayments for up to six months. Offering an unsecured loan of up to $250,000 with no establishment or account fees, and no repayments required for 3 - 6 months for businesses with less than $50 million annual turnover. Automatically waiving merchant fees for three months for 70,000 small business customers. Reducing interest rates on small business loans by 1 per cent. As of Monday 6 April 2020, $150 million in loans had been approved for more than 1,850 businesses across Australia. The loans are all part of the Australian Government’s Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme announced on 22 March 2020 as a measure to help small and medium businesses get fast access to working capital during the coronavirus pandemic. CBA has also increased interest on 12-month deposits by 60 basis points to 1.7 per cent. The bank cited a range of measures including "deferring repayments on a variety of business loans" including vehicle and equipment finance alongside "fee waivers for a period of 90 days" that will assist in planning for the challenging months ahead. CBA is offering customers various options to continue banking, including: Keeping 900 branches open for business Customers can access accounts 24 hours a day, where they can do most of their everyday banking Staff are available to help our customers who are unfamiliar with digital banking.
	90 per cent of Credit Suisse's global workforce are working from home and parents have been given paid family leave for as long as schools remain closed in affected countries. To contribute to the communities in which Credit Suisse operates, they set up a bank-wide donor-advised matching program, launched to encourage employee donations to charities. Additionally, members of the Executive Board committed to donating at least 20 per cent of their six months’ base salary as part of this matching program.
	Deloitte has launched a COVID-19 stimulus and support finder to help identify, understand and access stimulus packages available for business owners. Deloitte has unveiled initial measures designed to help charities dealing with COVID-19 including: A donation from the Deloitte Wishing Well to the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre, Foodbank, the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Many Rivers, OzHarvest, The Salvation Army, The Smith Family and World Vision Australia. Commitment to their WorldClass ambition by ensuring their partners adapt effectively to the new normal and continue to provide critical education to the nearly 800 million children, students, and adults forced out of schools and universities. Support for Not for Profit organisations to access JobKeeper. Deloitte’s tax and audit and assurance businesses are coordinating response to the NFP sector on how to access government subsidies to enable them to retain staff. Continued support for their national charity partners in their individual response to COVID-19.
	Across their global workforce, Dow has instituted minimum paid leave for those who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms to enable them to recover. They also have paid leave for those who are caring for loved ones that have COVID-19. Dow is elevating resources like their Employee Assistance Program, encouraging team members to connect with these trained professionals who can talk through unexpected issues and stresses that many of us are experiencing during this crisis.
	EnergyAustralia supports its customers in financial stress through their EnergyAssist hardship program. Assistance includes tailored payment plans, providing advice on grant programs and advice on energy usage. All EnergyAssist customers remain connected to the energy system and will not be disconnected. Energy Australia has introduced a number of measures around how they are operating including restricting access to their sites by visitors, working from home where possible and default usage of phone or video conferencing facilities. EnergyAustralia has shortened their time for paying small businesses who provide them with goods and services from 30 to 14 days. EnergyAustralia is supporting the Energy Charter's 'We Got You' campaign to support customers experiencing hardship.
	EY, SAP and Qualtrics announced a collaboration to provide resources to governments around the world as they battle the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. These Qualtrics® and SAP® solutions will be implemented by EY and include tools to help governments pre-screen and route potential COVID-19 patients, support healthcare workers, and manage the flow of information and resources to their citizens.
	Facebook is supporting the global public health community’s work to keep people safe and informed during the COVID-19 crisis. An overview of the global assistance they’re providing includes: Connecting people to credible information across their platforms – Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. Combating COVID-19 misinformation across their apps. Investing US$100 million in the news industry and supporting fact-checkers. Prohibiting exploitative tactics in ads and banning ads for medical face masks, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and COVID-19 test kits. Matching US$20 million in donations to support COVID-19 relief efforts and donating US$25 million to support healthcare workers on the front line. Investing US$100 million in small businesses. Supporting global health organisations with free ads. Making it easier for people to request or offer help in their communities. Helping local government and emergency health organisations reach people on Facebook and Messenger. A full list of measures and further detail on the above list can be found here.
	On 27 March, Fortescue Metals Group announced a temporary change to their operational site rosters from a two-week/one-week roster to a four-week/two-week roster. This change, taking effect progressively from Monday 30 March 2020 will reduce people movement on and off their sites by around 40 per cent. The following additional measures are also in place for team members at operational sites: Additional charter flights and bus services to ensure appropriate distances are maintained between team members Introduction of airport temperature and health testing at the Perth Domestic Airport Changes to breakfast, dinner and crib services to reduce handling of food and service utensils Enforcing strict hygiene and physical distancing measures across all their village services. Other support measures include: A dedicated COVID-19 intranet page for employees and extranet page for contractors All members based in their Perth offices are now required to work from home. FMG is supporting their suppliers by extending 14-day payment terms to all small businesses and is working collaboratively with its suppliers to address any cashflow changes. FMG and the Minderoo Foundation will commit up to $160 million to procure and distribute medical supplies from China and ramp up testing. FMG will donate A$1 million to the Royal Flying Doctor Service Western Operations to help boost the organisation’s frontline services during the COVID-19 outbreak. Fortescue’s Community Grants program has been extended until 17 April to allow for organisations and projects in the Pilbara impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19 to apply. Over 1,3000 care packages containing essential supplies have been distributed to Aboriginal communities in the Pilbara, as part of FMG’s response to COVID-19. With the support of Woollahra, SureKleen, Action Industrial Catering and Sodexo, 29 pallets of non-perishable foods and critical hygiene products, including flour, tin meat, rice, soap, hand sanitiser and disinfectants, will be picked up by representatives of Aboriginal communities in Port Hedland, Karratha and Roebourne. All FMG sites and offices across the world are carefully monitoring the impact of COVID-19. They have action plans in place at all sites and offices, which will be activated if required.
	GE Healthcare, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of medical technology and equipment, is adding production lines, hiring workers and expanding output to help arm hospitals and medical professionals with the equipment they need to diagnose and care for patients suffering from COVD-19. GE Healthcare is helping scientists from the University of Sydney to roll out a diagnostic tool that doctors can use to spot COVID-19 in CT scans of patients’ lungs.
	Gilbert + Tobin has established a knowledge hub collating important articles and legal advice on various aspects of COVID-19. Staff have been encouraged to work remotely since 16 March 2020 and suspended work-related travel.
	Google has surfaced the latest updates and health advice from government and health authorities, promoted awareness campaigns, shared travel advisories, and provided regular updates on the Search trends we are seeing as Australians look for help and information. Google has provided ads credits to the Australian Government to help communicate information to the public, while the Department of Health’s Coronavirus Australia App, built on Google Cloud, provides real-time information and advice about the fast-changing pandemic. To ensure Australians have access to all the latest information in one spot, Google has launched a local COVID microsite featuring the latest updates and health resources. And we’re providing Community Mobility Reports that analyse aggregate, anonymised location history and provide local insights on the impact of social distancing. To help teachers get the support they need to teach remotely, Google has made tools like Hangouts Meet and Google Classroom available for free, provided training and tips through both Google and YouTube, and launched Teach from Home with UNESCO as a central hub for teachers around the world. Google has built a remote work hub on the Grow with Google Australia site to help people work, teach and learn from anywhere, along with a distance learning website that includes training materials and a new YouTube Learning Hub to help schools, teachers, parents and students. And they have launched a local #StayHome #WithMe campaign on YouTube to help people feel more connected, entertained and informed during social distancing. All schools in Australia have access to expedited G Suite for Education domain sign-ups (free) and Google is working with education departments around the country to pre-approve school domains to help educators and learners continue their teaching and learning remotely and explore further opportunities for support. Google recently announced an $800 million commitment to support small businesses, health organisations and governments with access to finance, ad credits and grants to help meet the costs of the virus (small businesses can find more information here). Google Australia has launched a new Google for Small Business online hub to provide helpful resources to small and medium businesses as they navigate these challenging times. Google will be making Google Meet, their premium video conferencing product, free for everyone to help keep people connected and to allow large meetings, livestreams and meeting recordings.
	Hanson’s priority is to safeguard the health and safety of its people, their families, everyone they do business with and the wider community. They are committed to minimising the spread of COVID-19, whilst minimising the impact of COVID-19 to the businesses they serve. At this point, all their operational sites are currently active with teams practising appropriate hygiene and adhering to social distancing rules, as they continue to operate as usual for customers. A large proportion of their staff are working remotely, managing productivity, effectively collaborating with their teams as well as communicating regularly with customers through their secure systems.
	Hitachi’s employees around the world are responding to the advice and restrictions placed by national, regional and local governments. Many of the employees are working from home.
	HSBC Australia has outlined a number of measures to help customers who are experiencing disruption to their financial affairs as a result of COVID-19. These measures include: A 0.50% reduction in one, two and three-year fixed-rate home loans for owner-occupiers paying principal and interest. The new fixed rates of 2.25% p.a. for each of these periods will be available from Monday 30 March. Standard fees will be waived for existing home loan customers who wish to switch from a standard variable rate to a fixed-rate product. Standard variable rates across HSBC home loan products will be maintained at existing levels. HSBC’s headline Home Value home loan is among the lowest in the market at 2.65% p.a. A new 12-month personal AUD term deposit rate of 1.70% p.a. will be available to both new and existing eligible customers from 30 March. The potential to defer home loan, personal loan and credit card repayments by up to six months. Personal banking customers may apply for a temporary credit limit increase on their HSBC credit cards if needed. The standard interest rate reduction and $30 administration fee will be waived if retail customers negatively affected by current circumstances need to access a term deposit prior to maturity.
	IBM will make its Watson artificial intelligence software available for free, so government agencies, businesses, universities and healthcare institutions can use intelligent bots to answer citizens' queries about the unfolding COVID-19 crisis.The software will be available for free for at least 90 days, meaning organisations can use it to create chatbots to alleviate demand and waiting times on customer service phone numbers. IBM is marshalling their resources and bringing together the right communities of experts — clients, governments, scientists, developers, partners, academic institutions, health agencies and IBMers — to work together, and manage through the COVID-19 outbreak with what we do best — applying data, knowledge, computing power and insights to solve difficult problems.
	Across Incitec Pivot’s global business, a full work from home policy has been implemented, with all employees working from home where their jobs allow. At sites and for roles where this is not possible, staff are operating in strict accordance with physical distancing and health, safety and medical guidelines. Work sites staff are attending are low density, highly automated workplaces and extensive measures are in place to meet guidelines. Site employees not essential to operations are working remotely. Other measures include: Communicating latest information and updates to workers Adopting extensive workplace hygiene practices including physical distancing, hand washing and use of hand sanitiser Redesigning tasks where appropriate to meet physical distancing requirements Increased cleaning and sanitising of sites Arrangements in place to isolate people with suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 and safe evacuation arrangements. Incitec Pivot Fertilisers (IPF) is working hard to deliver its essential products and services to farmers during the Coronavirus outbreak so that farmers can plant crops and help feed Australians. In response to Coronavirus, IPF has developed processes and action plans to ensure continuity of supply. As part of these plans, each of their sites has restricted face-to-face interactions with their carriers and transport partners as much as possible to limit the potential for the virus to spread. They have made changes at their distribution centres so that customers can drive their trucks in and load their fertiliser without having any physical contact with staff.
	The primary objectives of Infosys’ response is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their 240,000 plus employees and partners worldwide. A number of measures have been introduced in response to COVID-19 including: All office locations are currently operating on a minimally-staffed basis or completely shut down in compliance with local government orders. Employees who are not on-site are working from home. Restricted all travel (both domestic and international). Established processes for reporting, quarantining and supporting any personnel suspected of or confirmed having tested positive for the disease. Offering counselling services to employees to tackle the sense of isolation.
	ING Australia has announced new measures to continue supporting customers and small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Measures include: Repayment deferrals of up to 6 months on commercial loans for small business customers. A 3 to 6 month payment pause on home loans and personal loans for those in need. A 3 to 6 month payment pause on credit cards. Record low fixed rates for home loan borrowers and higher term deposit rates for savers. A cut of 0.35% p.a. to rates for existing commercial variable loans (under $3 million), effective from 9 April 2020.
	Jacobs has introduced a number of measures in response to COVID-19 including restricting global travel and for employees that have to travel there are return protocols for both client-related and personal travel to ensure the safety and well-being of others. Staff are also working from home where possible. Jacobs is donating $1 million towards the COVID-19 crisis to help global organizations on the frontline of fighting this pandemic, including an employee matching program for local efforts. Jacobs’ field teams around the world engaged in operations and maintenance, decommissioning and decontamination activities are donating surplus masks, gloves and other supplies to local hospitals. To help address the increasing challenge, Jacobs is joining forces with an international alliance to back a new project called CURA (Connected Units for Respiratory Ailments) that is focused on turning shipping containers into plug-in ICU pods to aid in the fight.
	Customers of Jemena, who are experiencing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to access, via their energy retailer, a suite of support as part of an Energy Network Relief Package. The Energy Network Relief Package offers support to eligible small-businesses and residential customers across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. This includes many of Jemena’s 1.7 million customers in its distribution networks in New South Wales and Victoria. Relief measures for customers under the package include: Network charges will be rebated for small business customers experiencing financial stress and who are mothballing as a result of COVID-19. For small retailers, network charges will be rebated for residential customers that go into default as a result of COVID-19. Network charges will be deferred for residential customers of large retailers who go on payment plans or hardship arrangements put in place as a result of COVID-19. They will support retailers in not disconnecting any residential or small business customers who may be in financial stress, without their agreement, before 31 July 2020 and potentially beyond. They will support retailers in not disconnecting any large business customer, without their agreement, before 31 July 2020, and potentially beyond, if that customer is on-selling energy to residential or small business customers (for example, in residential parks or retirement villages). Jemena has established a COVID-19 Response Team to ensure staff and field crews could continue to work safely. Their field crews will still be working on essential maintenance and repairs to our assets in suburbs and communities. Additional precautions have been implemented to ensure safe work practices, such as spreading teams across multiple depots/sites, ensuring key personnel are separated, spreading capability across teams, and where relevant, staggering start/finish times. For other essential on-site field services and fly-in, fly-out workers, physical distancing and hygiene protocols are strictly enforced. Stringent access arrangements have also been introduced at office buildings, in particular for Control Rooms, while the majority of employees work from home. Jemena has partnered with Vinnies Victoria and The Brotherhood of St Laurence to donate 100 refurbished laptops to support Victorian families and community organisations during COVID-19. Jemena is supporting the Energy Charter's 'We Got You' campaign to support customers experiencing hardship.
	JP Morgan have implemented a number of things to help the company and their customers during the crisis: Utilising their disaster recovery sites and implementing alternative work arrangements globally. More than 180,000 of their employees working from home around the world. Financial hardship assistance for customers. Parent company, JP Morgan Chase made a $50 million commitment to help address the immediate humanitarian crisis and long-term economic challenges people face. Funding will be deployed over time with a particular focus on the most vulnerable people and communities, including: Immediate healthcare, food and other humanitarian relief globally; Help for existing non-profit partners around the world that are responding to the crisis in their communities; Assistance to small businesses vulnerable to significant economic hardships in the United States, China and Europe.
	KWM has introduced new working arrangements across all Australian offices. Offices will be open but on a limited basis. They have asked all staff in Australia to work remotely until further notice unless working in the office is essential for client matters where a physical presence is required and there are no appropriate alternative arrangements.
	KPMG’s first and foremost focus is on the health and wellbeing of their people, clients and communities. They are committed to making informed, balanced and respectful decisions based on the expert medical advice of the Australian authorities and sharing their insights and information to help. Their response measures are aligned with the advice provided by KPMG International, Australian Government Department of Health, State Health Authorities and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. KPMG continue to publish content in relation to common business implications of COVID-19. KPMG has also initiated a number of changes to help ensure the wellbeing of their people, clients and community. KPMG Agile is part of their day-to-day working culture, it embraces flexible working that delivers freedom and choice of where and how to work. They already have the ability for the vast majority of their people to work remotely if required.
	La Trobe Financial has established an assistance package to help our borrowers and investors who are facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19: Home loan customers may apply for a 4-month repayment moratorium to assist with cashflow; Tailored hardship relief for small business borrowers, which may include: Deferral of scheduled loan repayments; Waiver of fees and charges; Temporary interest only periods to assist with cashflow; and Debt consolidation to help make repayments more manageable. For investors in the $5 billion retail Credit Fund, easier access to funds for customers suffering material hardship as a result of COVID-19. La Trobe Financial’s dedicated Hardship Team can be reached on 1800 620 639 or [email protected]. La Trobe Financial has donated $1 million to the Epworth Hospital for provision of additional ICU medical equipment to cope with the anticipated influx of COVID-19 admissions during this pandemic. Following directives from State and Federal Governments, La Trobe Financial has progressively enacted its business continuity plan with the majority of its 400-strong team working remotely from their homes. All staff are technology-enabled and the business is operating without disruption. All business-critical functions will continue to operate as normal, and the security of their clients’ assets and personal information will remain unchanged. Clients can speak with their La Trobe Financial contacts in the usual way. During this difficult time, they are providing frequent communications and updates to their customers, brokers, authorised representatives and financial advisers through a variety of channels including email updates, webinars and phone calls.
	Lendlease have put in place a range of measures in their shopping centres to help fight the coronavirus outbreak. This means boosting their cleaning procedures, establishing hand sanitiser stations and displaying WHO advice on good hygiene practices. Lendlease has donated 24,000 Australian made toilet rolls to 72 retirement living villages, TwoGood Co., which supports vulnerable women experiencing homelessness or domestic violence, and The Exodus Foundation, which meets the needs of Sydney’s poor and homeless.
	On 6 April, Macquarie Group announced that it has allocated $20 million to the Macquarie Group Foundation to create a fund to make donations to a number of organisations that are working to combat COVID-19 and provide relief for its impacts. The fund will focus on recipients addressing areas of immediate and medium-term need in Australia and across the regions in which Macquarie operates. From the $A20 million funding, Macquarie will make an immediate donation of $A2 million to The Global FoodBanking Network to address critical food security needs across its network of more than 900 food banks in over 40 countries, including meals for children as many schools around the world remain closed. Macquarie has announced flexible financial assistance to business and personal customers facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, this includes: Deferral of payments for home loan, cards and vehicle finance products Reduction in credit card interest rates for an agreed period A range of emergency assistance measures to support clients with urgent needs Specialist and tailored assistance for business clients experiencing flow-on impacts from coronavirus, including loan restructuring and reassessment of loan terms. Macquarie is also a partner to the Small Business Relief Package announced on 20 March and are offering financial relief to all SME clients. This includes immediate access to a six-month repayment deferral program for any existing commercial loans. Macquarie acknowledged that small to medium-sized businesses are the backbone of Australia’s economy, stated they are committed to supporting them through this challenging period. Macquarie has begun reaching out to every one of their business clients to reassure them they are ready to provide the tailored support they need. Personal banking customers are encouraged to download the mobile banking app or accessing their accounts via our online banking platform.
	McDonald’s are helping to make it more convenient to pick up basics fast, safe and contact-free. You can now buy essentials like milk, English Muffins, and gourmet bread rolls at drive-thru. McDonald’s are also paying credit to healthcare workers by giving them a free small McCafe hot drink or medium soft drink when they either show their healthcare ID or are in uniform when they order. McDonald’s believe they have a responsibility to pay a positive part in response to this challenge. They are a leading employer of youth, and play a significant role in Australia’s agricultural industry, purchasing over 93 per cent of what they sell through local farmers. McDonald's are following strict cleaning, quality control and hygiene procedures in their restaurants. They have introduced new contactless options to In-restaurant, Drive-Thru and McDelivery services, minimising customer and employee contact. In restaurants, this means a McDonald’s crew person will place the bag on the counter shelf to pick up, rather than directly handing it to the customer. Customers can also use the MyMaccas App to order and pay. Delivery partners are ready to deliver food via a contactless experience. McDonalds is now selling hand sanitiser with 100 per cent of the profits from each bottle sold going to Ronald McDonald House Charities Australia.
	Microsoft is helping with the challenges of COVID-19 by offering its Healthcare Bot service powered by Microsoft Azure to organisations on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response to help screen patients for potential infection and care. Microsoft has closed its physical store locations to protect the health and safety of its customers and employees. Staff are now working remotely. Microsoft issues a joint statement with Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Reddit, Twitter and YouTube to combat fraud and misinformation about COVID-19 on their platforms. They will continue to share critical updates in coordination with government healthcare agencies around the world.
	Mirvac has made a commitment to support its community by paying its small business suppliers within 5 days. They hope by paying their bills faster, especially for small businesses, they can help their suppliers and partners weather this storm. Mirvac has required that any employees who can work remotely, must work remotely. We have done this, not for any immediate health risk at our offices and sites, but because it is the best way to limit the spread of infection. Mirvac has limited all domestic travel to only business-critical requirements. All Mirvac retail centres, office towers and industrial sites remain open to trade. We have increased regular cleaning schedules at all assets, and have extra and specialised cleaning in high traffic. areas Mirvac employees including part-time and casual employees can access special leave of ten days if they are unable to work remotely due to COVID-19. Mirvac has extended its EAP (Employee Assistance Program) to tenants of its retail centres. Mirvac has launched ‘Essentials Express’, an online marketplace and contactless drive-thru pick-up service that enables customers to ‘click & collect’ everyday items to support local independent retailers in Mirvac Retail Centres.
	Morgan Stanley announced a $15 million cash commitment in aid to support COVID-19 relief efforts around the world. $2 million has already been committed to the World Health Organisation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Health Fund. As part of the commitment, they have launched the Morgan Stanley COVID-19 Hunger Relief Campaign which incentivised employees globally to contribute to local feeding programs across their international locations. Morgan Stanley will match employee contributions dollar for dollar up to $5,000 per employee.
	MYOB understands the important role we play in supporting the business community across Australia and New Zealand. This includes putting in place the below measures to help our customers manage cashflow: The immediate suspension of price rises until further notice A review of payment terms to provide flexibility to industries hardest hit The implementation of a dedicated support team to manage hardship applications Providing information on access to government grants MYOB developed a Business Preparedness Guide for Australian small businesses looking for advice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The guide offers support in areas including cashflow management, business continuity and preparing for the eventual upswing. MYOB offices have been closed with employees now working remotely.
	NAB has launched a dedicated JobKeeper assistance customer helpline to ensure eligible customers are identified quickly and their applications for financial assistance are expedited: 1800 562 533 (1800 JOBKEEPER) On 3 April, NAB announced additional measures to support customers affected by coronavirus: NAB will waive late payment fees and reduce minimum monthly payments on all credit cards for at least the next three months. Personal loan customers can also request a reduction in their minimum repayments to $100 a month for up to six months from April 17. Customers using NAB’s lowest rate credit card will also receive a reduction of 100 basis points in the interest rate charged. On 31 March, NAB announced that it will waive 100 per cent of licence fees paid by aligned financial planning firms, forgoing an estimated $19 million in revenue. On 30 March, NAB announced additional measures to the existing Small Business Relief Package including a six-month deferral for businesses with a loan facility of up to $10 million. On 20 March, NAB announced a number of measures for small businesses and homeowners hit by COVID-19, and customers are encouraged to contact NAB for support. For business customers, this includes: Deferring principal and interest for up to six months on a range of business loans (including floating and variable rates) and equipment loans Cutting the interest rate on their Quickbiz loans and overdrafts by 200 basis-points, effective 30 March A 100 basis-point reduction on variable interest rates for small business loans, effective 30 March (on top of the 25 basis-point reduction earlier this month) Access of up to $65 billion of additional secured limits to pre-assessed customers, with $7 billion currently available for fast assessment process Access up to $9 billion in additional limits for unsecured lending for existing customers via QuickBiz Deferring business credit card repayments. For personal customers, this includes: Pausing home loan repayments for up to six months, including a three-month checkpoint. For a customer with a typical home loan of $400,000, this will mean access to an additional $11,006 over six months, or $1,834 per month Access to a 10-month term deposit rate of 1.7 per cent per annum for 10 months, effective 24 March Delivering reductions on home loan rates between 10 and 60 basis-points: Access to fixed home loan rates of 2.39 per cent per annum for one year, 2.29 per cent for 2 and 3 years, and 2.79 per cent for five years, effective 30 March First home buyers will have access to a rate of 2.19 per cent per annum, fixed for two years Access to over $20bn in redraw and more than $30bn in offset. Offering reduced repayments on variable rate loans. NAB have taken a number of preventative measures including employee travel restrictions and additional cleaning in branches and offices to ensure that they remain available to help customers with their banking needs. NAB’s response is being coordinated by a central team, which is made up of employees who are located both domestically and internationally, to respond to localised issues as necessary.
	Navitas’ campuses and colleges are moving towards online learning. Many of their campuses are already delivering all their programs remotely using online platforms, virtual lectures and face to face tutorials via zoom or skype. Others are following suit in line with their university partners. Navitas has implemented a total ban on all work-related travel.
	Norton Rose Fulbright’s offices remain open with essential staff and facilities available. All other staff are working remotely as they continue to implement social distancing measures and to look after the health and safety of their people and clients.
	Optus is providing all eligible post-paid mobile customers a one-off add-on of 20GB of bonus data per service during the month of April. Eligible pre-paid customers are being offered 10GB of additional data when they recharge $40 of more during the month of April. Optus is waiving postpaid mobile access charges for health workers for the next three months. All fixed broadband plans are now unlimited until 31 May 2020. Optus Sport subscription fees have been waived until 31 May 2020 For customers experiencing hardship including small businesses, postpaid mobile charges can be placed on hold for up to 90 days as well as waiving late payment fees, suspension of disconnection and credit collection activities until 30 April 2020. Optus and the Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN) are rolling out a service to help disadvantaged students who are struggling to access online classes during the pandemic. They are currently working with 60 NSW high schools to distribute 500 prepaid SIM cards and are expecting to roll this out to six thousand students nationally. Each SIM will deliver unlimited national calls and text messages as well as 30GB of data to connect students with their teachers, friends and mental health services. This is part of Optus’ Donate Your Data campaign.
	Origin will support small business suppliers with shorter payment terms to help them with cash flow through the current period of economic uncertainty associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. For the next 6 months, Origin will accelerate standard payment terms for small business suppliers from 30 to 14 days from receipt of a valid tax invoice. This is expected to benefit approximately 1,400 Australian small businesses that supply goods and services to Origin. Origin is a signatory to the Business Council of Australia’s Australian Supplier Payment Code, and this initiative on payment terms further demonstrates the company’s commitment to small business suppliers Origin is helping customers impacted by COVID-19 by offering payment extensions and supporting the most vulnerable through our hardship program, such as with tailored payment plans. Origin has committed to not disconnect residential and small business customers facing financial stress until at least 31 July, and has put a pause on late payment fees. Staff in critical roles continue to work to keep their power stations and gas and LPG operations running safely and reliably. Most of Origin’s workforce is working from home and only roles critical to maintaining energy supply remain at site. Measures have been implemented to protect people and operations and support efforts to slow the spread of the virus in the community, including managing rosters to reduce contact between staff, social distancing, restricting visitors to sites and additional health screening. For more information click here. Origin is supporting the Energy Charter's 'We Got You' campaign to support customers experiencing hardship.
	Perpetual’s focus is to ensure they can do all they can to keep their people, clients and community safe while continuing to deliver their services. They have adopted new workplace measures with a vast majority of staff working remotely. Perpetual has established eight initiatives to assist the not-for-profit and community sector through COVID-19. For more information click here.
	To support their casual workers currently working on a customer site or Programmed site in Australia during this time, Programmed is offering up to two weeks paid Isolation Support leave to anyone suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19, who is required to self-isolate.
	PwC Australia is taking considered action to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of their people, clients, guests, suppliers and contractors. PwC has suspended all international business travel, with domestic travel limited to critical travel only. In line with increased social distancing measures by the Australian Government, from the 26 March, all PwC Australia offices will move to ‘restricted for critical core services only’ until further notice. Face-to-face meetings should only be held if an in-person meeting is critical. PwC Australia has in place a business continuity management system that is independently assessed and certified to: ISO22301:2012, the International Standard for Business Continuity to reduce the potential impact of a pandemic event on client work.
	Qantas Group has announced the ‘Fly Well’ program to prepare for travel restrictions easing. The program which will rolled out from 12 June, brings together a number of temporary measures including masks on board, hand sanitising stations, enhanced aircraft cleaning, and more flexibility to bookings. On 26 March, Qantas have announced further measures to give customers more flexibility by extending flight credits for travel until 31 December 2021 and automatic 12-month tier status extension for Qantas Frequent Flyers. Woolworths, Telstra and Rio Tinto are among a number of businesses offering short-term employment to the 20,000 Qantas staff temporarily stood down by the airline. On 19 March Qantas announced it will suspend scheduled international flights from late March, following the government's latest travelling advice, with some ad hoc services possible. The Group has issued a wide-ranging booking waiver for customers wanting to suspend their travel plans. Senior Group Management Executives and the Board have increased their salary reductions from 30 per cent to 100 per cent until at least the end of this financial year, joining the Chairman and Group CEO in taking no pay. Annual management bonuses have also been cancelled. Qantas provided emergency flights for Australians stranded in Wuhan following the outbreak of COVID-19 in China. The federal government’s aviation assistance package will see the number of passenger flights Qantas operates increase from 105 per week currently to 164 per week to all capital cities and 36 regional destinations. These flights will also provide critical freight capacity, which has fallen significantly as commercial air networks have shrunk. Much of the bellyspace on these flights will be used for mail and other urgent shipments, including medical equipment. Flights will be running from 17 April 2020.
	Rio Tinto pledged $25 million to support global grassroots, community COVID-19 preparedness and recovery. Some of these measures include: Supply of masks and protective equipment to support emergency and health professionals Donations to national and local communities, hospitals and international agencies. Provision of ventilation units and temporary medical units in communities. Further investment in education and financial literacy programs including the recently announced Future Minds Accelerator partnership. The manufacturing of hand sanitiser at certain sites. Rio is looking at prioritising supply to customers making equipment to fight COVID-19, including aluminium oxygen tanks or copper used for its antibacterial properties in hospitals. Rio Tinto has donated 6,000 litres of hand soap to remote Indigenous communities in Australia to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. A number of measures have been put in place to protect employees and communities including: Restricting the number of fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) people at sites and implementing changes to rosters where possible as well as temperature and other rapid screening tests of the workforce at airports. Reducing the number of people attending pre-start meetings, social distancing protocols, closure of all bars, gyms and pools at mining campsites. Increasing support for employees by providing an on-call service for employees to return home for health or family emergencies. A number of regional and corporate offices have been shut and employees are working from home. Rio Tinto is now increasing screening measures by introducing a trial of COVID-19 rapid screening at Perth Airport and at the company’s nearby Operations Centre. This will form part of an enhanced five-layer screening process designed to keep the community and the company’s workforce safe. Six of Rio Tinto’s sites across Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States are now making their own hand sanitiser – producing more than 7,000 litres already – to assist with reducing demand pressures in their communities. Rio Tinto has pledged $1.25 million to the Rural Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) over five years to provide resources to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rio Tinto’s iron ore business in Western Australia is continuing to recruit for skilled roles, apprentices, graduates and Aboriginal trainees to fill vacancies as the company progresses its development plans in the Pilbara. There are more than 300 jobs currently available including skilled operational and maintenance roles such as frontline supervisors, experienced operators of excavators, haul trucks and graders as well as experienced maintenance staff such as heavy diesel fitters. The roles are a mix of fly-in fly-out from Perth and the company’s regional hubs in Western Australia as well as residential positions in Perth and the Pilbara. To allow apprentices and trainees to enhance their qualifications, Rio Tinto has committed funding toward the upskilling of out of work apprentices across various industries by covering their fees for a course in automation. This will allow for the enrolment of up to 200 apprentices who have had their apprenticeships suspended or cancelled due to COVID-19.
	SAP has made the following offerings available immediately, at no cost, including: Remote Work Pulse by Qualtrics (designed to help organisations understand how their employees are doing and what support they need as they adapt to new work environments). SAP Ariba Discovery (helps buyers and suppliers connect quickly and effectively, and minimise disruption caused by shipment delays, capacity issues and increased consumer demand in times of crisis) COVID-19 Pre-Screen & Routing by Qualtrics (provides up-to-date information to the public about the coronavirus while helping health organizations and government reduce strain, triage potential cases, and stay on top of community concerns) openSAP (provides access to massive online open courses to anyone interested in learning about leading technologies, including automation, data science and machine learning). EY, SAP and Qualtrics announced a collaboration to provide resources to governments around the world as they battle the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. These Qualtrics® and SAP® solutions will be implemented by EY and include tools to help governments pre-screen and route potential COVID-19 patients, support healthcare workers, and manage the flow of information and resources to their citizens. Employees in SAP’s Australia and New Zealand offices are working from home. SAP has extended a hand to partners struggling to stay afloat by tweaking its partner program so no partners will be downgraded as a result of falling revenue. The measures come alongside a usage extension for market development funds until 18 December 2020. Other support measures include rule exceptions and reallocation of funds from cancelled events, and new subsidies for partners to increase consultant capacity. SAP has launched a new app, “Bridge-IT”, aimed at providing employees and customers with accurate real-time facts on COVID-19 and personalised guidance on how to cope with the virus. Created to support employees and combat fake news, the app will collate information from trustworthy sources, and combine it with specific country data, local government guidance, travel information and relevant company policies, to provide localised information for users. It will be available free of charge to all SAP employees and any customers globally who have an SAP Cloud Platform Enterprise Agreement.
	All Westfield centres remain open for trade. Scentre will continue to engage with the government and relevant health authorities to ensure centres fulfil their role in providing essential goods and services to the community whilst taking the necessary health precautions. Scentre Group has launched a new drive-thru contactless click and collect service across all of its Australian Westfield Living Centres. Westfield Direct enables customers to purchase products online from multiple Westfield retailers, in one transaction and pick them up from the convenience of their car via a contactless drive-thru location at their local centre.
	Shell is putting the safety and health of their people and their customers first, along with the safe operations of all their businesses. They continue to monitor the situation daily – country-by-country – and follow the advice of the relevant national health authorities. Given the very dynamic situation, they are in regular contact with suppliers and key customers. They have business continuity plans in place at each operating site and office around the world to sustain their operations and supply chains, so that they can continue to provide vital energy products to countries, communities, businesses, motorists and homeowners. This includes supplying many countries with liquefied natural gas, as well as providing chemicals for essential industrial processes. They are increasing production of isopropyl alcohol, a key chemical ingredient of hand sanitisers.
	Snowy Hydro has introduced a range of protective measures for their customers: Since 20 March 2020 all disconnections for customer and small business debt have ceased. 300 customer solutions consultants are taking calls and additional resourcing has been identified to support the customer care team who deal with customers experiencing financial difficulty. As per current policies of the Retail businesses, there will be no interest charged on debt. Both Red Energy and Lumo Energy websites and digital channels have been updated to emphasise that customers impacted by COVID-19 should call us and that customer assistance is available. Snowy Hydro is operating at full capacity with Snowy 2.0 continuing as planned.
	South32 has donated $1 million to support the local communities surrounding their Australian operations in the fight against COVID-19. The funds will be distributed between Royal Flying Doctor, Foodbank and Lifeline Australia. South32 has introduced a number of measures to minimise the risks of COVID-19 to their workforce including: Alternating time in and out of the office or site, working from home, making changes to site rosters and pre-start meetings, staggering shift start times and reducing their fly-in, fly-out workforce where possible. Introducing a total ban on international travel for business and a ban on non-essential domestic travel. Employees and contractors who return from personal international travel will be excluded from the workforce for 14 days and those returning from domestic travel are required to self-monitor for symptoms. South32 has established a medical clinic for their staff and families living in the community surrounding their GEMCO operation. The clinic is managed by a doctor and two nurses, and was patient ready in less than five weeks.
	Stockland has increased its regular cleaning schedules at its assets and is actively promoting personal hygiene. They have emergency plans in place to activate immediately in the event of a confirmed case at any Retirement Living villages, Retail centres, Workplace and Logistics assets, and head office locations. Stockland is providing paid leave to any employee who is infected with COVID-19 or has caring responsibilities for an infected person, and to those who are required to self-isolate due to confirmed cases in their immediate family or household and are unable to work remotely.
	Suncorp is offering support to small businesses affected by COVID-19, including: Reducing the interest rate for existing Business Essentials variable loans (fully secured) to a maximum rate of 3.69% p.a. for residentially secured lending and a maximum rate of 3.99% p.a. for commercially secured lending. Removing all business account transaction and online international transfer fees on our business deposit accounts from 3 April 2020. Lowering the Small Business Overdraft and Small Business Line of Credit interest rates by 0.30% p.a. Reducing the Business Essential base variable rate for new lending to small businesses by 0.30% p.a. and reducing fixed rates for the following terms (0.30% higher for commercially secured lending): 3.29% p.a. for one and two years; 2.99% p.a. for three years; 3.59% p.a. for four years; and 3.69% p.a. for five-years. Offering a six-month deferral of principal and interest repayments for small businesses affected by COVID-19. Businesses with an annual turnover of less than $50 million can apply for a three-year unsecure term loan of up to $250,000. Business owners won’t pay establishment or account keeping fees, no repayment is required for six months and interest rates are as low as 4.69 per cent. This is part of the Australian Government’s Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme announced in March. Suncorp is offering personal customers support by: Offering 1.70% on term deposits between 6 to 12 months. Dropping their fixed rate home loans to 2.29% on two year fixed and 2.49% on three-year fixed to support customers who want certainty. These rates follow the introduction of their 2.69% five-year fixed rate that came into effect on 20 March 2020. Offering support for customers impacted by COVID-19 including deferring loan repayments on a case-by-case basis. Suncorp is helping passbook customers access to their bank accounts without going into a branch to make a withdrawal by equipping them with debit cards. Suncorp Bank has launched a home loan refinance cashback offer of up to $4,000 for health, education and emergency services workers with eligible home loans. These measures are in addition to Suncorp’s commitment to remove all account keeping fees for personal deposit customers forever. Suncorp has announced a relief package to support home and car insurance customers affected by COVID-19: Existing home and car insurance customers of Suncorp Insurance, AAMI, Apia and GIO, who are experiencing financial hardship, can access the Peace of Mind Package, which includes: Flexible premium options for those customers facing financial hardship, including discounts of up to 20% or three-month premium waivers Free counselling sessions for customers and their families Insurance Health Checks to help customers save, including options such as lower premiums for reduced vehicle use No fees should a customer have to cancel their policy AAMI has announced it will offer nurses, doctors and emergency services workers, Australia-wide, free Roadside Assist until the end of the year. Apia will give families with vulnerable older loved ones free access to check in and monitoring services. Suncorp Group has donated $1 million to The Smith Family to combat the growing digital divide being faced by vulnerable school students and families as a result of COVID-19. The donation will see the delivery of hundreds of Digital Inclusion Packs to families across the country, giving them access to a digital device, internet connection and technical support to help navigate schooling at home. Suncorp Group has fast-tracked several digital solutions to ensure insurance claims, particularly those impacted by the bushfires, continue to be resolved quickly despite COVID-19 restrictions. Measures include increasing WebChat capabilities, extending online claims functionality, using drones to complete roof inspections, and offering virtual claims assessments for commercial and consumer property customers. Suncorp has increased its Suncorp Training Subsidy from $750 to $1,000 until 30 June 2020 as COVID-19 puts pressure on motor repairers.
	Sydney Airport has increased their frequency of cleaning in high-touch areas like counters and touch screen. Soap dispensers in bathrooms will be topped up more frequently and they will continue to roll-out more hand sanitising stations across terminals Sydney Airport also has increased public health messaging in the terminals, encouraging everyone to maintain good hygiene practices.
	On 3 April, Tabcorp announced it would donate $1 million from unclaimed lotteries prize money to help accelerate Australian research into a COVID-19 vaccine. The donation will be made to The University of Queensland’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, one of six research facilities worldwide tasked with developing a vaccine by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Tabcorp has provided support to licensed venues by suspending payment of relevant fees owed (initially for the month of April) to Tabcorp from venues under Sky Racing, TAB, Keno and MAX contracts. Tabcorp will review this suspension in each coming month after considering further COVID-19 developments, such as additional government directions.
	Tata Consultancy Services have implemented proactive measures to look after their employees including travel restrictions, cancellation of events and large meetings, and safe working environments and processes. As a technology provider, Tata Consultancy Services is working with more than 1,000 organisations around the world to keep them up and running. Tata Consultancy Services has pledged over US$200 million to protect and empower all affected communities, working closely with governments and institutional partners. These will include efforts to provide personal protective equipment for medical personnel on the frontlines, respiratory systems for treating increasing cases, testing kits to increase per capita testing, setting up modular treatment facilities for infected patients and training of health workers as well as the general public. As a strategic partner to the World Economic Forum, Tata Consultancy Services is also part of their COVID action platform. During this crisis, Tata Consultancy Services is leveraging their R&D infrastructure to run multiple threads, looking for opportunities to support high priority needs across the world. Their initiatives include the COVID-19 patient tracker (a quick and light platform for clinical trials), systems to rapidly collate effectiveness data in collaboration with pharma and medical institutions, drug molecule discovery using our patented technology and frameworks, and exploring promising ideas for affordable and effective ventilators, kits. Tata Consultancy Services has also made their proprietary distance learning software platform free for education institutions.
	On 8 April it was announced that Telstra will hire an additional 3,500 temporary contract workers and bring forward $500 million of capital expenditure, as part of a major package of changes in response to the COVID-19 crisis. For those on the JobSeeker benefit, Telstra will offer a discount on their existing services to relieve some of the burden. Those with a fixed connection or multiple mobile services can receive $20 off their bill, while others with a single mobile service can receive $10 off their bill. The offer will be available from 20 April for a period of six months. Telstra has also launched a new $30/month mobile offer for anybody with a valid Healthcare card. The offer includes unlimited national calls and texts, no excess data charges and peace of mind data shaped after 2GB. For more information click here. Telstra will support small businesses with a 10-digit account number who have had to cease trading the option to suspend their fixed business services until they need them reinstated. They will also divert their affected fixed business phone services to another fixed or mobile service of their choice, regardless of the carrier, at no cost for the period the suspension is active. Telstra introduced a new “global epidemic and pandemic leave” entitlement, which provides up to 14 days of paid leave where an employee is required to self-isolate. The entitlement is also applied to casual employees. Employees with insufficient leave balances to cover required absences can also access new entitlement. Telstra is not charging late service fees or suspending services for bills that become overdue between Thursday 19 March and Thursday 30 April 2020. At their head office in Melbourne, Telstra has worked with Charter Hall to give the cafes at the bottom of the building a rent holiday, while their best customers – Telstra staff, work from home. Telstra will also put on hold for six months the sweeping job cuts announced in Telstra's T22 plan, will scrap late bill payment fees for small businesses and consumers at least until the end of April, and extend any sponsorship deals that expire this year for a further 12 months. Telstra is providing unlimited data allowances on fixed broadband and extra mobile data free of charge for consumers and small business customers, as well as offering unlimited home calls to pensioners. Small business customers and Telstra suppliers will have their invoices paid as quickly as possible. Telstra announced they’re moving to 20-day payment terms by 30 June. Telstra is prioritising Medical Priority Assist enquiries, as well as high-risk cases. Telstra is offering a number of services free of charge or at a heavily discounted rate including Telstra Virtual Meeting Room, Telstra’s Mobile Worksuite and a new Digital Marketing Services website plan. Telstra will provide 20,000 disadvantaged students and teachers across Australia with internet access to educational content to support their online learning through the Department of Education and Catholic Education. The Department of Education and Training in Victoria is one of the first to take up Telstra’s offer and will be ready to go at the start of Term 2. Telstra has been working with national, state and territory education leaders to roll out equipment, connectivity and digital platforms, such as Cisco WebEx or Microsoft Teams, to enable virtual classrooms. Combined, they can allow students to access their teachers’ online learning resources, from worksheets to webinars from home. In South Australia, Telstra is working closely with the Education Department as they roll-out Cisco WebEx for remote learning. The service allows teachers to create their own individual online learning space to deliver live video lessons and learning content for their class and is an expansion of the State Government’s partnership with Telstra to deliver high-speed internet to every government school across South Australia. More than 20,000 internet dongles will be distributed to Victorian students to ensure they have access to the internet when they learn from home. The USB-sized gadgets, which plug into laptops, will be delivered to students around the state through a deal between the Victorian State Government and Telstra. Telstra is also working closely with several universities to increase their network capacity and global wide area network access so students in Australia and overseas can continue with their studies.
	To assist employees at this time, The Star has provided two weeks of paid pandemic leave. In addition, employees will be able to access any accrued annual and long service leave entitlements.
	TransGrid is party to the Energy Network Relief package, which offers support to eligible small business and residential customers across Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia. Relief measures for customers under the package include: Network charges will be rebated for small business customers experiencing financial stress and who are mothballing as a result of COVID-19. For small retailers, network charges will be rebated for residential customers that go into default as a result of COVID-19. Network charges will be deferred for residential customers of large retailers who go on payment plans or hardship arrangements put in place as a result of COVID-19. They will support retailers in not disconnecting any residential or small business customers who may be in financial stress, without their agreement, before 31 July 2020 and potentially beyond. They will support retailers in not disconnecting any large business customer, without their agreement, before 31 July 2020, and potentially beyond, if that customer is on-selling energy to residential or small business customers (for example, in residential parks or retirement villages). TransGrid has escalated preparations in response to the continued spread of novel coronavirus – COVID-19. TransGrid’s response plan is focused on: the health and wellbeing of staff and contractors; continuity of electricity supply; business solvency and access to capital, and the contribution the business can make immediately and over the longer term, to protect its people, to keep performing its role and to contribute in ways which support its community and its economy. Transmission operations and the supply of electricity to households, business and other organisations in NSW and the ACT is their priority. TransGrid is supporting the Energy Charter's 'We Got You' campaign to support customers experiencing hardship.
	Transurban is moving to expedite payments to their small business suppliers during this unprecedented time, with a commitment to pay them across both their Australian and North American markets within 14 days. A range of initiatives is in place to support customers experiencing social or financial hardship. Transurban’s Linkt Assist team is on hand to provide support with Link accounts or tolls that can be adapted to customers’ changing needs. The Linkt Assist hardship support has been extended to small business owners, so customers going through tough times and having difficulty managing their toll payments can receive tailored help.
	Twitter has expanded its dedicated search prompt feature to ensure information about COVID-19 is being shared from credible, authoritative content at the top of the search. They have also created a dedicated COVID-19 event page. They have also been looking to verify Twitter accounts that are providing credible updates around COVID-19. Twitter has donated one million dollars to be distributed between the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Women’s Media Foundation to ensure these organisations can continue their work to directly support journalists around the world during this crisis. Twitter employees are working from home to support self-distancing efforts.
	Uber eats has announced a $5 million fund to help restaurants in Australia and New Zealand attract more customers through the coronavirus outbreak. The fund will allow restaurants to deploy promotions to attract customers and will help restaurants time promotions to suit their individual business needs. To help families in need, Uber has built on their existing relationship with Food Appeal to deliver 50,000 food hampers, which will help make over 4 million meals. Uber has extended their partnership with the Women’s Services Network (WESNET) to provide 3,000 free rides to support those needing safe travel to or from shelters and domestic violence support services during COVID-19. Globally, they are providing 50,000 free rides across 35 cities and 16 countries. This is part of Uber’s pledge to provide 10 million free rides and deliveries to those who need them most and builds on their existing fund of $50,000 worth of credit available to WESNET partner organisations. Uber has partnered with Pet Barn to provide 20,000 free deliveries to older and vulnerable Australians so they can get pet essentials delivered to their doorstep. Drivers diagnosed or placed in quarantine will be compensated for lost remuneration for up to 14 days. Compensation will be calculated according to their earnings in the previous 14 days. Uber is also working to provide drivers with disinfectants to help them keep their cars clean. They have implemented new policies for food delivery workers, including a new ‘leave at the door delivery option’. Alongside Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation, Uber is providing 4,000 free rides to sick children and their families in NSW. For some kids, this partnership will help them travel to hospital for life-saving treatment. For others, it means more visits from parents. Uber has announced its partnership with Dettol, which will help make hand sanitisers and disinfectant wipes available for every trip, at no cost to driver partners.
	UBS global workforce is mostly working remotely or in the office if it’s safe to do so. UBS are holding one-to-one meetings and webinars online as well as organising online viewing of art exhibitions for art investors. UBS is matching donations to the UBS Optimus Foundation COVID-19 response fund working with strategic healthcare partners around the world to prevent, detect and response to the crisis. UBS Evidence Lab is unlocking insight-ready Coronavirus (COVID-19) datasets to support their media partners.
	Vicinity Centres announced that from Tuesday 31 March their shopping centres will reduce trading hours with no late night trading, all six DFO shops will be open from 11am to 3pm everyday while supermarkets, fresh food and other essential services will largely remain unchanged.
	Virgin Australia is offering flexible booking options for impacted guests and those who wish to change their travel due to COVID-19. Virgin Australia has also set up a dedicated customer care hub on their website to deal with the surge of customer queries and travel changes. Virgin is working with the government to get Australians home and maintain important freight links into the country. For a limited time they are operating one return flight per week between Los Angeles and Brisbane, and two return flights per week between Hong Kong and Brisbane. From 17 April until 7 June, Virgin announced they are bringing back a limited domestic flying schedule to help support Australia with essential travel. Scheduled flights can be found here.
	Wesfarmers is committed to supporting government and community efforts to limit the spread of the virus, and the health and safety of team members and customers remains the top priority. Wesfarmers companies have announced up to 14 days paid special leave for employees unable to work due to COVID-19. This applies to both to permanent and casual workers. Workers will be paid for shifts they were rostered to work during the period of absence. Bunnings has committed to make donations to community partners as a result of the cancellation of sausage sizzles due to COVID-19. Since January 2020, the Group’s businesses have been working closely with suppliers and logistics providers to support supply chain operations. Across the Group, more than 90 per cent of supplier factories are now operational and returning to full capacity. Kmart, owned by Wesfarmers, has converted three of its 240 stores across the country into makeshift distribution centres as online demand continues to soar. Its Brandon Park store in Victoria, Top Ryde store in New South Wales and Caboolture store in Queensland will be temporarily converted into ‘dark stores’: closed to the public but still operating to fulfil online orders for home delivery. Officeworks has donated signage to businesses impacted by COVID-19 which include social distancing floor stickers and window promotion signage.
	Westpac has launched a dedicated JobKeeper assistance customer helpline to ensure eligible customers are identified quickly and their applications for financial assistance are expedited: 1300 731 073 On 20 March Westpac announced their COVID-19 customer support package. Followed by additional support on 30 March. For home loan customers, the package offers: A $10 billion home lending commitment, to keep the property market and economy moving and support more Australians to move into their next home. Reduced fixed home loan rates, including a 2.29 per cent fixed rate home loan for one, two and three years, effective 27 March. Repayment relief for home loan customers who have lost their job or suffered loss of income as a result of COVID-19 being able to contact Westpac for three months deferral on their home loan mortgage repayments with extension for a further three months available after review. For deposit and transaction account customers, the package offers: Term Deposit special offer of 1.7% p.a. interest for 12 months for all Australians For Australians aged 65 years and over the rate will be 2% p.a. for eight months A nationwide plan to help elderly customers access telephone and internet banking: specialist call centre available to help people register for and use online banking. For business customers, the package includes: 200 basis point reduction on overdrafts for new and existing customers, effective 6 April 100 basis point interest rate reduction for small business cash-based loans, effective 6 April Repayment relief to defer principal and interest repayments of eligible business loans for six months (with interest to be capitalised) for businesses with a total lending exposure up to $10 million Unsecured three-year term loan up to $250,000 for new and existing business customers with turnover of less than $50 million Zero establishment fee for standard equipment finance loans until the end of June 2020 We are refunding the merchant terminal rental fee for up to 3 months Fee-free redraws where permitted under the loan and subject to approval Restructuring and consolidating loans Access to term deposit funds without a reduction in the interest rate Deferred payments for Business Credit Cards for 3 months. Helping small and medium businesses take advantage of the increased instant asset write-off and accelerated depreciation provisions in the Federal Government stimulus package with no establishment fees for equipment finance loans until the end of June 2020. This is in addition to the help that is already available to small business customers who were impacted by recent natural disasters and are experiencing hardship. Westpac is offering customers facing financial distress the option of having interest payments wiped, as part of a coronavirus support package. The bank will offer a three-month support package, which will enable credit card users to have charged or accrued interest applicable to their outstanding debt waived. Customers who suffered a loss of income due to job losses or reduced hours will be eligible for the scheme. Customers are encouraged to visit their local branch, access online banking, or contact customer care team should they have any issues. Westpac’s Little Ripper Lifesavers are working with the biggest global distributor of drones to help lessen the spread of COVID-19. This new fleet of drones have the ability to use an environmentally friendly spray to help disinfect public spaces.
	Woodside is proactively working to identify, minimise and manage potential risks and impacts arising from COVID-19 for its communities, suppliers and contractors. Employees Woodside is implementing a temporary roster for their operational workforce of two weeks isolation, four weeks on and two weeks rest. Community Woodside will establish a AUD $10 million COVID-19 Community Fund to support local organisations. The first beneficiaries of the fund are Lifeline WA and Foodbank WA. Employees have been invited to make additional donations to the Fund, and Woodside will dollar-match these contributions. Suppliers Woodside will take steps to expedite payments of all outstanding invoices for small, local and Indigenous businesses, defined as a business generating less than AUD $10 million in annual revenue. Will reduce payment terms for new invoices received from small Australian businesses, expediting payment from 30 days, targeting 14 days. Where possible, will also expedite pending invoices for other work completed. Contractors Woodside will work with its contractors to consider measures to support contractors to maintain the ongoing employment of as many of their employees as practicable. Woodside is considering a range of mitigations, which may include alterations to rosters and support for casual contractor personnel who may not otherwise be entitled to sick leave or payment from their contractor employer if affected by COVID-19. Woodside will work with peak bodies and other industries to support redeployment initiatives where practicable. This includes identifying key contractor skill groups that can take up opportunities in industries experiencing labour shortages as a result of migration disruption.
	Woolworths has announced that in recognition of the economic uncertainty many of its small business supplier partners are facing, it will temporarily change its payment policy to pay small suppliers within 14 days for their goods and services. Woolworths has partnered with Australia Post and DHL to supply Australians who are unable to leave their homes with boxes full of supermarket basics. The Woolworths Basics Box, will help provide essential products to customers who are currently unable to visit their stores - the elderly people with a disability, those with compromised immunity and people in mandatory isolation. On Friday 27 March, Woolworths Group announced it will hire up to 20,000 new roles across its supermarkets, e-commerce, supply chain and drinks businesses in Australia over the next month. The new hires will allow the retailer to better meet the unprecedented demand for food and drinks across Australia. It will also help scale up online operations to support the changing shopping needs of the community as the health crisis continues to unfold. Woolworths is working with Qantas to secure temporary job opportunities for the 20,000 staff that the airline will stand down with its latest COVID-19 response. Woolworths has implemented a number of measures in response to COVID-19, including establishing new product limits to ensure there is enough to go around. Woolworths has established a Priority Assistance delivery service to help the elderly, people with a disability, and those in mandatory isolation. To scale up this initiative a small percentage of supermarkets have been identified as Priority Delivery Hubs to get more home deliveries to ‘Priority Assistance’ customers. Priority Delivery Hubs will operate reduced opening hours from 9am-6pm, Monday to Sunday (ex WA). Community Hour will no longer operate at these stores. The additional hours the store is not open to customers will be used to pick online orders to meet the increased demand from ‘Priority Assistance Customers.’ To view affected stores click here. Woolworths has also introduced changes to their opening hours, including a dedicated shopping hour for the elderly and people with a disability from Tuesday 17 March until at least Friday 27 March to help them obtain the essential items they need most in a less crowded environment. Woolworths has also introduced sensible guidelines for social distancing in store, as well as significantly increasing their cleaning across all stores, upgrading to hospital-grade disinfectant and are focusing on regular cleaning of counters and other surfaces. Woolworth’s Community Pick Up is now available in 700 selected locations to allow Priority Assistance customers to place an order online for someone to pick up on their behalf. This service will be available for over 100 Pick Up Drive-thru locations and in 600 stores for Pick Up at the service desk. On 22 April, Woolworths has reopened delivery and pick up windows to all customers as it doubles online capacity to meet the soaring demand. Woolworths has opened a new ‘Pop-up Delivery Hub’ opening at 7,000 sqm site in Melbourne to provide 5,000+ weekly delivery windows. Woolworths has partnered with Sherpa and Drive Yello couriers to meet their online demand. Sherpa and Drive Yellow have signed up more than 5,000 new delivery drivers onto their demand platforms. Woolworths is giving more than 100,000 staffers across Australia and New Zealand bonuses to thank them for their hard work during a challenging year. Full-time employees will get $750 in Woolies shares and $250 in store credits, with part-time workers getting the entire store credit and the shares on a pro rata basis.
	WSP has implemented safeguards in compliance with the official guidelines of the Australian Government and WHO. WSP remains fully operational and are practicing social distancing with many of their staff working remotely as a precaution. Non-essential domestic and international travel has been suspended across WSP globally. A business continuity management system is in place to reduce the impacts of the pandemic on their work and clients.
	Yarra Capital Management has established a dedicated COVID-19 response team was established in mid-February and is meeting daily. They have undertaken detailed testing of IT infrastructure to ensure all critical business systems operate as expected when accessed remotely.