March EMDG Update
Ho Hum here we go again.
Summer’s over, school holidays are just a memory for everyone.
The only constant is President Trump lurching from one drama to another.
You could not write a TV series that has so many plot twists.
Reminds me very much like Married at First Sight – high drama for sure.
In contrast EMDG now is not that exciting for sure, but please read on to be up to date on things.
Letter to Trade Minister Farrell.
My letter to the Minister some weeks back can be viewed on our website.
The Minister’s response (well lack of) can also be viewed on our website.
A very professional bureaucratic response that tells me absolutely nothing, no care or empathy and a total lack of responsibility.
I am mulling over having another go in the coming days.
Rounds 1, 2 & 3 Milestone Reports for 2023/2024.
For most of you, this has already happened.
We have 10% of lodgement numbers still to go.
The milestone reports need to be completed by May 31st; however, our focus is to get them done in March and April. Why, you ask?
Two reasons:
One, it means you will get paid sooner than later.
Two, we are anal retentive and have a list in front of us, that we want to tick off to get to 100%. It is driving us batty!
Nil milestone reports lodged after March 31st, will now cost you a $1,000+GST.
If we haven’t submitted your milestone report, please get in contact with us to help you with the preparations now!
Round 3 Milestone Reports for 2024/2025.
These are the milestone reports for this financial year, they can be lodged now as well, we have made a start with some clients already paid.
These reports are due by August 31st. There will be no extension possible.
Round 4
Processing by Austrade is happening.
There is some good and bad news for applicants.
Most applicants have already been issued a grant offer (grant issued and accepted) or per the EMDG portal the status is showing as “Pending grant agreement”.
In fact, the EMDG portal (which we check constantly on your behalf) is now very similar to an online purchase tracking your parcel delivery service.
“Pending grant agreement” means your grant offer is ready to be shipped/emailed but there is no indication of when it will be sent.
There are some other stages, submitted, assessment in progress, unsuccessful (for incomplete applications, which we have lodged appeals on your behalf) that means that things are yet to get to the assessment in progress stage.
After the pending grant agreement stage, it is all downhill from there, grant agreement issued, accepted and executed.
85% of clients are at or past the pending grant agreement stage.
Not all applicants I am sorry to say, will get to the pending grant agreement stage or beyond.
A small percentage of our Tier 2 clients who lodged after 11.20am or so AEST, as result of no fault of their own, i.e. portal system bugs, will unfortunately miss out.
As per the response from the Minister’s office, the bottom line of the response is no action will be taken, no responsibility or ownership.
Austrade’s spin doctors will come to the fore in due course. I am so sorry for those who will miss out, beyond our control, but it does not make it any easier to accept.
For those who have got the grant agreement the payment of your grant is “two-fold”.
A $20,000 prepayment in July 2025 for most, but not all applicants.
A final or full payment in July 2026, based on expenditure in your lodged milestone report (we’ll prepare this for you).
Such milestone reports now must be lodged before the year end, 15th of June 2026, strange but true, this only helps Austrade.
So, monies will have to be spent by the end of May 2026, you have been shortchanged a month of EMDG support. Not sure if that was discussed with any EMDG client focus group.
Just another one of those things that we must take on the chin, take a deep breath, regroup and keep going, just a bit like President Zelensky.
Stuart & Wayne