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The New South Wales lockdown is costing $700 million a week, according to Treasury data cited by Josh Frydenberg, who has refused to speculate on how badly it will hurt the nation's future growth.

The Treasurer revealed the figure on Tuesday night while explaining the federal government's increase to financial support for workers and businesses hit by lockdowns and pouring fuel on the fire of a spat with Victoria.

The Treasurer said the economic impact of greater Sydney's lockdown, which at least one expert expects to last another month, would be "significant".

READ MORE: COVID payments explainer: How to get what you are owed

"You get border closures. You get supply chain disruptions. You get investment decisions that are delayed and when you get a state or parts of a state that are in lockdown, you get workers who can't turn up at the office or turn up to the normal vocation," he told the ABC's 7.30.

"This will have a significant impact on the economy and Treasury expect that the New South Wales lockdown is costing about $700 million a week."

It wasn't clear whether that figure included the $500-million-a-week cost of the Commonwealth support package.

The federal budget was built on the assumption there would be localised COVID-19 outbreaks but they would be "effectively contained".

Mr Frydenberg admitted the NSW restrictions had already exceeded those predictions but said the country would have to "wait and see" what the effect would be on economic growth and the job market.

The government is providing between $1500 and $10,000 a week for sub-$50 million businesses whose turnover drops by 30 per cent or more and increasing disaster payments for workers who've lost hours.

READ MORE: Shops, eateries and pharmacies added to Sydney exposure site list

The announcement sparked a furious response from the Victorian government, angry at having been made to "beg" for assistance during its latest outbreak just a few weeks ago.

"Everyone in Australia believes that people in Sydney and NSW deserve every possible support as they battle a second wave and a long lockdown," a government spokesperson said in the statement to 9News.

"But Victorians are rightly sick and tired of having to beg for every scrap of support from the federal government.

"It shouldn't take a crisis in Sydney for the Prime Minister to take action but we are seeing the same double standard time-and-time-again. His job is not to be the Prime Minister for NSW."

Speaking on A Current Affair, Mr Frydenberg said the two states' lockdowns were "chalk and cheese" and that the government had provided "extensive support" to both.

READ MORE: Outrage after hefty parking fines issued at Sydney mass vaccine hub

"Tragically more than 800 people have lost their lives in Victoria more than 90 per cent of the deaths that occurred across the country were in Victoria," he said.

"And they had a massive quarantine failure last year which led to the lengthy lockdown and then they had an inquiry to determine who was responsible and who took the decision around those failures and nobody was, and nobody did. 

"And so I was critical about that process and about those outcomes."

He told 7.30 people were sick of Daniel Andrews' "whingeing and his politicking of the crisis."

NSW health authorities identified 89 cases on Tuesday, 21 of whom had been infectious while in the community, and one COVID-19 patient died.

Essential workers from Fairfield, in Sydney's south-west, will now be tested every three days, with a weekly test for anyone moving between greater Sydney and regional NSW for work. The change comes after a painter infected with coronavirus travelled almost 200km from Sydney to a building site in Goulburn.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she hoped to announce whether the lockdown on Greater Sydney would be extended by Wednesday or Thursday "at the latest" and warned daily numbers would "keep bouncing around".

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The Federal Government's COVID Disaster Payment has once again gone through another change – this time bumping up the weekly payment by as much as $100 if a state's lockdown goes into a fourth week.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced this afternoon that if you are unable to work due to public health orders, you can receive up to $600 in support after a month.

Under the changes, if a lockdown enters a fourth week, the payments will increase to: $375 if a person has lost between 8 and less than 20 hours of work a week, and $600 if a person has lost 20 hours or more a week.

READ MORE: Extra financial support announced for workers and businesses hit by lockdowns

The $10,000 threshold asset test will remain scrapped for the fourth week, and the payments will be capped at those upper limits for any week after.

The announcement comes just hours after NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian signalled that it was "unlikely" for Greater Sydney's lockdown to end after this Friday.

Still confused? No one can blame you – it's an extremely confusing system where the rules change by the week. Here's our simple breakdown:

READ MORE: ATAGI changes its vaccine advice for people living in outbreak areas

What is the COVID-19 Disaster Payment?

The COVID-19 Disaster Payment is a one-off cash payment for each week of lockdown.

If you've lost less than 20 hours of work, you can receive $325.

If you lost 20 hours or more of work, you can receive $500.

The payment is only accessible if you are locked down for more than seven days.

I will explain in more detail below, but the rates of $325 or $500 only apply to the first three weeks of a lockdown.

READ MORE: Tens of thousands of Aussies still stranded overseas

Okay, who can access the payment?

To access the payment you need to live or work in an area that has been declared a Commonwealth COVID-19 hotspot.

Only the Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly can do that.

Again, the payment is only accessible if you are locked down for more than seven days.

On June 26, Professor Kelly declared all of Greater Sydney plus the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong as Commonwealth hotspots.

That means residents and workers in these areas can already claim and be paid.

But that's not the end of it – starting from today, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that her government would open up the payments to residents outside of Commonwealth-declared hotspots if they can prove they have lost a certain amount of work due to stay-at-home orders.

For example, this will help tourism operators who sit outside the Greater Sydney region but rely on Sydneysiders to travel to their region.

READ MORE: State-by-state guide to restrictions and border rules

What if I'm living outside of NSW? What about Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory?

The COVID Disaster Payment is not state-specific. It doesn't matter what state the lockdown occurs in.

The basics of the payment still apply:

1. You need to live or work in a Commonwealth declared hotspot (which state governments cannot control)
2. The lockdown needs to last for more than seven days

READ MORE: Three-day lockdown announced for parts of Queensland

That's pretty confusing. Are there any more terms and conditions I need to know about?

To receive the payment you must be an Australian resident, a permanent resident or be an eligible working visa holder.

For the first two weeks of a lockdown, to receive any payment you need to have liquid assets of $10,000 or less.

That means if you have more than $10k in the bank worth of savings – or trust fund money, or shares – you wouldn't be eligible.

And no, your car is not a liquid asset.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed that if a lockdown enters a third week, the liquid asset test will be scrapped.

That means for Sydneysiders, they can now apply for the payment after a third week if they have more than $10,000 in the bank.

You also won't receive the payment if you're getting income support payments, another form of pandemic leave payment or a state small business payment.

READ MORE: New Zealand to resume travel bubble with some Australian states

Okay. And what if the lockdown enters a fourth week or more?

If the lockdown enters a fourth week or more, those payments are bumped up to $375 if a person has lost between 8 and less than 20 hours of work a week, and $600 if a person has lost 20 hours or more a week.

These rates – of $375 and $600 per week – are the ceiling and will stay that way for however long a lockdown will last.

The $10,000 asset test also does not apply from the third week going forward.

I'm totally lost. Can you give me an example?

Put it this way: Let's pretend that you are a hairdresser with more than $10,000 in the bank (perhaps you are saving for a house deposit).

You have lost pretty much all of your work because of stay-at-home orders.

You can receive the COVID Disaster Payment for the third and fourth weeks of a lockdown, and then for however long it lasts after that.

You can't receive the first two weeks because your liquid assets exceed $10,000.

READ MORE: 'Australia now stands as a warning': UK paper slams vaccine rollout

Right … I think I'm still eligible. How do I apply for the payment?

To apply for the payment, you need to have an online myGov account to which you can link a Centrelink online account (if you haven't already).

Once online, Centrelink will ask the user a series of questions to determine if they are eligible to claim the payment.

If you are, a claim will be submitted and the user will be sent a text message confirming the claim has been submitted successfully.

Services Australia has said on its website that it can all be done online without giving them a call.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison keeps repeating in press conferences that Australians should ring 180 22 66 to find out if they are eligible.

READ MORE: Not a race? The graphs that rank Australia dead last

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

The wrong home internet plan can mean more than $650 a year in wasted cash for Australian households.

Prices are rising despite slow speeds, and there are now calls to treat the internet more like an essential service rather than a luxury.

Despite appearances, it's by no means an internet free-for-all at the Reynolds' house in Melbourne, but with three kids – the modem does get a workout.

READ MORE: Extra financial support announced for workers and businesses hit by COVID-19 lockdowns

"When we do allow screentime, the gates tend to open somewhat and our internet really gets thrashed," Dad Tom Reynolds said.

It costs $100 a month, but that's usually just the start.

"It's the little things on top of that … the $5 here, the $10 there for the other internet services – that can really add up," Mr Reynolds said.

To keep costs down the family recently moved providers, something experts say everyone should do annually.

Tara Donelly editor of Canstar Blue Telco who compares deals, said people often stayed with the same company for years.

"Most of us have been with our current provider for around five years, so it seems like we are quite loyal when it comes to broadband," Ms Donelly said.

The gap between cheap and expensive plans is widening.

READ MORE: Outrage after hefty parking fines issued at Sydney mass vaccine hub

For unlimited NBN, prices range from $50 to $120 per month.

Details vary, but being on the wrong plan could cost more than $650 a year.

Customers should also beware of any activation or set-up fees, additional costs for a modem, or lock-in terms.

"Probably every 12 months or so is a good time to have a look at what's out there," Ms Donelly said.

Consumer groups say the industry needs to do better.

Acting Deputy CEO Andrew Williams from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network said internet was a vital part of life today.

"Telecommunications and broadband in particular is an essential service – it's as important as electricity and water," Mr Williams said.

READ MORE: Infected Victorian family who returned from Sydney broke home quarantine rules

Internet speeds across the country are also disappointing.

In fact, Australia is now ranked 56th in the world, below countries like Trinidad, Tobago, Estonia and Bulgaria – all the more reason to make consumers are not overpaying.

Both Optus and Telstra have lifted prices since May.

The telco giants blame higher NBN costs.

Residents in NSW heeding advice to get vaccinated as quickly as possible have been left stunned after returning to their cars to find hefty parking fines at the state's mass vaccine hub in Sydney.

Across the road from the centre on Figtree Drive in Homebush, parked cars were each slapped with a $270 parking ticket.

Michael Shafran claims there was no signage outlining where he should park.

"When I got here it was a bit confusing as to where to park, I saw that everyone else was all parked up along the side of the streets across from the vaccination centre," he told 9News.

Sydney Olympic Park says it has been forced to take action to ensure road safety.

Despite a city-wide lockdown, it claims businesses and residents have complained about the way cars are parked.

The pay per hour parking stations are operating as usual despite large queues and wait times at the centre due to a surge in vaccination rates.

A small business owner with 20 staff, Shafran says his bakery has lost tens of thousands through lockdowns and, like so many, he is trying to stay afloat.

"It's like kicking a guy while he's down and it's such a large fine too just for trying to do the right thing."

Two residents infected with COVID-19 at an apartment building in Sydney's east have been taken to health accommodation.

Nine people in the Bondi apartment block have now tested positive to COVID-19.

Health authorities dressed in full PPE arrived at the apartment this evening to move the two residents out of the building.

READ MORE: Sydney records 89 new cases with more than 20 not in isolation

NSW officials confirmed one additional case this morning, as police continued to guard the Bondi apartment block.

The building is taped off, with nobody allowed in or out after multiple cases were diagnosed in the 29 apartments.

Police officers are patrolling outside.

A health alert from NSW Health issued late this afternoon listed seven locations in Bondi Junction now considered coronavirus exposire sites.

They include a Woolworths, Kmart, BWS – all in the Bondi Westfield.

https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1414791226767798274

NSW Health this week brought in rules making masks mandatory in common areas of apartment buildings in the city.

Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant yesterday confirmed the cases are spread across five households.

"I think the key message to us is when you're in apartment buildings, we're not wanting you to congregate in any shared spaces with instituted mask-wearing requirements for those premises," she said.

"We understand and respect that they are private premises but we are really requiring under a public health order that you wear masks when you're transiting through common areas.

"We are asking people to be attentive about hand hygiene, mask wearing and obviously to not go out or be cautious if they – get tested immediately if they have got any symptoms."

READ MORE: NSW COVID-19 case numbers, exposures sites and latest restrictions

https://twitter.com/vella_lara/status/1414713346822000641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

NSW Health authorities have been visiting the building, with private security guards also seen ensuring residents don't break the rules.

It is understood those infected have been moved out to different accommodation.

"This is a reminder of the risk that COVID poses and why we were requiring masks in indoor common property areas of residential premises and also discourage social gatherings or any gatherings across household groups in those apartment buildings as well," Dr Chant said.

Authorities have said they do know the source of the COVID-19 infections.

The building is in Bondi, where the city's latest outbreak originally began after being sparked by an unvaccinated airport freight crew driver.

There have been now 767 cases since June 16, with more than 60 people in hospital and 18 in intensive care.

Two people, one in their 90s and one in their 70s, have died after testing positive.

Workers and businesses impacted by the extended lockdown in NSW are set to receive extra financial support from next week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced.

Mr Morrison has announced an increase in the COVID-19 Disaster Payment if a lockdown goes into a fourth week and a new business support package.

Currently, the disaster payment rates are $325 if you have lost less than 20 hours of work a week, and $500 if you have lost more than 20 hours a week.

READ MORE: 'Australia now stands as a warning': UK paper slams vaccine rollout

Under the changes, if a lockdown enters a fourth week, the payments will increase to $375 if a person has lost between eight and 20 hours of work a week, and $600 if a person has lost 20 hours or more a week.

The payment will also be available outside of Commonwealth-declared hotspot areas.

The NSW Government will fund any payments outside a Commonwealth-declared hotspot, with the Federal Government continuing to fund payments to recipients in a hotspot.

The PM said it's in the "national interest" to have a coordinated monetary response to COVID lockdowns.

READ MORE: Warning for Sydneysiders not to 'congregate' outside takeaway cafes

"The NSW outbreak has proved to be more severe, more dangerous, and it's in the national interest that we now put in place an upgraded set of arrangements for cooperation with the states and territories," Mr Morrison said.

"It needs to be targeted. It needs to be timely. It needs to be proportionate, scalable, and the administration of those supports need to be done in a way so it can get to people as simply and as quickly as is possible."

Mr Morrison said the support will be offered to any other state or territory that experiences an extended lockdown.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the support package has been designed to help ease stress on families who are currently under stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"No matter where you live, if you are suffering at home because of the stay-at-home provisions you are able to make sure that you and your loved ones don't go through that stress no matter how long the lockdown lasts," Ms Berejiklian said.

Although no official announcement has been made, the NSW lockdown is likely to be extended for a fourth week after the state recorded 89 cases today.

"I've already made clear the unlikelihood of the lockdown finishing on Friday and the numbers speak for themselves, and we'll have more to say about that tomorrow," Ms Berejiklian said.

"I wouldn't read too much into the length of the lockdown because none of us know that.

"What we do know is that we have the financial support there so that individuals and families and businesses don't have to stress and they know that for the duration of the lockdown, the support will be there."

Extra support for businesses

The Commonwealth will fund 50 per cent of the cost of a new small and medium business support payment to be implemented and administered by Service NSW.

Eligible entities will receive 40 per cent of their NSW payroll payments, at a minimum of $1500 and a maximum of $10,000 per week.

Entities will be eligible if their turnover is 30 per cent lower than an equivalent two-week period in 2019.

The new small to medium business support payment will be available to non-employing and employing entities in NSW, including not for profits, with an annual turnover between $75,000 and $50 million.

Crucially, to receive the payment, businesses will be required to maintain their full-time, part-time and long-term casual staffing level as of July 13.

Mr Morrison has said a program with the size and scale of JobKeeper is "not necessary" for the current lockdown occurring within NSW.

"You can keep working in that business under those arrangements and you can pick up the $600 payment from the Commonwealth," Mr Morrison said.

"That will help you to continue to go through what is a difficult time."

Help for tenants

Nobody in NSW who is a rental tenant can be evicted for the next 60 days because of the COVID-19 lockdown.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said all residential tenants who have had a reduction in income cannot be evicted from a rental property.

There are also land tax rebates on offer for landlords who provide rent relief to struggling tenants.

Support for mental health services announced

The Federal Government is committing $12.25 million to help boost mental health services for residents currently enduring extended lockdowns.

Mr Morrison said money will be flowing to services such as Lifeline, Kids Helpline, Head Space, Beyond Blue and the Butterfly Foundation.

"I particularly want to send a message to the students doing their HSC which I'm sure the treasurer and premier will join me in sending, we know this is a tough time for you," Mr Morrison said.

"HSC students in 2020 were going through a very process, particularly down there in Victoria. And you will get through this."

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