Thursday, 19 March 2020
Members statements
COVID-19
COVID-19
My local supermarket’s staff are facing abuse, with customers finding no meat and many other bare shelves—a victim of minibuses of raiders turning up and stripping the shelves. At the Avoca IGA on Wednesday, 18 March, locals and the IGA staff fought off another busload. We do not want to live this way.
Businesses and their staff across Ripon are in a world of pain. Today I spoke with a local caravan park owner who has seen bookings collapse and has already laid off three staff. The local economy relies on tourism, yet most major attractions such as Aradale tours and Mackenzie Falls in the Grampians have announced closures. Cellar doors are closing. Personal trainers and beauty therapists are seeing their income evaporate.
The federal government has acted and continues to act. All other state governments have announced stimulus packages for small business, and the Australian Banking Association has announced the deferral of loan repayments for small business for six months. Victoria is the odd one out, with no package at all for small business. The government must step up and assist small businesses in my electorate to survive.