Thursday, 24 February 2022

Small Business COVID Hardship Fund

Mr DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan—Leader of the Opposition) (17:28): (1773) My matter for the adjournment is for the Minister for Small Business, and it relates to Cameron Bradley of SE Bathrooms Pty Ltd, a small business man who has had a terrible time. He has been seeking to access the Small Business COVID Hardship Fund, and he submitted first on 23 August 2021. He wrote:

The reason why I am emailing you is to see if I can either get … help with finally getting paid the hardship fund or … advice of what I can do … I still have not received any payment or any information at all to see if I will be receiving anything.

His accountant has been heavily involved. He was initially told that they could not verify his WorkCover number. That has since been verified, including by his insurer. He went on:

We have both done everything that the Labour government has asked of us from being fully vaccinated, staying within our 5km range, wearing masks everywhere … Due to these lockdowns we have been hit extremely hard financially and mentally and we are still playing by the rules …

Myself and my accountant are really over not getting any information out of whoever is looking after the small business hardship fund and we are sick of being told that it is in the hands of the escalating team …

It is a story that many of us are familiar with, difficulties with access to the fund. It needs to be the case that in fact the department helps people, rather than blocks their progress, to get the assistance that they need.

I wonder if you would take this case on. It is something that needs to be dealt with. To be honest we have heard too many of these sorts of cases, and some have been brought to the chamber. The truth is these small business people have suffered very significantly, and they have in many ways borne the brunt of COVID on behalf of everyone. I think we owe them not only the step forward of getting out of these restrictions now but a recognition of the sacrifices that they have made effectively on behalf of all of us.