Wednesday, 9 March 2022

 Mr ONDARCHIE (Northern Metropolitan) (17:48): (1797) Beyond all the frivolity, my adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Small Business. Small businesses are doing it very tough in Lalor in my electorate of Northern Metropolitan Region. There are many shopfronts for lease and many businesses still struggling after the COVID lockdowns. Recently I visited many businesses in Lalor, where local business owners raised concerns for the local economy and for the untidiness and graffiti around the Lalor shops opposite Station Street. They are very supportive of Matthew Guy’s local shopping strip recovery plan as we look to recover and rebuild Victoria.

The shopfronts represent so much more than just small business. They are a great statement about the multiculturalism of Melbourne’s north, and they need to be protected. We had some great conversations with the local hairdresser, the local shopkeepers, the local medical centre and many, many more. The staff that came with me, under no pressure from me, decided to buy goods and produce from the local shops because they thought they were better quality and better value than they are getting from the big supermarkets. The action I seek from the minister is: will the minister in the upcoming budget not just talk about small business but actually help small businesses urgently by reducing government fees and government taxes and increasing funding to support this very important sector?