Thursday, 7 April 2022

Southern Metropolitan Region

Mr DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan—Leader of the Opposition) (12:49): (1752) I want to raise a matter for the Minister for Small Business today, and it concerns a small business in Hawksburn and Armadale that has recently been advised by the Department of Transport that a stretch of Malvern Road between Beatty Avenue in Armadale and Essex Street in Prahran will be closed off between 29 April and 15 May, 24 hours a day, for tram renewal works. The Minister for Small Business should—and I ask her if she will—step in and demand that these tram renewal works be deferred to a more appropriate time, such as during the summer holidays, because many of the small businesses have already suffered from the devastating impact of COVID lockdowns. It is clear that these businesses are really struggling very seriously. The government could have talked to them and could have worked a way through to ensure that was done at a time when it would not have the same negative impact, so will the Minister the Small Business intervene? I ask her to do so—to work with these businesses to find a time that will not impact on these hard-hit small businesses.