Wednesday, 7 February 2024

 Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (17:19): (672) My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Small Business, and it relates to support provided to the sector. I draw the minister’s attention to a release that came out today from the Victorian Regional Chamber Alliance, which is a collection of regional chambers of commerce from across the state. They include places like Ballarat, Beaufort, Wodonga, Ballan, Shepparton, Geelong, Bendigo, Bannockburn and Apollo Bay – quite a number of different chambers – and they are calling on the state government for greater support. Let me quote from their release today. They say the Victorian Regional Chamber Alliance is again calling for support from the Victorian government as the situation across the state is worsening.

Now faced with worsening business conditions, the VRCA needs the Victorian Government to once again throw support directly behind regional businesses and the Chambers.

…

Further to this, the VRCA is also calling on the Victorian Government to announce some emergency small business support –

programs, because chambers are distraught, and they are taking calls from small businesses daily. I also had an email about half an hour ago from a local constituent of mine who is involved in the chamber and is a small business owner. He said:

I echo the commentary released in this statement –

today –

… as a Victorian constituent and small business owner, the situation without urgent government support is extremely dire …

He went on to say:

We … call to the Allan government today to offer some kind of emergency funding …

It could be interest-free loans – some sort of support. Without that injection it is going to be very, very difficult to the point where they might even lose their livelihood and their business and their life savings, which is in 2024 unbelievable. He said:

This is a crisis similar to that of COVID19 and regional Victoria is in the midst of the most critical of positions. We implore the government to act immediately and save our industry, our businesses, our livelihoods and our families from ruin.

We always hear in this chamber that the government is pro small business. Well, hearing the feedback from the industry and locals, that is certainly not the case. I implore the minister, and the action that I seek is to make sure that she meets with the local chambers and small businesses to ensure that action is taken so that small businesses are not going to go under.