Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (18:44): (2273) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. The action I seek is that the minister considers immediate financial assistance to ensure local small businesses can remain open during the Big Build’s Pakenham roads upgrade. On Bald Hill Road in Pakenham, small businesses are being pursued to the brink by the stage 3 Racecourse Road upgrade. According to the Big Build roads website, Bald Hill Road and Racecourse Road have remained closed since early last year. During this closure period, access to businesses has been severely restricted, forcing customers to detour via multiple side streets, with turning movements limited to left in and left out only. For many customers that means businesses are simply too hard to reach, forcing them to go elsewhere. One of the worst hit is Pakenham Bulk Foods, which has suffered an 80 per cent collapse in sales compared to February last year. That is right – 80 per cent. Right now the business can barely afford rent, with little money left for wages, stock or utilities. To make matters worse, it is also being pursued for council rate payments. In a change.org petition signed by more than 1000 people the owner Rebekah wrote:
My business, which I have poured my heart and soul into, is weeks away from closing down.
Without immediate assistance from the state government, there is a real risk that this business will close by the end of February, when the intersection allegedly reopens.
I support infrastructure, but I also support the people who fund it. I support small business owners, who take risks, who work extraordinarily hard and who are already carrying the burden of taxes and charges that keep this government afloat. For this project to retain social licence, the minister must engage directly with affected businesses and guarantee appropriate financial support to ensure they survive these works. I join my colleague local upper house member Dr Heath in urging the minister to act on this very important matter.