Page 1875 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 22 June 2021
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Minister Cheyne and her office have made a genuine effort to engage with the value of this motion. The commitment to an independent, time-bound and publicly released report on ChooseCBR demonstrates not only the understanding from the current evidence base of the success of the program but also the government’s commitment to accountability and transparency.
We know that supporting small businesses is vital in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I commend Minister Cheyne for her efforts to support the sector through the ChooseCBR program. The economic impacts of the last 12 months have disproportionately impacted small business, and this direct cash injection is part of the solution that Canberra small businesses needed. I know that in my electorate of Brindabella businesses were hit hard by the pandemic, and I am proud of the uptake of this opportunity by 63 Brindabella small businesses. The information that has been provided through the minister’s office indicates a healthy distribution of stimulus across the territory, including in my electorate, in these businesses.
If there is anything that the response to the launch of the ChooseCBR program shows, it is that Canberrans have heard about it and they have liked what they have heard. Contrary to the implication by the Canberra Liberals, the revamped program widened the scope for eligible businesses; as I understand it, it oversaw at least a 65 per cent increase in participating businesses. I believe Minister Cheyne has indicated that that number would be higher on final figures. More than that, Canberrans have rushed to the shops over the course of two days and utilised the program to the best of their ability. That averages out to $1 million on each of the two days of the active program.
The opposition has come up with a list of subjective shortcomings of the trial, seemingly compiled with no evidence base other than the comments section of Facebook posts. Opposition for opposition’s sake makes fools regarding a project that has achieved its end goal—$2 million going directly into the bank accounts and the tills of Canberra small businesses.
As Minister Cheyne described in this place earlier today, it would have been irresponsible to allow the program, which was having technical issues, to go on without fixing it. The reality is that that happened. The minister and her team accepted that and were transparent in their conversation with the community, they took the program offline for a few days to limit the burden on small business and they committed to repairs. Mr Assistant Speaker, I am not sure about your view, but that certainly seems reasonable to me, and I think that sounds reasonable to most Canberrans.
I am also pleased to hear of Minister Cheyne’s interest in establishing a small-business directory for Canberrans, and I look forward to discussing how this would look, particularly for businesses in my electorate of Brindabella. As a small-business owner and operator myself, prior to my election to this place, I understand the highs and lows of trying to turn a profit while producing something unique, local and valuable to the community.
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