Page 2062 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 June 2018
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reviewed the financial information of individual businesses before the project commenced and compared it to financial performances during the construction phase of the Sydney light rail project. The final result was an offer of rent relief for eligible businesses.
This may not be the end result for Canberra. This motion has been drafted without pre-empting a solution. There are many directions and possibilities for what an assessment may reveal as the impact of light rail on businesses. Regardless, it is time for this government to acknowledge that this project has had an impact on business. It has caused major disruptions. It has reduced the custom of many local businesses, and this in turn has impacted on business owners, employees, customers and the broader community. Remember, this is the livelihood of many hardworking Canberrans, and we should not dismiss what is happening to them. If this government seek to deny this impact, that will be yet another example of their true colours when it comes to supporting businesses in Canberra.
If your wage was reduced by 50 per cent, what would be the first thing you would cut? Food, utilities, school fees or mortgage repayments? And if you were asked to just hold on and to just wait, if you were told that this short-term pain will be for a long-term gain, or even told to weather the storm, how would you recover the losses you suffered during this turbulent time?
It is truly unfair that we are putting this burden on business owners who have already risked so much. Unlike many Canberra workers, small business owners do not work nine to five. They do not have job security or redundancy payments to bail them out. They have sleepless nights worrying about what to do next, how to survive and whether they will overcome the challenges imposed on them by external factors such as light rail. These businesses need recognition of the impact this project has had and real support options to help them continue to operate.
I understand that there is likely to be a range of promotional efforts once the light rail is operational, but, to be honest, I worry that this will be too little, too late. Businesses have already endured almost two years of uncertainty and construction activity. They are unlikely to recover their losses, and a marketing effort just before the finish line is just not going to cut the mustard. It will certainly help, and I welcome any support that can be provided, but we need more meaningful measures, targeted assistance, and meaningful actions to help these business owners now.
The time has come for this government to stop the spin, take action, and assess the impact of light rail on local businesses. This motion seeks information that will inform further decision-making. Importantly, this motion also demands that a report be provided by September 2018. A deadline is vitally important as the urgency and pressure being felt by many of these business owners is very real.
To summarise, this government needs to recognise the consequences on businesses of this prolonged, extremely disruptive light rail construction project. Too many businesses are suffering. The impact of the reduction in trade also needs to be acknowledged, as this affects the wider community—that is, the people who work and rely on these businesses for income, supplies, and of course customers. Landlords are
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