Page 177 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 12 February 2020
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compassion for these employers, who do so much to support our economy. It is particularly the tourism and hospitality sectors that have been affected, but there are so many other industries where the hailstorm, the smoke and the bushfires have had significant consequences on their businesses.
The commonwealth government quite quickly made available significant support for businesses in the ACT, and we are pleased that finally the commonwealth government assistance is going to be available for businesses in the territory. I congratulate Mr Wall for his continued advocacy for this, particularly for all the local businesses in the territory that do so much for our community and so much for employment in the territory. What is being proposed in this motion is never going to be enough for many of these businesses. It has been an extremely tough time. What Mr Wall is proposing is some immediate relief, particularly by way of cash flow, so that at least these businesses can survive this period, come out of it and therefore build some growth going into the future.
Unless there is very real cash-flow support here and now, the reality is that many businesses that were operating before this summer may not be operating for much longer. I am disappointed that the Chief Minister has been so dismissive of many of the things that Mr Wall has been advocating. Mr Wall is advocating for these things because he knows that they will make a difference and because he has consulted with the business community. These are very real, practical, tangible things that could be delivered right away by this government if it chose to do so. Instead, Mr Barr and the Labor government, a tired Labor government of 19 years, has pretty much dismissed much of what needs to take place here in the ACT.
The Canberra Liberals will continue to advocate for the local businesses of the ACT. We are on the same team as business in the ACT. We want them to thrive, we want them to survive and we want them to continue to employ Canberrans, so we are going to do everything we can to ensure that they get through this tough time. Given the quality and calibre of the businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector it is in all our interests to ensure they get through this tough time.
MR WALL (Brindabella) (3.27): It is ultimately a good outcome that the commonwealth assistance that has been on offer across the border to businesses impacted by the fires and the weather disasters over the past six weeks is now going to be available for businesses in the ACT. That is a good outcome.
It is disappointing that we have a chief minister who is always quick to point the finger at the commonwealth and say that the commonwealth is not doing the heavy lifting in the territory—not doing enough to support the ACT—but when the ball is in his court and there is an opportunity to do more to support our hospitality and tourism sector, an industry that he claims to be passionate about, there is silence from the Chief Minister and it is the commonwealth doing all the heavy lifting.
This assistance will go a long way to helping those in the hospitality and tourism sectors, who have borne the brunt of much of the weather events that we saw in January, but it will also be open to other businesses in the territory. That is important because almost every business that was seeking to trade, and which relied on
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