Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The need to manage the economy in the interests of all Australians has always been important to the Morrison government and, going forward, it is more important than ever. I'm sure, like many in my northern Tasmanian community, I started 2020 with a great sense of optimism of what the year may bring. In the electorate which I am so proud to represent there were so many positive signs of economic progress—positive employment figures; construction and tourism were booming; and Tasmania was in a stage of unprecedented economic growth. I have spoken before of my desire to keep that momentum going and to build on it.

Though the murmur of coronavirus was there in the background, it suddenly seemed to loom large and urgently and, as a government, we needed to act quickly and decisively to protect the health of all Australians, while balancing the devastating economic impact this unprecedented crisis would bring. And though this is far from over, I stand here today incredibly proud of the decisions made by this government to ensure that the lives of Australians are safe while also ensuring that the financial lives of Australians are protected. We only need to look to other countries in the world to see the potential devastation we could have faced.

The leadership that has been shown during these challenging times has been exceptional. In my own community over the past few months, while there are certainly stories of financial pain and hardship—particularly from small business owners—there have also been so many who have expressed their relief and gratitude to the government for initiatives such as JobKeeper which have enabled them to stay afloat and keep on much loved and highly valued staff. Indeed, Northern Tasmania's business community has strongly endorsed the actions of the federal and state government responses.

On JobKeeper: the Launceston Chamber of Commerce noted that there will be many local businesses who will reap great benefit from this, and that it will be the difference between a business closing for good and one which can hibernate until the recovery can occur. Peter Barron, owner of Flinders Island Aviation, is providing essential passenger freight and mail deliveries to the Furneaux islands. Peter's business is receiving JobKeeper for his four employees, from pilots to admin staff, to keep his operation afloat. It is incredibly important for these remote island communities that the business was able to carry on operations and not suspend services.

Karen Burbury, owner of multiple restaurant businesses across Bass, which were always booked out prior to COVID-19, had to see the businesses that she has seen years building up close suddenly. Karen has been able to access JobKeeper for a significant number of employees, and has also accessed cashflow boost options. And, just today in our local newspaper, Jason Kerrison, owner of the very popular Prospect Fish Shop, described the JobKeeper initiative as 'sensational'. Others, like Gray's Hotel in George Town, have bent over backwards, and stretched and scrimped, to do what they can to diversify their business so that they could keep their employees going until they were able to access JobKeeper.

For those who were unable to access JobKeeper, jobseeker has also given relief to those searching for work and those who suddenly—many for the first time—find themselves unemployed. For these members of our community and those who have suddenly lost a second, but essential, income stream, accessing super has also become a lifeline. I recently encountered a mum with two children. She works part-time, but also held a second casual job in the beauty industry. After seeing all her hours lost in her secondary job, she has been able to access part of the $10,000 super allowed to keep them going for a few months and to provide some additional relief.

Of course this is a situation that nobody wanted or expected to find ourselves in, but we cannot deny that we're in a strong economic position to deliver that much-needed economic program that will allow thousands of businesses across Tasmania to get up and running over the coming months. We should not forget that we went into this health and economic crisis in a strong and stable financial position, which ensured that we had the capacity to respond quickly. There will be an increase in government debt, and we understand that this may take many years to repay, but I commend the Treasurer and his team for designing these measures in a way that protects the structural integrity of our budget into the future.

I look forward to the ongoing work with my community during the months and the years ahead to ensure that we can emerge from this stronger and more resilient than ever before.

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