Page 2624 - Week 09 - Thursday, 16 September 2021
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(i) 7558 businesses had applied; and
(ii) 1325 businesses had been approved for payments totalling $21.8 million; and
(2) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) work within the ACT pathway forward, released on Tuesday, 14 September, which outlines the principles for consideration of the easing of restrictions aligned with the National Plan for the safe transition out of lockdown;
(b) continue to engage regularly with business leaders and industry stakeholders across a broad range of sectors including through the Better Regulation Taskforce to guide and support the recovery pathway for ACT businesses and our broader economy;
(c) continue to engage with the Commonwealth to ensure joint funding support for businesses as we work towards achieving the objectives of the National Plan; and
(d) support the Territory’s short-term economic recovery and long-term economic growth by:
(i) investing in long-term productivity enhancing infrastructure that supports short-term economic growth;
(ii) implementing policy and regulatory reforms that support long-term economic growth;
(iii) transitioning to a carbon-neutral economy by 2045;
(iv) stimulating the continued growth of key industry sectors in our economy such as cyber, defence, space and health; and
(v) working with the Canberra Economic Advisory Group to finalise their recommendations by the end of 2021 which will guide our short and medium term economic recovery.”.
The impacts of lockdown on businesses are severe, financially and emotionally. As a government, we have put restrictions in place that necessarily impact economic activity. This is not something any government wants to do, nor is the decision taken lightly. But as we know, there are no easy choices in this pandemic, and we have 18 months of real-world examples to learn from. We have seen what surging case numbers and tragic deaths do not only to public health but to business confidence and business resilience.
Canberra businesses are resilient, but that does not take away from the fact that they are doing it tough. As a government we are doing everything we can to ensure that as many businesses as possible are able to survive this lockdown and then reap the benefits of our expected V-shaped recovery. But it is a recovery that is only possible if we keep Canberrans safe and healthy.
The ACT government in partnership with the commonwealth is providing one-off grants to employing businesses of $20,000 and non-employing businesses of $7,500. Yesterday, we announced that with the commonwealth we will provide an additional $10,000 for employing businesses and $3,750 for non-employing businesses paid to
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