Page 91 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 8 February 2022
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Finally, you only need to turn to page 3 of today’s Canberra Times to read the more worrying economic news. A Canberra Business Chamber survey conducted this month has revealed that 72 per cent of 130 establishments report being worse off at the beginning of January 2022 than in early December 2021. The majority also said that the government’s advice to work from home where possible has had a negative impact on them. The Chief Minister’s delight in proclaiming our V-shaped recovery was not put to the small business in the survey; and I suspect that if it was, their responses may not be possible or suitable to print. Government spin is what has happened with these figures.
In an effort to assure Canberrans that all is well and the Chief Minister’s V-shaped economy recovery is well on track, you only need to look at the Chief Minister’s ministerial statement today to see the effort the government makes to paint a rosy picture when, for small business, it is anything but. The Chief Minister refers to the government’s plan for creating and protecting good local jobs. But, as I have said countless times—and talk about stating the obvious—if you want to protect jobs, you need to protect small business.
Our Chief Minister refers to our economy bouncing back following the setbacks of the last two years. There is such a gulf here between the Chief Minister’s rhetoric about V-shaped recoveries and the economy bouncing back, with the Canberra Business Chamber’s survey revealing the overwhelming majority of businesses reporting worse conditions than just one month ago.
My final comment about the Chief Minister’s ministerial statement would be to draw attention to the subheading “Business”, where the Chief Minister devotes a massive two sentences to his government’s agenda and achievements. That really is no surprise because, when it comes to small business, this government has no plan and no agenda. As we all know, the best that Business Minister Cheyne has is the discovery phase, with the critical talk of talking to business about how to talk to business.
Canberrans are smart and they can see what is going on. Whether it is their regular cafe with reduced staff and hours; their favourite yoga teacher struggling to keep afloat; or the local dry cleaning, personal training or florist business, our army of small businesses is struggling, with some saying that conditions are harder now than ever before. Gone are the days of the lunch rush for our cafes, bakeries and sandwich shops. There is no rush anymore, as so many Canberrans are making lunch at home. The situation is also bleak for our taxi, car hire and Uber drivers, with fewer people travelling and moving around town. Where is the support for this area of business?
Madam Speaker, you only need to look at the local media over the last two months to understand that many of Canberra’s small businesses are in dire straits. A recent editorial in the Canberra Weekly stated:
At least two (small businesses) that I visit face imminent closure due to decreased patronage through no fault of their own. The pandemic has changed their customers’ behaviour and few are returning—whether out of fear, the convenience of online options, or other reasons.
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