Page 176 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 12 February 2020
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The second point is that the Chief Minister has already announced fee relief for hospitality businesses, with a 50 per cent reduction in the cost of outdoor dining permits. Whilst it is fee relief, not tax relief, I think the practical effect is the same. I hope that those businesses will see that as a benefit, and that it will provide some material benefit to them and help them close that gap that they may have suffered in recent times.
It is a pertinent time for Mr Wall’s motion to be voted on, with the ink still drying on the Chief Minister’s joint media release with Minister Littleproud on these issues. I hope that the agreement that has been reached between the ACT and the commonwealth gives the Canberra Liberals and the broader community some confidence that the government has been methodically working through the complexities of these unprecedented times.
From smoke to bushfires, hail to floods, we are not immune from the climate emergency here in Canberra. I am pleased the government has been working closely with the local tourism and hospitality industry—
Members interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Members, the member will be heard in silence.
MR RATTENBURY: to hear directly from the sector in order to tailor the responses we need to support businesses of the city. I think that that will be an ongoing discussion. I am pleased that the government has had these round tables. It has taken the opportunity to listen firsthand to the businesses that are affected. As the Chief Minister has outlined, there is obviously a range of mechanisms there. I encourage any business that has not done so already to seek support through Access Canberra, to seek some advice and some of the solutions that are available. If those solutions are not meeting their needs I suggest that businesses make a case, perhaps where there are unusual circumstances, about where the government might need to give these matters further consideration.
It is valuable to discuss these matters here in the Assembly. Hopefully, this will raise the awareness of those who are not aware of some of the mechanisms available to them. To those who do need to seek support, I encourage them to do so.
MR COE (Yerrabi—Leader of the Opposition) (3.23): I am very pleased that my colleague Mr Wall has put forward this very important matter for discussion today. As Mr Rattenbury just said, Mr Wall has triggered this debate today, which is so important for so many small businesses in the territory. The reality is that the past few months have been very tough times for these key employers in Canberra. At a time when so many people in the city would be enjoying our hospitality venues the reality is that many people have been staying at home.
We would love to see more Canberrans go out and enjoy our hospitality and tourism venues, but the reality is that that has been difficult for the past couple of months. Consequently, it is incumbent upon the ACT government to show some support and
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