Page 40 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 11 February 2020
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to measure the impacts and then to respond with a range of practical assistance measures. This work has included an initial round table with tourism and hospitality businesses in the middle of January and has continued with active, individual case management for a number of bushfire and smoke impacted businesses that have been directly affected by events over the summer. A further industry forum will be held later this week to update on progress and further inform the next phase of the ACT government’s response.
MR PETTERSSON: Chief Minister, how is the ACT government supporting small to medium businesses impacted by bushfires and smoke this summer?
MR BARR: We are taking steps to assist the most immediately impacted and to effectively help those sectors of the economy. A practical example of this was the assistance I announced to the hospitality sector through free outdoor dining permits for 12 months or a 50 per cent reduction in fees for those with existing permits. We have joined with Tourism Australia in their “holiday here” campaign to encourage domestic travellers to enjoy everything that Canberra and the region have to offer. I will have further announcements on support for the tourism sector this week.
Those in the community, including businesses, with hail-damaged vehicles will also benefit from the assistance package announced this week. It is worth noting at this time, when people are looking at their insurance policies, that Canberra businesses with business or motor vehicle insurance, for example, pay no duty on their insurance policies in the ACT, unlike those across the border in New South Wales, saving them hundreds and thousands of dollars—
Mr Coe: Hundreds of thousands?
MR BARR: Hundreds and thousands of dollars in tax over the past three years. I have written twice to the Prime Minister to seek federal government approval to activate the disaster recovery funding arrangements for the ACT. The first instance of this was for the bushfire smoke and hailstorm impacts and more recently also for the Orroral Valley fire. ACT officials have lodged DRFA claim notifications with the Australian government for approval that covers the fires in New South Wales as well as the hailstorm impacts on the ACT. A further claim notification for the Orroral Valley fire within the ACT is being finalised for lodgement with the commonwealth.
MR GUPTA: Chief Minister, how is the government supporting the local communities affected by the bushfires and smoke?
MR BARR: Thank you. Our focus continues to be on keeping the local communities safe and informed while acting on their wish to contribute to lower emissions and to reduce the risks of climate change. We moved as quickly as possible to locate and distribute suitable P2 air masks for vulnerable Canberrans. I acknowledge the support of the federal government in supplying an additional 400,000 masks from the national stockpile for this purpose.
We provided the Canberra community with full and timely information about the risks we faced, the reasons for going into states of alert and a state of emergency. We set up
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