Thursday, 5 October 2023

 Jess WILSON (Kew) (17:14): (367) My adjournment is for the Treasurer, and the action that I am seeking is for compensation to be provided to the small businesses in the Union Road and Whitehorse Road shopping strip in Surrey Hills, businesses that have lost business because of works due to the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL). It is a tough time to be a small business in Victoria, and right now the Labor government is making it even harder. Victoria is the highest taxing state in the nation, and local businesses are being punished with higher payroll tax, higher WorkCover premiums and higher rents as a result of this government’s land tax hikes. Electricity bills are also soaring. Is it any surprise then that, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Victoria was the only state to experience a decrease in the number of registered businesses in the last financial year – a decrease of over 7000 registered businesses compared to the previous year. In contrast, New South Wales and Queensland experienced increases of over 11,000 and 8000 registered businesses respectively.

The Labor government is simply making it too hard to do business in this state. Businesses in Surrey Hills have had it particularly tough. After suffering through COVID restrictions, they have also been significantly impacted by the Union Road level crossing removal project just around the corner. For months on end traffic diversions and closed roads saw business drop, but just when small businesses in Surrey Hills thought it could not get any worse, the Labor government’s Suburban Rail Loop has started months-long works. These works have resulted in changed traffic conditions at the shopping strip and the removal of car parking for both shoppers and traders. Last week I went to speak with these small businesses to understand the impact. The shopping strip is home to so many wonderful small and family-run businesses, like Hill Top Cakes, Design Hire Enjoy party shop, Balwyn Yoga Centre, Windmill Educational Toys and Il Sogno, a little Italian restaurant where I had my first job as a waitress, just to name a few of the shops. The small business owners told me that they are already experiencing the impact of drivers being unable to find a car park or park out the front for a quick duck into the shop. Traders and their staff do not have anywhere to park themselves. They are seeing foot traffic fall, and their businesses are suffering as a result.

I ask that the government provide compensation for the businesses in this shopping strip that will lose business as a direct result of these traffic changes being caused by the SRL works. If the government is going to restrict access to these businesses, it is only fair that the government provide adequate support during this time. Rental payments do not stop just because foot traffic does. It is clear that these works could have been better managed. The local community and small businesses should have been consulted from the outset. If they had, issues around the closure of Clapham Street car park would have been resolved. I ask that the Labor government do the right thing and support these businesses through this difficult period, and that in future they consult and work with the local community before works commence.