Wednesday, 11 May 2022

Ministers statements: small business support

Ms PULFORD (Western Victoria—Minister for Employment, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Resources) (12:13): I am very pleased to update the house on what I have been hearing recently from small business owners in the north and west of Melbourne. Over the last few weeks I have had the great pleasure of meeting with traders, retailers and hospitality business owners who, having survived the first two years of this pandemic, are now poised to grow and thrive.

I was with my colleague in the other place the member for Northcote, Kat Theophanous, and was introduced to small business owners in Northcote and Fairfield. Some of those small businesses, with support from our government, adapted their business model so that they could operate online. Many spoke about how helpful the small business support provided had been to them at a critical point, but I think most profound was the gratitude that they felt for their local community in people going above and beyond to support them through some of the toughest times.

When I was in Melbourne’s west on Monday of last week with the member for Tarneit, another fabulous local member, Sarah Connolly, we met with photographers, cafe owners, grocers, landscapers and small business owners across Tarneit, who told me that they are building their customer bases and expanding their operations. I also heard about the opportunity some of them had taken up to employ people through the Jobs Victoria program, which was fantastic.

Our government has stood by Victorian small businesses through this pandemic and continues to do so. They are such a critical part of their communities; they are such a critical part of our economy. Now our focus is on supporting businesses to fit out their premises with effective ventilation and to make sure that people have financial counselling and other mental health supports as well that are available free to small businesses and their employees. We are looking out for them as they look out for their workforce and indeed their customers and their community.