Northern Victoria Region
Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (12:31): (794) My question is for the Minister for Small Business. Minister, how many small businesses have been sent flood grant audit letters? How much money does the government anticipate clawing back? And will you ensure businesses are not unfairly penalised for not taking photographs of the damage? Many small businesses affected by the October 2022 floods made use of grants available to help them repair their premises and return to trading, but now 18 months later the state government is sending out letters threatening to take back the money if people cannot produce evidence. The government must understand that at the time of the floods businesses were not taking time to catalogue every detail of the damage – they were busy trying to return to normal as fast as possible. It adds insult to injury for the government to give this money to flood victims and then 18 months later demand it back if they do not have enough photos of the water damage. The government’s actions will add further stress to individuals who have had to endure so much due to floods.