Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis on my electorate. We've seen devastation right across our local economy—workers losing their jobs, our struggling local businesses, and the impact on some of our major employers such as the local councils, the airport and Southern Cross University. In fact, just last week, I wrote to the Minister for Education seeking urgent intervention for the Southern Cross University. The university has announced that it's facing an economic crisis, with an estimated $58 million funding shortfall over the next two years. This will potentially affect hundreds of staff and students across the North Coast campuses. This university is a strong economic driver in our region and produces excellent graduates and great research outcomes. It's imperative that the government act urgently and take the necessary steps to ensure the survival of Southern Cross University.

As a result of the pandemic, our local workers and our small and medium-sized businesses on the North Coast have indeed been dealt a very devastating blow. The initial queues we saw outside Centrelink were truly heartbreaking. Of course, Labor did call for wage subsidies very early on. Whilst we welcome the JobKeeper program for the businesses and employers that were fortunate enough to be eligible for the program, we know that the JobKeeper payment, when it was finally rolled out, left many workers and businesses behind. For my electorate, it was particularly harsh for the casual workers who didn't qualify—people working in retail, tourism, hospitality and the creative industries as well. Indeed, on the North Coast, we're very fortunate to have a diverse and vibrant arts and creative sector, but the government has left these workers and that sector behind. The JobKeeper payment must be extended to casuals and the arts and entertainment sector. The government must also provide much more overall support to this sector because of the vast numbers that it employs and the economic benefits that it generates.

Also at this time it's imperative that we invest in job creation and opportunities for regional Australia, and a key element to this is education and training, investing in our universities, and investing in TAFE and training. Reports of the expected losses of trade related jobs and the further loss of apprentices are, indeed, alarming. When it comes to apprentices and trainees, the government is failing regional areas like mine on the New South Wales North Coast. In my electorate of Richmond this government has overseen a massive reduction in apprentices. There are now more than 500 fewer apprentices in my electorate. This is terrible news for young people and for businesses looking for trained staff.

Finally, I'd like to mention what an honour and privilege it was for me and my team to be phoning seniors across the North Coast as part of our community care calls program. To date, more than 12,000 people have been called. We checked in to offer support during this difficult time, and it was wonderful to hear their stories of strength and resilience. It was also very heartwarming to hear that so many of our seniors have such great support from their families, their neighbours and their communities. It has been indeed been a very, very challenging time right across the country and in my region. I'd like to acknowledge the wonderful work of everyone involved in adhering to the restrictions and making sure they've been keeping us all safe.

See this speech in context