Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Over the last few months, I've seen firsthand how important the federal government's economic support package is to the electorate of Braddon in Tasmania. Although the impact of COVID-19 has been felt hard right across the region, the federal government's decisive action on both the health crisis and the economic crisis has limited the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The jobseeker and JobKeeper programs have formed the cornerstone of that assistance and have provided the support that many in our communities have so desperately needed.

I've received hundreds of contacts and calls from grateful recipients right across the length and breadth of the electorate testifying to these packages and what they mean. Print Domain, a local business in Burnie, expressed a typical sentiment. The owner of the business, Michael Gates, said to me that JobKeeper had been exactly the right program for the crisis. He went on to say: 'The beauty of the program is that I can retain staff with highly specialised skill sets. It allows me to scale up to full operational tempo without having to worry about retraining somebody new. The program has been a real blessing for me, and I know that others feel the same way.'

JobKeeper and jobseeker play a vital role. As we transition into the recovery phase of the coronavirus, JobMaker will continue to assist us navigate through the economic recovery. JobMaker will be pivotal in lifting productivity and laying the foundations for a prosperous future right across the region. It's also no secret that I'm passionate about education—

See this speech in context