Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I hear the mirth of the Labor members on the other side. They know that, if they were faced with this position, they would not have been able to support Australian workers the way that we have, quite simply because they would have had the extra $387 billion worth of taxes that they promised at the last election. They would have put them in place. They wouldn't have had a balanced budget. They wouldn't have been able to inject the huge amount of financial support that we have been able to into the workplaces of Australia. And, even with all that, even with the extra $387 billion worth of taxes that Labor promised at the last election, that's still not enough. We've seen the member for Lilley parade in here—and she's a very apt successor to Labor Treasurer Wayne Swan, 'Chairman' Swan, who never saw a blank cheque that he didn't want to sign. Even then, even at the historic level of over $100 billion, the member for Lilley would still be very keen to see tens of billions more spent, to be taken out of the pockets of Australians who are already struggling. On this side of the chamber, we've been very pleased that we have come into this place from the election with a balanced budget and with strong economic management so that we are able to support Australian workers without putting further strain on the pockets of everyday Australians.

In the electorate of Ryan, the businesses I'm speaking to have been very quick to take up the program and very supportive of it. I'd like to take the time I have to give a few examples of how, in my own electorate, the JobKeeper payment has saved local jobs and supported the families that I stand here with the privilege of representing. There are business owners like Dean. Dean is the franchisee of JAX Tyres in Mitchelton. He employs local staff in his workshop, where they service cars and change tyres. Before JobKeeper, Dean was concerned that he would have to let go of some of his staff. This is what he said to me after accessing JobKeeper: 'The support has provided peace of mind, especially to my long-term casual staff who, without JobKeeper, would have been the first stood down.' Luke, the owner of Suburban Social in Chapel Hill, was quick to adapt his business, a local restaurant and bar, which had to shut its in-house dining, of course, and switch to takeaway and drive-through service. By doing that, he was able to keep his six staff on board, with the help of JobKeeper. Luke put it to me plainly. He said, 'Julian, it saved our bacon.'

Gyms were also hard hit, particularly initially when they had to be shut down. One day their doors were open, and the next, because of the need not to spread the virus, they were shut. Lisa, who owns the F45 gyms at Indooroopilly and Pullenvale, was quick to find a way to support her customers. She launched a virtual studio, recording three sessions a day that could be done at home by her clients. Her permanent and part-time trainers were able to access JobKeeper, and this meant the business was also able to keep on her newer casual staff. This was a great example of local businesses making sure that they worked with the JobKeeper program to keep and support their staff.

The JobKeeper program not only supported staff; it enabled business the flexibility to reinvest in their business and reallocate staffing resources to different tasks which could help the business once it could return to trading again. A local example from my patch comes from Michael, the manager of the family oriented Taylor Range Club at Ashgrove. He said: 'With the assistance of the JobKeeper scheme, we have almost all of our employees working at the club. They've all left their club shirts hanging up at home for now and instead are getting stuck into painting, varnishing, water blasting, gardening and cleaning jobs around the venue before we can welcome back our clientele.' That is a practical example of the IR flexibility built into these measures.

Labor members opposite, like the member for Lilley, as the good union operative that she is, can stand in here and rail against the ideology of having flexibility in IR, but on the ground for these businesses who are struggling this is the practical example of how, when they're forced to close or forced to reduce their customer intake, they can reallocate staff and they can make sure they continue to support those staff members with roles. In the case of the Taylor Range Club, it meant that, while they were closed to their clientele, their staff were in there renovating the club so they could come back with a vengeance when restrictions were lifted.

Clare in Ferny Grove, who runs her own coaching and career transition business, saw the opportunity not only to access JobKeeper but to use the cash flow boost available to reinvest in her business and help other local businesses at the same time. She said: 'JobKeeper and the cash flow boost have really helped me and my business, and I'm investing what I can back into local businesses to refresh my website. Both my web designer and photographer are local businesses I'm supporting.' That's the attitude our incredible small-business owners have. Not only do they want to look out for their own business; they're also using the mechanisms and the financial support provided by the federal government to look after their fellow small businesses in the area.

It's important that we recognise these real-life stories, acknowledge the importance of the decisions that these businesses are making and congratulate them on their efforts to keep their businesses going and support their staff with the help of the incentives provided by the federal government. Not only have the Morrison government acted quickly to implement JobKeeper but we've also always acknowledged that this is not a set-and-forget policy, and nor is our overall response to this ever-changing crisis. As we continue to be impacted by COVID-19, the Morrison government are responding by extending the JobKeeper payment by an additional six months. As these effects are still being felt by many businesses, the government are extending and better targeting the JobKeeper payment to support businesses and workers as they manage and recover from the economic effects of COVID-19. In addition, two tiers of payments will be introduced from 28 September.

The bill extends the prescribed period of the coronavirus framework for the JobKeeper payment from 31 December 2020 to 28 March 2021. This will allow the Treasurer to extend and make changes to the JobKeeper rules up until 28 March 2021. Businesses around the country, despite being dealt such a severe blow, have adapted, changed, rejigged, resourced and even redesigned their entire business and business model in order to keep serving our community. The changes in this bill and the flexibility afforded to businesses by this bill demonstrate that this government is listening and adapting with them. Our retargeted JobKeeper will see the support focused on those businesses and sectors most in need, and it's a continual reminder to Australian businesses who are working so hard, to Australian staff who are supported by JobKeeper, to all Australians throughout this crisis, that, no matter how hard it gets, we are with them.

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