Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. He knows that the Morrison government has stood by the people of Tasmania since day one of this pandemic. Indeed, more than $2.8 billion has gone from the federal government to the people of Tasmania, helping to drive their unemployment rate down to 4.5 per cent today. We have partnered with the Gutwein government on a specific plan to support businesses in Tasmania with grants of up to $10,000. I can confirm to the House that already 400 businesses in Tasmania across a range of sectors have received those grants of up to $10,000.

Of course, in the budget this year we forecast that there would continue to be challenging times across states and territories, like in Tasmania, as we seek to recover from COVID. That's why we put in place in the budget a range of measures, whether it was the tax relief—we saw nearly $4 billion in the June quarter go to Australian households, including those in Tasmania—our infrastructure projects or a range of other support measures.

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