Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon to speak about the small businesses of Reid. The coronavirus pandemic has triggered a dual crisis—both a health crisis and a financial crisis—which has presented us with significant challenges to our economy in a period when our nation has already been vulnerable due to the drought and, of course, the bushfires. The effects have been felt by Australia's small and medium-sized businesses and the hardworking people that they employ. Australia entered the crisis in a relatively strong fiscal position. Our government took decisive action to protect people's livelihoods wherever possible. It is inevitable that there has been a significant increase in government debt as a result of this crisis. However, our government's $320 billion in economic support measures have been designed to protect the structural integrity of the budget and to encourage consumer and business confidence post pandemic.

My electorate of Reid has over 26,000 small to medium-sized businesses. Each suburb has its own unique hub and a small business community. Many are family owned and many are an extension of our diverse multicultural community. I have heard firsthand from many business owners and, having been a small business owner myself, I understand how crippling this financial crisis has been. Across Reid and our country, the Morrison government's $130 billion JobKeeper payment has allowed people to stay in jobs and businesses to keep running. In the absence of JobKeeper payments, it is estimated that unemployment would have peaked at around 15 per cent.

Many businesses have pursued incredible innovation and adaptation strategies in response to the pandemic. Reid's cafes and restaurants transitioned to pick-up and takeaway services. Some went a further step. Pane e Vino Trattoria in Croydon sold their homemade pasta sauces so they could get people creative in their kitchens at home. Many gyms and fitness trainers—for example, F45 at Burwood—started streaming their classes online for free, which helped people stay active and connected from home. Some of our sports clubs have adapted to the restrictions as well. For instance, Strathfield Golf Club and Five Dock Park Tennis Centre were able to arrange golf and tennis within the social distancing restrictions, with only two people participating at a time.

Unlike other businesses in Reid that have had to close their doors due to the coronavirus, our pharmacies have had to contend with a surge in demand, with patients attempting to stockpile medications and a spike in pandemic related health concerns. Still, I have seen our pharmacies place the needs of the community first and work incredibly hard during this pandemic. One pharmacy in my electorate of Reid—Wentworth Point's Priceline Pharmacy—provided free hand sanitiser to residents of Wentworth Point, Rhodes and Olympic Park over the age of 65. At the height of the panic buying we saw early on in the pandemic, Abbotsford Family Pharmacy were phoning their most vulnerable patients to make sure they could get their medication, coordinating with competing pharmacies and sharing stock to make sure that the residents of Reid were looked after. These are just two examples among hundreds in our electorate.

Last week the Prime Minister announced our three-step plan for a COVID-safe economy: the gradual re-opening of the economy in Reid and around Australia. From Friday in New South Wales, we begin to implement parts of step 1 of this plan. This does not mean we can become complacent. In order for this plan to take place, it is important that Australians continue to practise social distancing, and we encourage people to download the COVIDSafe app. We expect there to be outbreaks of the virus going forward, and therefore we need to be prepared and take every possible precaution.

We've always known that our small to medium-size businesses are the backbone of the economy, and certainly in Reid they are. They create jobs and employ people and are often at the heart of our communities. While the financial and social strain will be felt for some time, I am so proud of the resilience and solidarity I have witnessed in our small-business community in Reid. On the other side of the virus, our government will focus on economic growth. We'll encourage businesses to employ people and enable businesses to invest.