Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Here we are at the end of the sitting week, and I have this morning—and will again tomorrow morning—done a round of media, encouraging people back home in Bendigo and in central Victoria to be kind to one another and be patient this weekend. We've all looked forward to the reopening in Victoria, and in regional Victoria we've had a little bit of a taste of what that looks like. We've been out of lockdown for a few weeks now, and with that has come the coronavirus. We've had a few cases, which we haven't seen for quite some time. That has caused a number of people to be infected and a number of businesses to be closed.

I did want to give a shout-out to those businesses and those workers currently in isolation and say thank you: thank you for doing the right thing by being in isolation and thank you for getting tested. Thank you for closing your doors to keep the rest of us safe. Whilst we have very high vaccination rates in Bendigo—we're above 95 per cent for first dose—there are some in our community who can't get vaccinated. They could be children under 12 and, as mother of two under two, I am a bit nervous about what the next few months mean for our children who at the moment are not eligible to get vaccinated.

There are also people in our community who cannot get vaccinated for health reasons. Bendigo health and local GPs tell me that's about one per cent. We also have a group of people who, for whatever reason, really just aren't engaged. Then we have our people who are antivaxxers, people who have chosen not to get vaccinated. Businesses, schools and organisations tell me that's about two per cent: two per cent of volunteers, two per cent of workers. It's a very small minority of people who have chosen not to get vaccinate, but they're vocal. What I would say to all the businesses who are opening this weekend—to all our retail businesses and hospitality venues which are reopening for the first time, or that are increasing their capacity—is that if you do get angry people, they're a very, very small minority. They may not be from our town; they may have snuck out of Melbourne, but they're not the majority. The majority of us have chosen to get vaccinated. The majority of us—the vast, overwhelming group of us—believe in the health advice and believe in the science. We have done the right thing and gone out there to get vaccinated. I am frustrated it has taken so long. What we've demonstrated in regional areas like Bendigo and central Victoria is that if we had had the supply earlier, we would have got vaccinated earlier—and we could have opened up earlier.

I also want to acknowledge and thank the Victorian government for the road map. It is the right road map, as we have seen. We need to reopen slowly so that we can stay on top of the virus. Just the numbers of businesses alone that have had to close because they've become exposure sites in my part of the world are extraordinary. Schools have closed and businesses have closed because staff are in isolation and they can't fill shifts. This is the reality of opening up; it's not being alarmist, it's just being practical.

What really disappoints as we go into this stage of re-opening is that these businesses have no federal government support. These workers have no federal government support. JobKeeper ended in March. We are now reopening, but businesses are having to close because of COVID related reasons and yet they have no financial support. Last year, in 2020, there was some support from the federal government; this year, there's none. And that's so disappointing when we have businesses and workers trying to do the right thing. It's not going to be this glorious freedom day that the Prime Minister is pretending that we're going to have; we're going to be living with this virus, and living with this virus is scary for a lot of people and for a lot of businesses. It is scary for people who are worried about cash flow. They are exhausted in my part of the world.

I know that Sydney has been through their own COVID scare, and I understand and appreciate what's going on in the ACT, because we are here. But in Victoria, and in particular, in regional Victoria, we've been going through this for 18 months. It has been a yo-yo, in and out, in and out, and we are exhausted. Workers are exhausted and businesses are exhausted, but they are following the health advice, and we're almost there. I put a call-out to the federal government again: in the few months that we have until we're into next year, help every job be saved. Help every worker get the support that they need. Help these businesses get through. I also ask everyone to be your best self this week and next week and every week. Be your best self and respect each other.