HUNDREDS and thousands of small businesses that were caught up in the Labor government’s snap five-day lockdown are completely ineligible for any support.
But while Daniel Andrews won’t support small business, he’s spent more than $700,000 of taxpayers’ money buying himself likes on Facebook.
There are 300 small business owners scrambling to repay tens of thousands of dollars they don’t have after an Andrews government stuff-up saw them paid for grants the government now says they weren’t eligible for.
Among them is a cooking school in Mirboo North that owes $20,000 for the Labor government’s own mistake.
Where will small businesses that are already under so much strain seek financial help find this money?
Too many Victorians are already up against the wall after three lockdowns, while the threat of more continues to decimate business confidence.
It’s a stark contrast to New South Wales, where good contact tracing and a “last resort” approach to lockdowns has seen the state stay open for business.
Small business is what drives this economy. It’s what creates jobs.
But until the Andrews government can get the basics right, it’s only a matter of time before Labor’s lockdowns deliver the knockout punch. Peter Walsh Leader of The Nationals
