Peter Gutwein must lobby the federal government to extend the JobKeeper scheme past September to support those regions and industries that have been worst affected and give them time to recover.
Labor Leader, Rebecca White, said even with some COVID-19 restrictions easing today, many industries will continue to struggle.
“Over 15,000 Tasmanian businesses have registered with JobKeeper which is a sign of how many employers and employees depend on a wage subsidy to keep workers engaged.
“Despite restrictions easing today many businesses won’t be opening because they will not be able to profitably operate,” Ms White said.
“This is especially true for industries such as tourism and hospitality where a 10 customer limit at a business’s venue will fail to provide enough income to cover operational costs.
“Tourism and hospitality businesses were among the first hit and hardest by COVID-19 restrictions and will likely take the longest to recover. Many of these businesses depend on JobKeeper and an early removal of the payment or removal before they have cashflow to operate sustainably would be devastating.
“If the government winds back JobKeeper payments too quickly it will leave more people without work and risk a further contraction of the economy.
“Unemployment in Tasmania is forecast to exceed 12 per cent. Too many Tasmanians have already lost work which is why the government must do everything it can to save the jobs people still have and support business to remain viable.”
Rebecca White MP
Tasmanian Labor Leader
