As Australia enters the back half of 2021, it is reasonably safe to assume the country is closer to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic than it is to the.
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Jenny Lambert says Victorian businesses have “a long way to go” to get more certainty.
Her comments come after the Victorian government announced a $250 million support package for small and medium businesses, including sole traders.
The package was announced amid Victoria’s seven-day circuit breaker lockdown, which began on Thursday.
“I think it’s only going to cover part of the cost,” Ms Lambert told Sky News.
“We know that the estimated cost of a seven-day lockdown will be in the billions, not $250 million.
“It will certainly go a long way and it has been very welcome by the Victorian businesses, but we’ve got a long way to go to get more certainty as to when support should kick in, and indeed what response government should be making when it comes to these community cases.”
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ACCI releases staged international reopening plan
ACCI has published a plan to successfully reopen Australia to other countries in a series of controlled, risk-proportionate stages which will minimise the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 going forward without compromising health.
Reopening Australia: Part Two focuses on how we can begin preparing to safely reopen our international borders and follows ACCI’s first proposal on domestic policies.
Acting CEO Jenny Lambert said: “Prior to the Budget, discussions were had which explored ways to manage vaccinated people separately to the unvaccinated population – to get them travelling again, in and out of quarantine faster and with far less restrictions. That conversation has come to a halt since the Budget revealed international travel wouldn’t commence significantly until 2022 – the hallmark of our plan is to reignite that conversation.
Job seekers to be switched to online service in hidden $1.1 billion budget saving
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A hidden $1.1 billion saving has sparked fears of cuts to services for Australians out of work despite a federal pledge to drive the unemployment rate to record lows by helping people find new jobs.
The efficiency drive will shift 1.2 million job seekers to an online service in a bid to replace face-to-face advice from employment service providers paid by the government to help the unemployed.
More than a million job seekers will be switched to an online service in a bid to replace face-to-face advice from employment service providers.