Regional Business Pressures On NSW Government Radar As Easing Restrictions Comes Into Focus
The Hunter region’s leading advocate for business, Business Hunter has noted a distinct shift in the NSW Government’s concentration and approach to the impacts of the Delta variant on regional areas, with a number of key decisions and milestones now in sight for the Hunter.
As part of a sustained advocacy program being undertaken by Business Hunter, CEO Bob Hawes has joined the Deputy Premier’s daily COVID-19 Regional Press update. Key issues being championed to government by Business Hunter include:
Targeting business support grants for the Hunter - highlighting to NSW Government the sustained economic impacts on Hunter businesses that have been felt across the full Greater Sydney lockdown period which started in June.
“While the Hunter region has only ‘officially’ been in lockdown for two weeks, essentially our region has felt the effects of the Greater Sydney lockdown since June in terms of trade, our visitor economy and hospitality downturns and this has had flow-on supply chain impacts,” Mr Hawes said.
“Business Hunter understands that targeted support measures for the regions’ businesses are now being closely considered by the government. We are fully prepared to continue to send daily stories from the Hunter where the pressure is being felt, to ensure these discussions bear fruit as soon as possible and stem the drain on our economy.
Advocating for flexibility to the baseline date of businesses reporting revenue downturn to qualify for grant and JobSaver support.
“We’re hearing from businesses that at first glance, they are not eligible to receive assistance however, we would urge them to speak to Service NSW or a Business Concierge before giving up,” Mr Hawes said.
“We understand that the NSW Government is trying to be flexible and will consider individual circumstances notwithstanding the published guidelines.
“We want businesses to keep sharing their issues with Business Hunter and your state MPs, but also drop a line to your federal MP to take up the cause in Canberra too,” said Mr Hawes.
“The Hunter is one of the country’s most important economies outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, so supporting our recovery post-COVID is vital,” he said.
The NSW Government confirmed on Thursday that all NSW businesses are entitled to the same grants and supports at Greater Sydney and encouraged contact with Service NSW first, where JobSaver could be extended for up to $100,000 each week depending on the size of the business and the level of downturn experienced.
Ongoing safety and protection for the Hunter economy
“We have also learned that the NSW Government has decided to revise the description of Greater Sydney area and made a decision to count the Central Coast as a regional area going forward.
“What this means is that mobility across Central Coast and Hunter LGAs will be less restricted for the workforces that commute between the two,” said Mr Hawes.
“But the Hunter region ultimately gets further protection from the revised Greater Sydney region which is now LGAs of Sydney, Blue Mountains and Wollongong only.
“The change means the 50km buffer between Greater Sydney will start from the beginning of the M1, rather than 50kms up the freeway at the northern Central Coast LGA boundaries with the Hunter.”
Pushing for COVID-free areas to come out of lockdown and return to business as usual.
“By extending the state-wide lockdown by another seven days, the government says that the 28 August target date will be a confident milestone for lockdown lifting in much of regional NSW.
“This is likely to include some Hunter LGAs who had not clocked any cases since lockdown began. There is high confidence areas to move out of lockdown and return to some form of business as usual,” Mr Hawes said.
“Were hoping to hear more from the government on this early next week so that some business can prepare for reopening on the weekend of the 28th August.
“So, the regional business community is well and truly in the government’s sights. Keep following the rules and keep booking vaccinations, and we will get there sooner.
“We are quite literally racing against the calendar up here.”
