Ahead of the resumption of parliament on Tuesday, Scott Morrison has stood by his government’s plan to end the JobKeeper program in March of 2021.

“We are not running a blank cheque budget,” said the Prime Minister in his address.

“The task now is to continue our economic recovery by sticking to our economic recovery plan and exercising the fiscal discipline necessary to ensure that we do not overburden future generations and continue to spend taxpayers’ money wisely.”

Mr Morrison highlighted that the increasing participation rate of workers, falling unemployment rates and growing business confidence across the country – which is on track to return to pre-pandemic levels – all point toward one of the most successful economic recoveries in the world.

The Federal Government has also committed a further $1.9 billion toward the rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine which was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in late-January 2021. Mr Morrison predicted that the rollout of the free vaccine in Australia will bring with it a further increase to business confidence.

Consistent with the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (VCCI) 2020-21 Federal Budget submission, Mr Morrison emphasised the important role that the education, trades and skills workforce will play in Australia’s economic recovery and growth.

VCCI has campaigned tirelessly for educational and training reform, including our comprehensive submission to the Victorian Government’s review into Vocational and Applied Learning Pathways in Secondary Schooling; our assistance to the Macklin Review; and our 2020-21 Victorian Budget Submission calling for reforms and support for the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system.

VCCI Chief Executive Paul Guerra said, “reforming Victoria’s Vocational Education and Training system has been a long-standing priority for the Victorian Chamber, and we are proud to see our advocacy efforts recognised by the Prime Minister today.

“Although today’s address by the Prime Minister painted an optimistic outlook for the nation’s economic recovery, we expect to see Victorian businesses continue to struggle or even close their doors as JobKeeper and other support measures wind up in coming months.

“We strongly encourage all levels of government to redirect unused stimulus to support sectors hit hardest by the pandemic, to increase those businesses’ chances of survival.”

Despite a positive economic forecast, the Prime Minister acknowledged the economic and social challenges facing Australia are not over , and the hard work must continue. VCCI also acknowledges this and welcomes your input and feedback for our 2021-22 Budget Submissions that will support industry to recover, grow, and prosper once again.

Have your say by participating in the Victorian Chamber State and Federal 2021-22 Budget Submission Survey.

Advocacy and support

For more information on the Victorian Chamber’s advocacy work, visit the Policy and Advocacy section of our website.

If you have any questions or would like to be involved in our advocacy campaigns, please contact policy@victorianchamber.com.au.