On 22 March of 2020, Prime Minister Scott Morrison stood before the nation and announced for the first time that ‘level one restrictions’ were to be introduced the following day. While millions of Australians were happy to oblige and avoid the mysterious and unfamiliar coronavirus, businesses around the country rose to the challenge with understanding, and did everything they could to be safe, responsible and tolerant of the situation the world now found itself in.   

That was almost six months ago.  

Since then, in Victoria, we have seen severe restrictions imposed, promised to be eased, only to be followed by harsher restrictions as the virus surged again. As patience and funds have withered away, it is with little surprise so many Victorians are reluctant to put their businesses and their livelihoods on the line.   

Patience and hope have become the cornerstones of 2020 for the business community – patience to endure the pain caused by restrictions and hope that it will end and the government will support them through.  

While the business community understands that COVID must be controlled, the restrictions that have been in place for the past 24 weeks have already meant the end of some business owners’ businesses and life savings.  

A balance must be met.  

One of the mottos that came to prominence during this pandemic is “we’re all in this together”. While this is true, the harsh reality of the situation is that Victoria finds itself in a very different situation to the rest of the country.   

Through no fault of their own, the crisis continues in Victoria for the business community. Now, more than ever, we need our state and federal governments to back Victorians and help us endure what will be remembered as the greatest economic devastation the world had experienced in 100 years.   

The Victorian Government’s economic snapshot of 2018 showed that we represent almost 25 per cent of the nation’s GDP with an unemployment rate below six per cent. Now unemployment threatens to reach 11 per cent by Christmas.  

VCCI has called on both the state and federal treasurers to continue to back Victorian businesses to ensure our economic prosperity during and after this pandemic.   

In all, the Victorian Chamber has called for 23 separate measures which will be needed to ensure the future of the business community, including tax measures, direct grants and a continuation of JobKeeper.