Advocating for JobKeeper to be continued until at least the end of the year, Merrylands Chamber of Commerce president Immanuel Selvaraj said that would give businesses “time to recover”.
“Businesses are also concerned about JobKeeper ending at a time when their costs are likely to increase as businesses start increasing employee numbers and repay unpaid rent,” he said.
Focusing on what comes next, he said the Chamber hosted ‘The Post Pandemic Future – Recover and Progress’ forum at the Wenty Leagues Club last month, with speakers including Shadow Health Minister and former Treasurer Chris Bowen, Federal MP for Parramatta, Julie Owens, and the Small Business Commission’s director of mediation, Michael Miller.
Talking to the Chamber’s members, Mr Selvaraj said their three key issues were: The economic performance and Federal Government initiatives post pandemic; access to additional cash as business start re-employing staff after zero or low revenue in the past year; and the disputes that can rise, particularly with landlords, and their resolution.
“Disputes are expected to rise as no formal agreements between landlord and tenant over how rent has to be repaid has currently been made,” he said.
“Another area of concern is employees incurring expenses using their personal resources being spent working from home, including computers and the internet.”
The Chamber’s two main focuses will be on supporting individuals looking to start a business and existing small businesses trying to recover and progress.
“Towards this, we have tied up with a local law firm to provide some free consultation for businesses facing legal issues,” he said.
“We are also working closely with the Small Business Commissioner’s office and referring businesses to them where appropriate.”
