Labor and the Greens have today refused to vote for the Canberra Liberals calls for the ACT Government to define a clear path forward for Canberra businesses, which includes a clear and transparent plan for the safe transition out of lockdown.

The motion put forward by Canberra Liberals Leader Elizabeth Lee also called on the ACT Government to establish a COVID-19 Business Recovery Taskforce to engage business and give them a direct voice to government during and coming out of lockdown.

“Today, once again, we have seen the ACT Labor-Greens Government turn its back on the Canberra business community,” Ms Lee said.

“My motion called for a clear plan, a roadmap on a safe transition out of lockdown for ACT businesses who are doing it very tough at the moment and Labor along with the Greens refused to vote to provide that to struggling businesses.

“That is a huge slap in the face to all Canberra businesses who have been plagued by uncertainty about their future.

“Only 17.5 per cent of businesses who have applied for urgent funding have been approved by the ACT Government; that means thousands of businesses are still left in the dark without an income for over five weeks.

“The Chief Minister and the Business Minister have used the first sitting day since the outbreak in Canberra to absolve themselves of responsibility or accountability to the thousands of Canberra businesses crying out for help.

Instead, they are sticking their head in the sand and keeping Canberra businesses in the dark; they are saying that they don’t want or need a direct voice during this challenging time. In doing so, this Labor-Greens Government is depriving Canberra businesses of hope for the future that they desperately need,” concluded Ms Lee.