Victorian Chamber of Commerce CEO Paul Guerra has predicted the state’s seven-day lockdown will cost more than $1 billion, and called for support for workers.
“There’s a lot of workers that just aren’t going to have income coming in over the next seven days,” he told Today.
“Businesses that are hanging by a thread are going to have that thread severed over the next week. It’s cost, it’s also reputation.”
Mr Guerra said governments needed to step in and support businesses, especially now with no JobKeeper or rent relief packages in place.
“We need to see today a Victorian JobKeeper which gives specific support to specific industries,” he said.
“For those workers that just aren’t going to have salary over the next seven days, for those businesses that won’t have income over the next seven days.”
Mr Guerra said the construction and manufacturing industries would continue operating through the lockdown, and many other people could work from home.
“For everybody else, this is going to be a stretch,” he said.
“We want to see that support announced today.”
Victoria’s Acting Premier James Merlino said yesterday an announcement on support for businesses and workers would be made in coming days.
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