Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-06-08 Daily Xml

Contents

Business and Jobs Support Fund

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (14:32): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Treasurer a question regarding funding.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: As part of the 2020-21 budget, the Treasurer announced additional funding would be allocated to the Business and Jobs Support Fund, bringing the total funding for that program to $530 million. The priority for the fund as stated by the Marshall Liberal government was to ensure the ongoing survival of entities and to minimise job losses. The DTF website currently states that as a result of funding decisions already taken there is limited remaining capacity in the fund.

My question is: has the entire $530 million been allocated towards ensuring the survival of entities and minimising job losses and, if not, how much is remaining in the fund and how many businesses or entities that applied for a grant have been rejected?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:33): The detail of that will be outlined in the budget speech in just over two weeks, but there is a very small component—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Deputy Leader has asked a question and the Treasurer is trying to answer it, and I can't hear either.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: The details of the answer to the honourable member's question will be outlined in greater detail in the budget speech in two weeks, so stay tuned.

The PRESIDENT: The Deputy Leader has a supplementary.