Still work to do to support Queensland business flood recovery
Queensland businesses have been afforded some of the timely recovery confidence they have been desperate for following wide-spread flooding however there is still work to do to support economic, emotional and physical business recovery in Queensland.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) Policy and Advocacy General Manager Amanda Rohan said the financial disaster recovery assistance announcement today meant impacted businesses would be able to accelerate their recovery recognizing thecompounding impacts from the disaster and two years of COVID.
Disaster recovery assistance acknowledges the exceptional circumstances surrounding the disaster, MsRohan said.
“Queensland businesses are used to responding to severe weather events but these recent floods, off the back of COVID impacts, have tested us all in new ways and beyond what the business community has been used to dealing with,” MsRohan said.
“Many Queensland businesses are still recovering emotionally and financially from COVID and are now either directly or indirectly impacted through these floods.
“We know the damage is not only wide-spread geographically from Gympie and the Burnett in the north, south to the Gold Coast and west, but the kinds of damage these businesses have experienced are also far-reaching.
“While some are mopping up mud and replacing damaged stock, infrastructure and machinery, others are struggling with impacts to supply chains, staff mobility and consumer activity.
“The challenge is many of these in-direct impacts were also prominent among businesses due to COVID and now they’re compounded through this natural disaster.”
MsRohan said there was still work to do to support impacted businesses to be resilient, competitive and diversified long-term.
“The early activation disaster assistance is encouraged however it’s important the avenues for business to apply for and access the assistance are streamlined and the timely,"Ms Rohan said.
“We know from December quarter Pulse Report data business confidence in the state and national economies in 2022 was already at its lowest since the start of the COVID economic crisis in Queensland.
“At the same time more than 60% of businesses told us they or their staff had suffered mental health impacts due to COVID stressors, up from 45% in June 2021, so we know sentiment was low.
“While impacted businesses now have access to financial support through the timely activation of the disaster relief funding, we’re calling for a holistic business continuity support packagetoprovide for thefinancial, emotional and community recovery and particularly addressingthe mental health impacts.
“Businesses can’t afford a delay in this assistance being activated.
"Now is the time for us all to be supporting Queensland to get back to business."
CCIQ media contact
Emma Clarke
Media and Communications Advisor