Cairns JobKeeper replacement calls as Treasurer Frydenberg comes to town
A compelling number will be thrust before one of the Federal Government’s most influential players when he visits Cairns on Monday.
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A COMPELLING number will be thrust before Josh Frydenberg when he visits Cairns on Monday as proof the Far North needs a serious replacement to JobKeeper.
Anticipation is building ahead of the federal treasurer’s visit next week with one mantra on repeat — surely, he will not come empty-handed.
Business operators sweating on JobKeeper’s expiration are desperate for answers about happens when the March 28 cut-off date arrives.
They will not get those answers on Monday.
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The Cairns Post understands a JobKeeper replacement was approved by the Expenditure Review Committee on Friday but must still go through Cabinet on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will make the announcement next week, which raises a question — what will Mr Frydenberg bring to Cairns?
Advance Cairns executive chairman Nick Trompf said the latest Conus/CBC Staff Selection regional labour figures were impossible to ignore.
They showed Greater Brisbane employment had increased by 12,700 for the year to February, Townsville was up 600, and Queensland as a whole shot up by 17,000 jobs.
Employment in Cairns and its four surrounding shires plummeted by 9300 jobs over the same period.
“That’s nearly 7 per cent of the workforce. This region has been severely impacted and much more so than others,” Mr Trompf said.
“Therefore at a state and federal level, efforts must be taken to bridge the gap until we get into a recovery mode.
“With the Treasurer coming on Monday, there clearly needs to be some form of an announcement.”
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen said the industry was on tenterhooks as the JobKeeper use-by date drew near.
“A lot of industries and employees are wondering what’s next,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s any one solution to close the gap between where we are today and where we hope to be for a really busy June-July school holidays and beyond.
“We know we’ve got solid forward bookings for Easter, but closing that gap and keeping people connected to the jobs is really important.
“Otherwise we will have the challenge of finding enough skilled staff to meet the demand that’s here.”
Originally published as Cairns JobKeeper replacement calls as Treasurer Frydenberg comes to town
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