State border closures are ‘pointless jobkillers’, says Business Council of Australia chair Jennifer Westacott

Business Council CEO Jennifer Westacott warns continued lockdowns could result in ”businesses leaving Victoria.”

Chief Executive of Business Council of Australia Jennifer Westacott has warned “a long road out” of restrictions could result in ”businesses leaving Victoria”, urging for a local lockdown approach rather than state border closures. Picture: AAP

Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott has warned continued lockdowns in Victoria would be devastating for businesses as she slammed hard state border closures as “pointless job killers.”

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is due to announce his government’s final blueprint for easing coronavirus restrictions at midday following nearly two months of lockdown.

But Ms Westacott told ABC Insiders on Sunday she hoped the plan was simple, predictable and one that does “not go backwards.”

“No one wants a third wave here. But I think we have to find a practical, achievable, sustainable plan forward that also allows things to get back,” she said.

Mr Andrews’ plan is likely to see Melbourne stay in Stage Four restrictions for at least a fortnight beyond the current expiry date of September 13, with Stage Three stay-at-home restrictions only eased after daily case numbers are sustained in single digits.

Ms Westacott warned that “a long road out” of restrictions could result in ”businesses leaving Victoria.”

.@JAWestacott says "a long road out" of restrictions means "businesses leaving Victoria. It means a sense of hopelessness that I think has crept in to Victoria, which I think is bad for people's mental health". #insiders #auspol pic.twitter.com/ztfDE4Dycg

— Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) September 5, 2020

“It means a sense of hopelessness that I think has crept in to Victoria, which I think is bad for people‘s mental health,” she said.

Ms Westacott called out the Andrews’ government for not consulting properly with Victorian businesses throughout the lockdown, declaring “it hasn’t been good enough.”

“It’s one thing to tell businesses things,” she said. “It’s another thing to work with them to try to make sure that we don’t get a third wave and we keep things going.”

She again urged for a local lockdown approach rather than state border closures, arguing that companies with COVID-safe plans should be allowed to re-open.

.@JAWestacott on Victoria's reopening plan: "What we need is a
plan to get business going again. So people with COVID-safe plans, where there's no transmission - why can't they open?" #auspol #insiders pic.twitter.com/jBOuX5jKgW

— Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) September 5, 2020

“What we need is a plan to get business going again,” Ms Westacott said. “So people with COVID-safe plans, where there‘s no transmission – why can’t they open?”

She argued that local containment and hotspot management was better than hard border closures.

“State borders are meaningless, and they‘re pointless, and closing them is a job killer,” Ms Westacott said. “It would be better to move to the local lockdown approach.”

“ … We need a plan that looks at that local hotspot management you‘ve just been talking about, and learn from New South Wales, which is doing this really well. And what’s the benefit there? The benefit is 314,000 jobs that were lost in the first wave, are back,” she said.

“This is not about statistics. This is about people’s lives. This is about the businesses they’ve built all their lives. It’s about that sense of hope versus despair, and we need a plan that gives hope today.”

"State borders are meaningless, and they're pointless, and closing them is a job killer," says @JAWestacott.

"It would be It would be better to move to the local lockdown approach." #insiders #auspol pic.twitter.com/8o2KGWHfzF

— Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) September 5, 2020

On the issue of executive bonuses, Ms Westacott said companies that are receiving Jobkeeper should not be rewarding those at the top with bonuses.

“It wasn‘t designed for that. It was designed to keep people working,” she said. “Certainly on executive bonuses, I think that companies should not do that. I think on dividends, I think companies need to exercise very careful judgment.”

Victoria on Sunday reported 63 new COVID-19 infections and 5 deaths, down from a peak of 725 new cases on Saturday.