Wallies Lollies in Melbourne say JobKeeper has saved them and must be extended by parliament

JobKeeper and federal tax changes have made life much sweeter for` a 20-year old confectionary shop in Melbourne’s north which faced a COVID-19 collapse.

Richard Ferguson

@RichAFerguson

less than 2 min read

6:41PMAugust 23, 2020

‘We lost half to three-quarters of our retail’: Peter and Michelle Stapelfeldt of Wallies Lollies in Melbourne’s Box Hill South. Picture: Paul Jeffers

JobKeeper and federal tax changes have made life much sweeter for Wallies Lollies, a 20-year old confectionary shop in Melbourne’s north that faced a COVID-19 collapse.

Candy-selling couple Michelle and Peter Stapelfeldt are now asking Josh Frydenberg to back a major Shop Small campaign so they can get sweet-toothed Melburnians into their store post-lockdown and start employing young people again.

Ms Stapelfeldt called on parliament to pass the Treasurer’s JobKeeper extensions when MPs return this week, saying her family business might not be here without the wage subsidies.

“When the pandemic hit in March, we lost half to three-quarters of our retail; our online business was low because so many people just get confectionary from the supermarkets; and our corporate work was wiped out.

“The federal assistance definitely helped us. With JobKeeper especially, we were able to keep our eight core staff and we just stagger them. We will absolutely need JobKeeper past September as Victoria has been very badly hit.”

The Victorian shutdown has cruelled a post-COVID recovery for many Melbourne businesses, but the owners of Wallies Lollies recently wrote to Mr Frydenberg to thank him for the financial support.

Ms Stapelfeldt said on Sunday that beyond JobKeeper extensions, she wanted to see federal and state governments provide more support to businesses renting shop fronts. She also wants a major campaign to get buyers into local small businesses, saying that is the key to reversing major youth unemployment.

On Sunday, Mr Frydenberg said the extension of JobKeeper until March next year would keep people like the Stapelfeldts afloat.