Voucher scheme should continue This city needs to keep on showing how much it values local business during these tough times

THE City of Darwin needs local businesses more than it needs a $25 million pool.

The council this month launched its $300,000 myDarwin voucher scheme program providing a boost for local businesses doing it tough and a windfall for shoppers.

Whether it’s food and beverage, bike repairs, a hair cut or clothing, punters signed up in droves to get between $2.50 and $20 off purchases within the City of Darwin by spending between $10 and $80.

It’s a PR dream for the council and they should be congratulated on acting so swiftly to deliver an incentive scheme that appears to have gone off without a hitch.

But it needs to continue. Sure, that will cost money but even a quick glance at the council’s proposed budget for 2020/21 suggests extending this scheme can be done at the expense of less important projects.

The City of Darwin is expected to deliver a $71.8 million budget, boosted by last week’s $14.6 million sale of the Cavenagh St carpark to CDU.

The biggest project on the budget?

A monster $25 million redevelopment of Casuarina Pool.

This city needs to continue to show how much it values local business and find ways to extend this generous, innovative and flawless scheme, even if it is at the cost of, or delays, a new pool development in the burbs.

There’s already plenty of evidence that suggests businesses are reaping the rewards of the voucher scheme.

Taste of Viet in Casuarina says people are boosting their spend just to take advantage of the discount.

A banh mi costs $9 so customers are buying a drink to spend over $10 so they can cash in on their discount.

Darwin Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis has not ruled out extending the popular vouch

‘Council’s giving you a (25 per cent) discount and we think that’s generous’

er scheme. “We put $300,000 as a reasonable fund and we can go back and review it,” he said.

Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce said council’s cash splash was a generous one.

“This isn’t about a free lunch and you have to spend some to get some. Council’s giving you a (25 per cent) discount and we think that’s generous,” he said.

The $300,000 stimulus package has come from the council parking revenue generated between January and even most of the current hot spots will be under control by the 17th. But it is possible that there will be new hot spots that emerge, in other parts of Australia.

This is about being prepared.

By stopping the people that need to be stopped, by targeting suburbs instead of states, we keep the Territory safe, while keeping the Territory free.

And it will be enforced. Making a false statement in a statutory declaration is against the law.

If we find someone has lied on the border arrival form – been to a hot spot but told us that they hadn’t – it could mean a prison sentence of up to three years.

March, which they announced would be diverted into virus recovery efforts.

Businesses that sign up for the voucher scheme must be owned and operated in Darwin, have a maximum turnover of $10 million and be at least six months old at time of

My message to people from interstate is simple. If you live in a hot spot area, your own government is telling you the area is not safe, and you should be in lockdown. If you are meant to be in lockdown, then you shouldn’t be coming here. If you do come here, we will lock you down. And if you break our rules, we can lock you up.

So don’t come here.

For everyone else – the 99 per cent of Australia that’s safe – we will be open, and we can’t wait to see you.

I want us to stay the safest. I am confident we will.

But the hard truth is – we can’t stay shut forever.

We now know we cannot wait for a vaccine – we don’t registration to qualify.

The Football and Cricket shop in Winnellie was one of the first to sign up to the scheme.

Why wouldn’t Darwin council continue the free PR? know if and when there will be one.

We know we cannot wait for zero cases of coronavirus in Australia – we don’t know if and when that will happen.

We can’t stay shut forever. But we must do everything possible to stay as safe as possible, while we take this next step.

None of this is a guarantee that coronavirus stays out of the Territory forever. I wish I could give you that guarantee, but I can’t.

But I will do whatever it takes to keep Territorians as safe as possible, until this virus can be cured. Whatever it takes, for as long as it takes.