Coombe on council for recovery

TOWNSVILLE will have a new voice in economic recovery as former Townsville city councillor Verena Coombe takes on a role as the chairwoman of the Queensland Small Business Recovery Advisory Council.

The small business owner, who joined the advisory council when it first began in the wake of the 2019 floods, will become a leading voice in the region’s recovery from coronavirus.

Small Business Minister Shannon Fentiman said the council would help small businesses access help as Queensland implemented its plan for economic recovery.

“Ms Coombe is a foundation advisory council member and has a close working knowledge of small businesses and the challenges they face, and is an experienced advocate,” she said.

“As chair, Ms Coombe will bring together members from Townsville, North West Queensland, small business owners and state organisations with a range of expertise on the priorities for affected communities and businesses.”

Townsville MP Scott Stewart said there had been a notable increase in the uptake of Small Business Disaster Recovery Resilience Grants with more than 400 applications totalling almost $4 million.

“In a little over four months there were almost 7000 phone calls to the Small Business Recovery Centre and more than 280 mentoring sessions were held with local small businesses,” Mr Stewart said.

“The recovery centre will continue to form an integral part of this recovery effort.”