’We won’t be able to survive’ without JobKeeper
TRAVEL agents, aviation staff and the “working poor’’ are among thousands of Gold Coasters bracing for “disaster” once JobKeeper payments stop in September.
Helloworld travel agent Rhiannon Keath said the business would likely go under if the Federal Government pulled the pin on the financial lifeline.
“We won’t survive,” she said. “Our agency has made no money since March, give or take a couple of hundred dollars. The travel industry will not go back to semi-normal until mid-next year, if that.”
Melanie Hart, of Travel
Managers Australia, who has been in the travel industry for 25 years, said the effects on the sector had been “completely forgotten about”.
“There have been shoutouts to tourism operators to book direct, support local etc, which is great,” she said. “But for those of us who literally had our income reduced to zero as early as February, and then to keep on working for no income to get clients home, give refunds, work out credits, it has been really hard.
“I think JobKeeper has kept many business just afloat … when it ends, it will be a disaster.”
Vicky Rose, Neighbourhood of Nerang Centre, expected demand for food boxes would soar once JobKeeper was cut. “It’s going to affect the ‘working poor’, those who work two or three jobs to stay afloat,’’ she said.
“Thanks to JobKeeper, they have been able to survive but if the jobs aren’t going to be there after September, and neither is JobKeeper, then we are going to see the working poor become just poor,” she said.
“Our administration manager works for a travel agency 15 hours a week and for us 15 hours a week. Her agency has her on JobKeeper for those 15 hours but once that stops, as a non-profit, we can’t afford to offer her 15 more hours’ work.
“As a single mum, only working 15 hours a week is going to make it basically impossible for her to pay rent and she’ll be having to access our food service just to get by.”
Ms Rose said JobKeeper should be a reflection of what was happening nationwide.
“If businesses are still not operating as they used to, because of government restrictions, then they should still be able to get government support.”
Aviation industry worker Bella Harris said JobKeeper had “been a saviour for those without work in the sector”, with almost all staff stood down.
“We work security and need to be trained and at a high standard at all times. This is usually tested monthly, so JobKeeper has kept people coming in for training and keeping their skills up to date,” she said.
“Without it, the industry would have lost so many trained specialists and obviously this would impact security on huge levels in aviation.”
Self-employed singing school owner Tiff Wood lost 50 per cent of her customers because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but said JobKeeper had been one of the best things to happen to her.
“It’s allowed me, by the end of September, to have paid off all my debts or loans that my business had,” she said.