Go Local, Go First Campaign

02 December 2021

As much as I love being here in Canberra representing my community, I can't wait to head home. I'm told it's nearly Christmas, which I love but haven't had a lot of time to think about yet. The next few weeks will give me a chance to do some Christmas shopping at some of the many local small businesses across my electorate. Ninety-eight point four per cent of all businesses in Australia are small businesses, and the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains have their fair share, contributing hugely to our local economy. But COVID, floods and bushfires hit many businesses hard, and we're still not seeing all the jobs come back.

Labor recognised how vital local businesses are during the GFC, and we injected money into the economy via small cash payments to pensioners a