Peta Pearson, who works at Helloworld Travel in Richmond Marketplace, has wanted to be a travel agent ever since she was a teenager. She and Claudia Laming love their jobs, helping match holidays to travellers. When I met them recently, they still managed a smile and a joke. Travel agents surely have had one of the psychologically toughest experiences during COVID, with the borders closed and no immediate support for the businesses they worked in. And, while they watched their owners try and find a way to keep them employed in the time before JobKeeper was introduced, they had to start the cancellation and refund process for angry and distressed travellers whose trips were off. Then, even after JobKeeper threw them a lifeline, they had stranded customers overseas, frantically trying to find a way home. The government wasn't able to get stranded Aussies home, but, my goodness, I saw travel agents do it. So now, with no sign of international borders opening, these workers and their employers are completely uncertain about their future, with JobKeeper ending in March. This is exactly the sort of business that needs JobKeeper to continue. The government tell us how much they've done for travel agents, but the assistance they've provided to business owners has, in the case of many businesses I've spoken to, only covered the rent for an extra couple of months. Losing JobKeeper means no-one is covering salaries. I know owners who dipped into their own savings and their superannuation to keep their staff on for the hours they needed to pay their own bills. The sector suffered terribly. Domestic travel bookings and commissions can't replace international travel; they need JobKeeper.